The Hardwick

Stephen Terry has culinary pedigree. He was a part of the infamous kitchen brigade at Harveys, under the direction of a young Marco Pierre White as he carved his name into British gastronomic history as the rock-star chef and one of the most influential cooks of our time. Terry then moved through the kitchens of Le Gavroche and up to Scotland to work with Nick Nairn, before routing back to London to head up The Canteen, where he earned his first Michelin-star at the age of 25.

Now older, wiser and battle-hardened, Terry has gone back to basics with his own rural restaurant-with-rooms in Abergavenny, on the edge of the beautiful Brecon Beacons. The Hardwick is a simple affair, unpretentious and down-to-earth, much like its bearded owner. The main dining room is cosy and littered with rustic knickknacks, an inglenook fireplace, heavy beams and curiously, a large window into the kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work; a serene affair in Terry’s abode. No Hell’s Kitchen Marco-style shouting occurs here. Don’t expect to hear Stephen ranting, “Where’s-my-crab-where’s-my-crab-where’s-my-crab? Linda-Linda-Linda-Linda! Where’s my bloody crab?!”

Speaking of crab, my starter arrived in the form of white crabmeat and wild garlic eggrolls with crispy deep-fried avocado and grilled asparagus. If you saw Terry on the BBC’s Great British Menu, you’ll know that he’s a fan of deep frying things, and I must say he’s particularly good at it. The avocado was a revelation, a playful, unexpected combination of textures and flavours at work; and the eggrolls were hunky, no holding back on the crabmeat here. Yet, as I was to find with Terry’s cooking, everything was mysteriously delicate and cleverly balanced; a most promising start.

Our wine arrived and although we paid only £15 for the bottle, we expected something at least drinkable and this was anything but. Take some red grape juice and empty a bottle of vinegar into it and you will have a close approximation to the abomination we sampled. The maître d’ began to explain, as if we should’ve known better, that all the £15 bottles on the menu are table wines and therefore cannot be expected to adhere to the quality of a more expensive plonk. My response was, naturally, why would you put insidiously awful wine on the menu in the first place? If I order a bottle of £15 wine, I’m not expecting it to be a Chateau Petrus but I am expecting it to be palatable, especially at a restaurant of this nature.

And here’s the rub – Terry claims this is a down-to-earth no-frills pub-stroke-restaurant, and that he’s not trying to earn himself another Michelin-star or to deliver food to those high standards. Yet the menu is priced highly for the area – about £48 per head including a cheap bottle of plonk – and the food does indeed deliver on the Michelin quality. As a customer this is a little confusing. Should we expect low cost pub grub, or fancier food and accordingly higher prices?

With the wine debacle out of the way (we switched to a very nice and more expensive Rioja), the main course arrived. A grilled fillet of Welsh Black beef with a beef shin and oxtail pie, seasonal greens and a sticky, unctuous reduction, was quite superb. Rather surprisingly, the fillet stood up well against the heavier flavours of the pie and the syrupy sauce. It was such a sticky, meaty, rich and delicious dish, I felt like I needed a hot bath afterwards to de-glaze, as if I had been covered in an oil-slick of beef reduction. And I mean that in a good way. It was lip-smackingly delectable.

Next up, a Valhrona chocolate brownie with nuts and raisins, a chocolate mousse, rocky-road ice cream, caramel sauce and a peanut brittle, and yes, all on the same plate and presented beautifully. The description says it all. Yet again, Terry’s skill and experience was evident and every flavour was perfectly balanced. A dish of such design risks being far too sweet and overwhelming, but not so here; I polished off the entire plate and I didn’t feel as if I was about to start foaming sugar at the mouth.

Service was friendly, attentive and laidback like the atmosphere. The dining room on this particular evening was awash with both regulars and tourists, all enjoying the same level of cooking that had wowed me throughout the night. I really can’t fault the menu or the delivery here; it was spot on the money. And even though it is priced higher than other restaurants in the area, by Jove you get what you pay for.

I still can’t help feeling that, despite the fantastic food, the restaurant is a little confused. They could achieve a Michelin-star very easily if they wanted to, but they go so far on their website as to state “The Hardwick is a country pub which very much leans towards being a restaurant.” No, no, no. I’m sorry Stephen, you may have a bar and the premises might have been a pub in the past, but this is a restaurant with a capital R, and a bloody good one at that.

The Hardwick, Old Raglan Road, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, NP7 9AA. Tel: 01873 854220. Web: www.thehardwick.co.uk

Another great place to eat in the area is The White Swan.