The Punch Bowl, Llandrinio

Neil Thomas catches up on a local pub's impressive changes

Reviewer's rating: ****

Neil Thomas catches up on a local pub's impressive changes

You know how you sometimes lose track of time, keep meaning to do something and never quite get around to it. Well, it was like that with me and the Punch Bowl.

It was quite a cosy little pub, not too far from home, reasonable food at bargain prices and well-kept beer. Then it was sold and the new owner immediately closed it down.

It was shut for weeks for major refurbishments and I monitored progress as I drove past it almost daily travelling to and from the office. I determined to visit just as soon as it re-opened.

We couldn't make the opening night and were busy during the following fortnight. Then we tried to book and it was full. Still, it does no harm to give the new team a few weeks to settle in.

Then the chance came to try again and, this time, we managed to get in, snaring the last table for four on a Saturday night last month. Off we went, wife Vanessa and I and our friends Jen and Malc.

"So how are you settling in?" I said to joint proprietor Graham Brown, whose initial response was a look of bemusement.

I said I loved the new look and couldn't believe how much the place had changed.

"So how long have you been open then, Graham?" I inquired, expecting him to say six months.

"Just coming up to two years," he replied. "I know," he added, almost reading my thoughts, "I can't believe it either."

Still, it was worth the wait. I can't tell you what the Punch Bowl was like when it first re-opened but it is mighty good now.

Graham is the serving Powys county councillor for Llandrinio so is already well known in the area, which must be an advantage. The Punch Bowl is a family affair – the co-proprietor is Graham's niece Susan Brown and they are helped by her brother Gareth in the kitchen and their mother Juliet.

They have transformed the place. Heaven knows how much they spent, but the rather old-fashioned lounge, with its faded velour wall seating, was 'gutted'. There are rich, warm greens and reds and smart wooden furniture.

The welcome from Graham behind the bar and our two waitresses was warm and service throughout the evening was exemplary.

The food was excellent. The asparagus and cauliflower soup (£3.95) was a treat which Malc and I both ladelled down with gusto. The girls both tucked into garlic mushrooms (£4.25). This looked like a meal in itself with plenty of sauteed button mushrooms in a garlic and Stilton sauce with a crispy bacon topping.

Lamb Henry (£9.45) is one of my favourites and the Punch Bowl did the traditional dish proud. My slow roasted shoulder of lamb was an enormous plateful of tender, full flavoured meat in a rich home-made Shrewsbury sauce, bursting with fruity redcurrant flavour and with a bit of a kick, presumably from the garlic and Worcester sauce.

Vanessa's homemade chilli con carne (£7.95) was fabulous, real hot stuff for a bitter winter evening. A generous helping of tender minced beef, the right balance of peppers and spices and a topping of grated Cheddar cheese, it came with rice and nachos.

Jen's chargrilled chicken breast (£8.45) was beautifully cooked and came with a delicious creamy red wine and Stilton sauce. Malc, meanwhile, tucked into an excellent eight ounce pork loin steak with a homemade whisky glaze and apple fritters.

There was a generous helping of perfectly cooked fresh vegetables and fantastic home-made chips – nostalgia food for children of 1960s like me who grew up in households where the chip pan had a permanent residence on the stove.

The Punch Bowl also knocks up a pretty decent home-made tiramisu, which Jen and I both enjoyed for dessert. Malc made light work of a rich chocolate fudge cake while Vanessa rounded off her meal with a liqeur coffee.

Many people, not unreasonably, demand a decent pint from a pub and there are no worries here. The guest ale for the evening was Marston's Pedigree, a beer disliked by no one I've ever met in more than 30 years of visiting pubs, and very well kept here.

A great evening. We shan't leave it two years before we visit again.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Grilled Mediterranean ciabatta (£4.50)

Home-made pork liver paté (£4.50)

Main courses

Home-made Italian meatballs (£8.25)

Warm chicken and bacon salad (£9.45)

Desserts

Home-made cheesecake (£3.95)

Banoffee pie (£3.95)

ATMOSPHERE