Small village surrounded by world class waterfalls has a pub that sells unbelievable scallop sandwiches

Wales Online

2 days ago

Small village surrounded by world class waterfalls has a pub that sells unbelievable scallop sandwiches
If you're walking the famous Four Waterfalls walk, this pub should be on your agenda for afterwards
Inside the pub is the perfect mix of traditional and cosy
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
There are few things greater in life than a walk followed by a pub lunch and a pint of cider. Luckily, Wales has so many incredible walking routes, whether you're in the hills of Bannau Brycheiniog or Yr Wyddfa, climbing The Sugar Loaf, Consti or the Garth, wherever you are, you should never be too far from a great boozer either.
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Except we know the hospitality industry is struggling, and with the deadly combination of running costs rising and our flexible income shrinking, there is a depressingly high number of good, rural pubs closing.
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If you've watched the latest series of Clarkson's Farm you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Beautiful stone buildings, with decades, if not centuries of stories, bust ups and boozing, are being lost, left abandoned all over the country because keeping a pub running is seriously hard work.
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The renovated historic pub from the outside
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
So, when you find a good one, well you need to spread the word, so let me share with you the Red Lion in Penderyn. Personally, my demands are simple. Good food, whether pub classics, or something fancy, served with a good drop (in my case, a local cider or good chilled Pinot Grigio, but for my husband, good ales), is all you need and if you've been on a long walk, you've definitely earned those, right?
Having spent the morning walking round the Four Waterfalls, and taking a very chilly dip in Sgwd y Eira, my husband's booking of the Red Lion in Penderyn was an excellent shout.
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View of the Sgwd Yr Eira waterfall in Bannau Brycheiniog
(Image: Edd Mitchell/ GettyImages)
The 9km walk in the Beacons is legendary, and to our shame despite it being an hour from our home, we'd never done it in full. In fact this part of the world is known as "waterfall country" where there are a host of stunning publicly accessible waterfalls.
Setting off early to beat the crowds, and as a bonus bagging one of the handful of free parking spots available, our three hour ramble was complete in time for a lunchtime trip to Penderyn, just a few miles away. Plus, our aching thigh muscles needed a breather.
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Home of the famous distillery, somewhere we've taken visitors for tours not once, but twice, as we sat looking at the menus we said we couldn't quite believe we'd never heard of this pub.
The pub has, in its current form, been here since the 1800s. Its website explains the rest: "By the mid 1970's it was in a very sorry state. Most of the building was derelict with cinder floors and only two rooms still in use; a small bar and damp lounge.
"The roof's back was broken and there were over 30 vessels of various types catching the water coming in.
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"However in 1978 it was sold to Keith & Beryl James and so began a love affair with a building which has continued 7 days a week, 365 days a year to this very day. The bond with the building is so strong that their last holiday was in fact in 1977.
"Over the last 40 years a substantial and sympathetic renovation has been undertaken to restore the Red Lion to it's former glory. Every penny of savings, pensions and turnover has been ploughed back in to the building by family to develop the '…little hidden gem….' customers love today."
Keith and Beryl's daughter Natalie joined the pub in 2015, and this family's love affair continues.
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Given we'd travelled to it via a road which would generously be described as single track, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The walk, the clambering, the swimming, would have seen me happy with a plate of scampi and chips but chef had other ideas.
But I can tell you for certain, that as we sat down and opened the menu, I did not expect to see "compressed watermelon" or squid with Thai basil charred lime and pickled cucumber. Nor did I expect a scallop sandwich, or a Barti Ddu Rum chocolate delice.
But the dish that makes my mouth water even just thinking back was the scallop sandwich.
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The scallop and bacon sandwich, served with fries and coleslaw was the star of the show
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
Now, a £20.50 price tag for a sandwich may sound a lot, but I love fish, plus the description included a host of my favourite things - bacon, fennel, radish, pea and mint mayo and charred gem - check, check and check.
