The Vine Tree Llangattock
“Enough flavour to smack your nan in the face.”
This was how Connor Turner described his ambition to execute his food when I spoke to him at the tail end of 2022, not long after his maiden restaurant Y Bwyty Bach had opened in Tretower.
We’re now almost two years on from one of the first entries on this blog. Reading back my writing makes me cringe more than when I told the Co-op cashier to “Enjoy!” whilst leaving last week.
Y Bwyty Bach opened in early 2022 and closed toward the end of 2023. They still operate during daytime hours as a café - this was always part of their operation, with the café needing to be run as part of the grade I listed status.
Y Bwyty Bach (YBB) was a wonderful place during it’s brief tenure. It was unfortunate that Connor closed the doors in the evenings due to a staffing crisis, emphasised by him running front of house some evenings and leaving the kitchen in the capable hands of Rhodri Davies, former Heathcock chef.
There were also some structural issues with the building, and more specifically the roof, which meant the restaurant felt a snap of chill during the winter nights.
Dry aged duck at Y Bwyty Bach -
Sourced from Otter Valley Farm in Devon, dry aged for ten days. The duck cooked on the crown, skin crisped and removed from the breast, before being glazed in miso, plum and hoisin sauce to produce a shine.
YBB didn’t get the plaudits I feel it deserved. It was widely regarded as a special occasion restaurant. There were some wrinkled noses from locals within the vicinity at the fine dining, modern tasting menu and the price it came at, which may be more suited to a city. This was a concept that most in the area weren’t familiar with.
Lamb loin and belly at Y Bwyty Bach -
Served with smoked yoghurt, pea and broad bean fricassee, and wild garlic.
Thankfully, after flirting with opening a new place in Cardiff, Connor decided to lease The Vine Tree Llangattock and opening night was Thursday 26th September 2024.
This old coaching inn, which was established in 1857, boasts views of the river Usk, a grade I listed stone bridge thought to be the longest in Wales, and the table top mountain. Over the years it has been extremely popular with locals. Restaurants in a town as small as Crickhowell are few and far between, hence why places like The Vine Tree are so imperative to a local community.
I’m pleased to report that no-ones nan was harmed during re-opening night at The Vine Tree, but I was blown away by Connor’s food once again.
We can discuss the glittering CV which includes several years at Heaneys and a stint at The Walnut Tree Inn, but Connor is now forging his own path. His personality is stamped all over The Vine Tree, which will be apparent to those who ate at YBB.
“I got on really well with Tommy, I really, really like his style of food, his cooking, and his passion.”
Two courses for £39 and three for £48. This might go some way to building bridges with locals that didn’t latch onto the tasting menu at YBB. The menu has a classic gastropub feel with a modern twist and farm-to-table ethos, which emphasises Connor’s style but doesn’t alienate unadventurous diners.
There’s a bar area with larger tables, ideal for socialising. Step through an archway into a cove and you will find nine tables are positioned in front of the kitchen. It’s an intimate setting with a chefs table feel, something Connor has always envisioned.
Opening night, we’re the first table in. Seated directly in front of the pass. There is nowhere to hide.
Snacks arrive in the form of crispy pigs head rolled in a crackling crumb and dabbed with piccalilli.
The bread is a sourdough focaccia with dry aged and whipped beef fat butter.
Risotto rice is cooked in crab bisque with crab shells and chicken skin. Blobs of yuzu offer citrus that cuts through the richness of the rice. This starter could benefit from a touch more yuzu.
Crab, chicken skin, yuzu, sorrel.
His influence runs throughout the menu, but it’s not just the food, it’s also the touches in the dining room: firs on the tables, ceramics hand crafted by Matthew Jones.
French classic style beef tartare contains 40-day dry aged beef, capers, shallots, egg yolk, gherkins, and an in-house fermented hot sauce that provides acidity. This starter is similar to a snack I once had at YBB.
I’m grateful this has been offered in a greater size [insert your own joke here].
There’s a cod loin with Thai green sauce, mussels, and saag aloo. There have been multiple versions of this at YBB, one I had in summer of 2023 was a tandoori monkfish on the bone.
The ability to cook meat is remarkable.
“Cooking of most meats, I try and cook the joint whole and on the bone. Low and slow to render all the fat of it. Using that fat to brush the finished meat before plating.”
Dry aged sirloin, oxtail, braised roscoff onion, parsley purée and bone marrow sauce.
The food is excellent. Just as when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager of Manchester United and 6 minutes of time got added on if they were 1-0 down at Old Trafford, there was an air of inevitability about this.
The ‘tipsy cake’ is a laminated brioche that involves a two-day process.
Whilst baking, boozy custard that contains Penderyn whisky is poured over to produce something similar to a pain aux raisins cake. The hay ice-cream is a nod to the farm-to-table concept.
Other desserts are available including a milk chocolate tart with miso caramel and roast banana soft serve ice-cream, plus a meringue with raspberry, rose, and crème fraîche.
Tunworth cheese ice-cream and bara brith - a staple at YBB - is on the menu, and so too is a classic mille feuille.
There were some minor hiccups with service which will be ironed out with each passing day. A draughty door problem was resolved by Connor’s partner, Bethany, and we were checked on twice whilst eating our mains. I’d rather be asked twice than not at all.
You can see their current opening hours below. A roast will be offered on Sundays.
I appreciate that £39/£48 is a lot of money for some in this climate. I’m not here to argue about social class or what’s considered affordable.
This is essentially 5 courses - including snacks - for £48, a snip for cooking of this standard and in this setting.
Yet again, I feel this meal exceeded what I’ve had at some Michelin mentioned restaurants. We are privileged to have Connor cooking in this area. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience it.
SUBSCRIBE
Do you want to receive weekly updates about pop ups, new menus, restaurant offers, and more in the Abergavenny area? Sign up to The Shire newsletter below.