Reviewer’s rating: **** Let’s get straight to the point. My fillet of Welsh Black beef was excellent, writes Dave Morris.

An office colleague who shall remain anonymous – but is a photographer – took me to task over one of my earlier restaurant reviews, saying that I spent too much time describing the surroundings and not enough time on the meal itself.

Having only returned from honeymoon a couple of days earlier, Kath and I decided to try to hold on to our holiday mood for just a little longer by going out for a meal.

And so, on the recommendation of a couple of friends, we headed up the lovely Ceiriog Valley near Oswestry and to The Oak (Y Dderwen) in High Street, Glyn Ceiriog.

The menu held out immediate promise by declaring “Seasonal produce. Local ingredients. Passionate about food”. It also states that all meat, vegetables and dairy products are locally sourced, supporting local farmers and businesses.

We were shown into a tastefully decorated room, with plenty of lit candles. Ah, the romance!

Kath took little time in deciding on her starter – roasted Pantysgawen goats cheese with warmed sweet and sour beetroot (£4.75). It was, she said, absolutely delicious and by far the best of similar starters she has had. I was offered a very small taste and agreed it was a delight.

My starter was black pudding with smoked bacon and Caerphilly sauce (£4.75). It was a good sized portion and very tasty. Again, one of the best black pudding starters that I have enjoyed. And what’s more, because Kath doesn’t eat meat, I didn’t have to share any of it!

I had nearly wavered and gone for the cream of pan friend mushroom tagliatelle (again £4.75) but perhaps that is something for another day.

For her main course, I was expecting that Kath would go for one of the fish dishes – fillet of Scotch salmon with asparagus and herb dressing, or fillet of sea bass on a bed of organic noodles with a prawn and lemon sauce, and both priced at £9.95.

She says it is her job to keep me slightly off-balance and frequently surprised, and so instead she chose the Thai vegetable and lentil curry with rice (£8.95).

I confess to being a little surprised as she makes an excellent Thai veg curry herself. The dish at The Oak was packed with veg, al dente style, reminding us of a stir-fry. She was reluctant to admit it, but she was disappointed, though she stressed that there was nothing wrong with the ingredients, or indeed the presentation, but she had expected a different style.

My fillet of Welsh Black beef (£16.95) was truly excellent. Steaks are something that I rarely select when dining out. Again, as with the curry, it’s a matter of preference, because at home I like to cook them in a particular way and I do worry that in a restaurant I will be disappointed.

No such worries at The Oak. I had asked for it to be served well done, and so it was. Coated in a peppercorn sauce it was wonderfully tender. Superb quality.

The veg were delicious too. And I also enjoyed a bowl of chips!

Steaks are popular at The Oak judging by the number served to a large birthday party that occupied much of the dining room.

They also happen to be one of the specialities of award-winning head chef Jamie Durkin who has worked in the trade for many years. He is well known and highly regarded in the area.

By all accounts “Jamie’s famous pate” as it is listed is also very popular with patrons of The Oak. It is served with homemade chutney and hot toast and I was very tempted.

There were a selection of home made sweets advertised on the board at £4.95 but we decided against them.

However we rounded off the evening with a couple of speciality coffees – Tia Maria for Kath, and Amaretto for myself.

The business is run by Gafyn Davies, and his wife Carys.

Locally born and raised Gafyn worked for some time in New Zealand but the couple returned to the area about four years ago.

They refurbished The Oak about 18 months ago and it is proving a popular move, not just with customers from neighbouring town and villages such as Llangollen, Froncysyllte, and Chirk but with the tourists who enjoy the beauty and charm of the valley.

Gafyn confirmed that they use as much local produce as possible.

The couple have a smallholding just outside the village and are growing two acres of blueberry bushes and the fruit is being used at The Oak in what I have no doubts is a wonderful cheesecake!

We very much enjoyed our visit to this establishment.

ADDRESS
The Oak, High Street, Glyn Ceiriog
Tel: 01691 718810

MENU SAMPLE

Starters
Deep fried crispy Thai prawns (£4.95) Oak smoked chicken (£4.95)

Main courses
Rump of local Welsh lamb £11.95); Pan fried breast of chicken with peanut satay sauce (£8.95)

Sides
Handcut chips (£1.95);Home made colelaw (£1.95)

Desserts Homemade selection on board. All £4.95

ATMOSPHERE
Friendly and relaxed

SERVICE
Attentive and efficient

DISABLED FACILITIES
No special facilities. Care needs to be taken with a couple of steps to toilets.