So that was ordered, without a second look and we also added three dishes from the "small plates" menu, which range from £11 to £12.20, but you can get three for £30 at lunchtime. We also added on a side, of what was billed as crispy curry leaves, more of that later.
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The dishes all came together, and in a good amount of time for us to enjoy the first sips of our drinks but with that anticipation a rumbling tummy can bring.
Pork belly small plates with peanuts, spring onion and soy dressing
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
While I ate the sandwich last, it was, by far, the standout dish. Seriously well cooked, juicy scallops, were inside a bread roll with a good chew, thick bacon, plus the vegetable garnishes and sauces.
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The saltiness of bacon and sweetness of scallops is a well tested flavour combination, and adding it in a sandwich with the other ingredients, it was decadent and divine. We both pointed out we'd have wanted more of the pea and mint mayo squished in there, but when you did get a mouthful of that, it was divine.
The chips were coated in paprika, and the coleslaw, the last thing I went to eat was left, partly through my overordering, but partly as it was a little too heavy on the onions.
The cauliflower (£11) with miso puree, pickled radish, chilli oil, chickpeas and viola flowers was by far the best of the three small plates we picked. Sweet, but with chunks of soft cauliflower and crispy chickpeas, it not only looked beautiful but tasted it too.
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My second favourite dish of cauliflower with edible flowers and chickpeas
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
While they were my standouts, there were a couple of others that didn't quite live up to the billing, but with a few tweaks absolutely could and were still perfectly acceptable pub grub.
The crispy pork belly (£11) with toasted peanuts, chilli and soy dressing and spring onions, was the best of the rest. The larger pieces of pork held their succulence and fell apart when cut, but their smaller compatriots were a little on the dry side. That said, the huge peanuts and dressing were delightful.
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The squid, which was promised with pickled cucumber, thai basil, hazelnuts, charred lime and a lemon and garlic aioli promised big hitting flavours. While the squid itself was prepared and cooked well, I wanted that cheek sucking punch of the double citrus, and I didn't get it. It may be my Polish roots but I love anything pickled. Seriously pickled but this cucumber though had barely seen the vinegar enough to make me as giddy as seeing it on the menu did. There is not a pickled product I wouldn't eat, and yet I did leave some of the cucumber on the plate.
Plus, for £12.20, it just felt a little small, even for a small plate.
The squid itself was great, but it didn't quite deliver on punch
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
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Billed as a "bit on the side" I was fascinated by the sound of "crispy curry leaves" served with rocket, seeds and fennel. It sounded amazing. It was, in reality, a salad, and I had to hunt for the curry leaves within the, granted, big pile of leaves and seeds.
Double, or triple the quantity of those fragrant leaves, and half the amount of dressing, this dish could be a knockout. As it was, it was a salad, not quite the intriguing proposition on the menu.
We shared a pudding - which with a £12 price tag I imagine lots of people do - but the Barti Ddu rum chocolate delice was a great ending to the meal. The richness of the delice was countered by both the rum and the coffee soil. The vanilla ice cream something of a palate cleanser after the chocolate too.
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The Barti Ddu rum chocolate delice pudding
(Image: Ruth Mosalski)
All in all, I'm really glad we found this pub. The decor and its staff were great. It was the right mix of a traditional pub but done up with enough modern touches it didn't feel dark, dank or dingy. The staff were lovely, seating us earlier than our booking, and prompt with service and with big smiles, and no judgements at our large lunch order.
This place is clearly hugely popular and its location means if you're a return visitor to the waterfalls, or going for the first time, you should absolutely visit. It's got a huge and beautiful beer garden, a pop up pizza spot The Little Lion, and has, I've since learnt, hosted street fooders like The Beefy Boys too.
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It oh so nearly delivered on every count, but I wouldn't mind popping back for that sandwich any time.
The Red Lion in Penderyn recommends bookings. Food is served at lunchtime and in evenings between Wednesday and Saturday with a Sunday lunch menu from noon until 4.30pm.