Ty Newydd Country - Rhondda Cynon Taf

I believe the restaurant needs a new hygiene assessment, as when I spoke to the staff (all of whom were young and there was no senior member present), I was instructed to call or email. I have done both since then, but I have not received a reply. It has the potential to be a wonderful place, but unfortunately, it appeared sad and run down.

I went to the Sunday carvery for the first time and was met with a confusing experience. No one explained how to proceed, resulting in a long wait for food. I will not be returning as the food was dreadful - the meat was tough and dry. We were all very disappointed.

The food at this restaurant was a huge disappointment. All courses, except for dessert, were excessively greasy and left both myself and my partner feeling queasy. The only redeeming quality of the restaurant was the excellent service we received. The only reason I am not giving a lower score is because of the good breakfast and exceptional service from Tricia.

The menu is ok, you can kind of cater for all tastes. My partner made a good choice with curry of the day. The portion size was good and the pieces of chicken were huge and he said tasty. Only flaw was accompaniments rice, naan AND chips!!! 3 carbs! You don’t need chips (or they could have been a choice instead of rice so what about a vegetable side to go with it? My choice was poor half a rack of ribs (smaller than my hand! I’m not a big eater but even I was surprised at how small they were. Came with chips, coleslaw and garlic bread. Again you didn’t need the bread with chips and coleslaw was 2 mouthfuls so sides could have been better (bigger coleslaw, beans, corn on the cob etc Desserts were good. Staff are lovely. I just think the menu needs a tweak.

The reality is so far from their description that I’m surprised they haven’t been questioned by trading standards for lying. The waitress bar person (not her fault needs training) had no clue about anything. Took 15 minutes to get a cocktail because she kept running out the back to get information. I asked what the soup of the day was and she didn’t know so had to go and check. Then asked what the curry of the day was and she said “I think it’s chicken”, I replied “chicken what” and she said “chicken curry” . You couldn’t make it up. I then asked if the lamb shank was fresh and local and she said “yes I think so” so that’s what I ordered. The lamb arrived 10 minutes later and was awful. Tough as cow skin and had clearly been frozen and or microwaved. The mash was like school dinner mash and the veg had also been frozen. The following morning we went for breakfast and it was the cheapest nastiness ingredients I’ve tasted. The sausages we wet and were clearly about 10% pork and the bread that had been put next to the toaster was still frozen in the middle. I would rather starve than ever set foot in this place again.