Beach House, Oxwich
Beach House, Oxwich
Dinner for 2, Wednesday 28 June 2023, 6 Course, Table 9
This was our destination towards the end of a week in the ‘Land of My Fathers’. Yes, I’m a Griffiths and there are family stories which suggest that my ancestors were sheep-shaggers* in the Welsh Marches.
*EDIT: diligent research at AncestryUK reveals that sheep-stealers or sheep-farmers might more likely be in the frame.
One ‘s’ less in my surname and I could have tried to claim a complimentary meal from Chef Hywel Griffith on the grounds of tenuous family tree connections. Instead Mrs G and I paid up front and enjoyed a truly memorable experience with no question of quibbling about the final bill.
Beach House presented us with painstakingly designed and perfectly manicured dishes. Chef Director, Hywel’s credentials are fully established. It was great to see and hear him in a good-humoured kitchen ensuring that justice was done to his inspiration.
Our menu was varied and challenging. I can’t think of a detail which I would question or a quality of cooking which I could fault. Such sophistication can be challenging. The quiet, focused kitchen behind us sent out wave after wave of their creations. Front of house delivered them to table with assurance and understanding. All of which totally dismantled any suggestion of pretension. Here, skill, professionalism and honesty are the bedrock of sophistication.
There is no need for this team to crow about their achievements. Every arriving plate shouts out its class to guests.
Maybe stop there and check diary dates for your own booking before reading on for more of my personal reaction.
Canapés
Smoked eel and lovage emulsion in that delicate tart. Those Oreo impersonators are actually charcoal biscuits with a truffled filling.
My descriptions should not be taken as perfectly reliable. I did ask questions and have tried to be as accurate as possible. Let’s face it, you should see enough here to encourage you to discover properly for yourself.
Summer Pea
Presented as an amuse bouche, this was the first of our six dishes. Poor lighting has seriously compromised its fresh green vibrancy in my photo. Please be assured that pea, lemongrass and slivers of baby pea pods worked in a very cool way to kick off the excitement which would last through our meal.
Mrs G even admitted that her minor nemesis, lemongrass, had its place.
Laverbread Bread and Ampersand Cultured Butter
The offer of bread has deep-rooted significance on many levels. Beach House have created their own signature loaf. They have shared the recipe here.
A slash of laverbread through the loaf gives a savoury tang and oats add extra texture to the crust.
A dove-tail jointed wooden case with Welsh slate top was designed - and made? - by Hywel Griffith’s father. (Please check with the restaurant to find out if I heard that right!)
Oxwich Bay lobster, roasted lobster mayonnaise, pickled kohlrabi, elderflower & chervil.
Served with rye, buckwheat, sunflower and pumpkin seed crackers.
It’s bonkers how much interest a chef can cram into a small, perfectly-formed offering. A little bit of lobster luxury with fruit, acid, crunch, floral and herbal details.
It was becoming obvious that each dish would ask for a slowing down of attack from knife, fork or spoon and demand proper, reflective appreciation. Not quite as demanding as the thought and skill which has gone into developing this menu but I always think a guest should give up a few moments of their own in respect of those efforts.
Jersey royals cooked in dashi - Smoked salmon - Slow-cooked yolk - Seaweed - Caviar - Watercress
Oh, heck; good things don’t always come to those who wait. Sometimes they just keep coming from the moment you are seated and carry on from there. This smoky, salty, bitter, earthy, eggy-rich, fishy business was not at all gloriously simple - but it was simply glorious.
If pressed, Mrs G would tell you this was her standout dish. Please press her gently.
The wine list is short enough to avoid confusion but offers a great range from ‘sensible’ to ‘sexy’. You’ll just have to go with me there. I know what I mean.
We were already drinking our choice which was from a previously unexplored region and grape. You will find the Altesse we chose on the domaine's website here.
John Dory, Courgette, Ricotta, Basil, Black Olive
A fish substitution from the 8 course menu for Mrs G as she was not keen on crab with the sea trout. Lovely fish and vegetable elements. The basil was very insistent. Too insistent in its rawness for my wife. Any dish with this riff on Provencal pistou/tapenade references is likely to challenge. Pretty sure I would have loved that challenge.
Sea trout, verjus, peas, grapes, yakitori butter sauce and seaweed oil
My ‘main’ was just delightful. Painfully so - with no pain involved whatsoever, if you catch my drift. The cooking of the trout was perfect. It had a lot of competition from the rest of the dish but everything was so well judged that all balanced however much each element might teeter around my palate.
Peeled grapes are a right faff, aren’t they? But most welcome for their liquid refreshment and less intense nod to the more acidic verjus. Pretty sure the peas were replaced by baby broad beans.
If I understand it right the sauce is flavoured with grilled chicken. A gentle riff on ‘surf ‘n’ turf’.
And then look below for my photos of a little bit of magic. Perhaps it’s simply chef’s idiotic generosity. Either way, a crab brioche bun is “such stuff as dreams are made on” (yes, thank you very much Will Shakespeare). Soy and honey glazed for good measure. You are now dribbling just a little, I imagine.
I have included a screenshot of my ‘redacted’ sweary appreciation of the dish from the Beach House Instagram page.
Two desserts to fit in. The first announced as a pre-dessert. Many chefs avoid white chocolate. Here was an attempt to overcome its silky sickliness. A successful attempt.
White chocolate, yuzu, black rice, nasturtium and oil
Could we finish with final proof of a team on top of their game? Ah. Yes. Very much so.
Once more, I didn’t pay enough attention to pass on the exact nature of the creamy (custardy?) element of the strawberry tart. It, and the parchment-thin sweet pastry underpinned jiggling hits of fruit, citrus and acid from strawberries, lemon verbena and finger lime. I have to concede that the lemon verbena ice cream was quite the equal of my own homemade.
Scottish Strawberry
Just an aside. If you don’t already know The Plate Licked Clean (that’s his Insta link) I’d suggest popping over to his blog right away. The writing is always rich and the recommendations - and condemnations - ruthlessly reliable.
This piece of his makes particularly interesting reading as it reviews a younger Beach House in 2017 less than a year after opening. The iconic laverbread bread is already on show but the food has developed strongly into the dishes we ate.
The restaurant was obviously good then. I’d suggest that it has since improved at a much greater rate than is usual.
We passed on coffees, teas and digestifs but a chocolate caramel cup and an almond financier appeared as a sweet end to our visit. No gratuities are added to your bill. You will almost certainly be tempted to show your appreciation with even more than whatever your ‘usual’ might be.
We wandered out onto the verandah to take in the full sweep of Oxwich Bay which is chopped and sliced up from the interior by mirrors. The location is just as stunning as the restaurant. A friendly couple told us what attractions we had missed during our stay and encouraged us to use Wales as a tourist destination again.
When that happens Beach House will be first on our list for a repeat visit.
Huge thanks to a wonderfully accomplished team. You offer everything which is great about hospitality and delivered it from greeting right through to our rather wistful exit from the car park.
