Pimento, Newtown

Star rating: *** My starter came as something of a surprise - and not a pleasant one.

I ordered salad of crabmeat, ginger, spring onion and gem lettuce. Now to be fair, what arrived certainly featured lettuce.

It may also have contained the other ingredients, though it was hard to locate them beneath the morass of mayonnaise. One ingredient I had no problem finding was the chopped up hard-boiled egg.

I had ordered crabmeat salad and ended up with egg mayonnaise. My friend Malc chose the same and stoicly ploughed on, occasionally wearing the expression of a man licking clean his flip-flops after a stroll on Rhyl beach. He managed to eat half.

Personally, I’d rather have munched on Wayne Rooney’s toenail clippings. Those closest to me know that I hate, loathe and detest egg mayonnaise. Staff in restaurants aren’t close to me and couldn’t be expected to know that - which is exactly why we have menus.

They are, however, pointless if chefs feel free to lob in whatever ingredients are close to hand or left over.

I presented my uneaten starter to chef/proprietor Geoff Greenhough, an amateur cook for 15 years who is living his dream after 17 years in the defence industry. Well, this starter was indefensible. An apologetic Geoff said he added the egg to give the dish extra body and texture. Fine, say so on the menu.

There is a serious side to this, in a nation which boasts the widest, most sophsticated network of human allergies in Europe. Some people have an intolerence to eggs. Now a guest writhing under the table gripping his throat as he turns mauve would add a diverting frisson to any dining experience. On the other hand, one scenario that any self-respecting restaurant would be keen to avoid is that of an ambulance parked outside. The moral - stick to the menu.

Our other halves fared better on the starters. My wife Vanessa had the roasted chicken thigh stuffed with prawn mousseline served with pickled sweet peppers while Malc’s wife Jen chose the same. Fortunately, that’s what arrived. A delight it was too, a perfectly put together dish with tender poultry at the centre of a pleasing flavour combination.

Geoff certainly displayed what he is capable of with my main course, roasted Shropshire pork tenderloin wrapped in Serrano ham. The meat was succulent and cooked to perfection while the saltiness of the ham provided a stimulating contrast.

The mustard vinaigrette lifted the dish while the paprika in the chorizo threw in a strong, competing flavour too. The sage sauteed potatoes and broad beans were an excellent complement and portion size perfect.

Jen chose the same and was equally impressed with the flavour, though disappointed by what she felt was a shortage of vegetables.

Vanessa and Malc chose beef and here things went awry again. The cut referred to on the menu was top grade and there could be no complaints about the generosity of portions of food or the taste. It was more the proportions.

Pimento offered up a steak the size and thickness of a miner’s boot sole. Alas, it looked about as appealing. A huge slab of meat - and not much else. It came with a handful of thick cut chips and a few rocket leaves. There was no variety in the salad, no dressing.

Meat, potatoes, leaves. It made for a bland, disappointing course. This was basic pub food and, at 5p shy of £17, we thought it over-priced. And doubly so for half the portion - which is exactly what Vanessa ate. That’s the point at which she got fed up and refused dessert.

Malc - a man who has eaten enough steaks to hold an informed, if not expert, opinion - also felt underwhelmed to run out of chips and rocket when only a third of the way through the meat.

The rollercoaster of quality continued with three superb desserts. Jen and I went for the dark chocolate and amaretti with de kuyper-soused cherries. This was a rich, spirit-lifting concoction, infused with a stimulating licquer and with a mood-enhancing aftertaste which left Jen positively ecstatic.

Malc’s hot strawberry souffle with strawberry sorbet and shortcake certainly revived his morale after the main course. A souffle requires the lightest of touches. It is the test of a chef’s mettle and Geoff passed with flying colours.

So, a mixed bag. Pimento is Geoff’s first venture in the restaurant business and it is a steep learning curve. He arrived in Newtown from Berkshire and bought the former Finches Restaurant. One of the first jobs on arriving in a new area should be to try out the local competition, visit successful restaurants to see what they serve, in what portions - and at what price.

In other words, find out what people in Mid Wales like. In Powys they tend to like fresh ingredients, plain food, quality Welsh meat and plenty of vegetables. They also like value for money. Pimento is simply too expensive. People in Berkshire might pay £5.95 for a starter and £16.95 for a main course, but in Powys they would think twice - and then probably go elsewhere.

There is an alternative fixed price menu on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6.30pm to 8.30pm and Tuesdays to Saturdays, from noon to 2pm. This offers two courses for £12.95 and three courses for £15.95, which looks like pretty decent value.

The Friday and Saturday evenings at full price may, though, remain a problem. We were the only four diners in the restaurant on the Friday we visited although Geoff told me there were 37 diners in the previous Friday.

Geoff clearly has a passion for cooking and must be applauded for trying to bring a dash of culinary flair to Newtown. If Pimento can cut out the erratic cooking and occasionally lobsided combination of portions, and perhaps reconsider the prices of some of its dishes, it undoubtedly has the makings of a decent restaurant. At the moment, it is very much a ‘work in progress’.

ADDRESS
Pimento, 17 Parkers Lane, Newtown, Powys
Tel (01686) 621120

MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Chilled carrot, tomato and sherry soup (£4.95); Parfait of chicken liver and foie gras, brioche toast and plum chutney (£5.95)

Main courses
Grilled fillet of lemon sole au gratin, champ potato, braised fennel and tomato dressing (£14.95); Roast rack of Welsh lamb and confit shoulder of lamb and potato, aubergine caviar, glazed carrot and marsala jus (£16.95)

Desserts
Caramelised pineapple with sherbet (£4.95); A selection of Welsh and English cheeses (£5.95)

ATMOSPHERE
Hard to judge. Apart from the four of us, the place was empty, though I’m sure it has the potential to be lively.

SERVICE
Good. The personable waitress was attentive without being intrusive, although she wasn’t exactly under pressure.

DISABLED FACILITIES
Plenty of space and no steep stairs.

SMOKING POLICY
Smoking area outside.

By Neil Thomas