Who’s Harry?

Harry’s Bistro lies within the Holiday Property Bond home Henllys, a former Franciscan Friary that now offers a golf course and idyllic holiday accommodation. Harry’s is open to the public as well as Bondholders and, on a late summer evening, its stunning location has us entranced. However, the tempting interior and promise of a delicious meal tempt us away from the awesome views.

Simon and Nia are well known and respected across Anglesey, having worked at some of the main restaurants on the island, but felt the time was right to branch out on their own. “We wanted more flexibility in setting the standards and the creation of the menus, so when we had the opportunity to move to Harry’s Bistro it was too good to miss,” they tell us. In no time at all they’ve succeeded in establishing an excellent reputation for this popular bistro – and it’s easy to see why. As we are shown to our table, we are struck immediately by the ambience of the restaurant and warmth of the staff. Luckily, our table is close to a window so we can continue enjoying the views.

Relaxed in style, Harry’s manages to combine light and airy plus cosy, with a selection of art deco oil painting reproductions decorating the walls. The bistro has attracted a good mix of diners, with locals and holidaymakers, families, couples and groups of friends all enjoying the atmosphere The bistro-style à la carte menu and a specials menu offer an imaginative and excellent choice of locally sourced meat and fish. Nia has to step in eventually to help us make our choices.

I opt for the local hot smoked salmon (from the award-winning Llandudno smokery), fresh local beetroot and cucumber salad and horseradish cream for my starter, while my friend, George, chooses the soup of the day: roasted local tomato with cannellini beans, served with locally made bread.

My starter is beautifully presented, with large pieces of salmon nestling on the beetroot and cucumber salad, which is a flavoursome combination topped off with horseradish cream. “Superb” is the only word to describe it – and it’s also a generous-sized portion.

Named after the mysterious Harry, this delightful bistro is set on a hill above Beaumaris and has the most fabulous views across the town and its 12th-century castle to Llandudno on the left and Snowdonia right. Opened in 2004, chef Simon Doyle and front-of-house partner Nia Roberts took over three years ago.

George, meanwhile, is singing the praises of the soup. “Excellent, absolutely delicious and so flavoursome” are some of the words he uses to describe it. I have to dip my spoon in – and can totally support his claims. It’s fabulous! We may have to return to Harry’s just for the soup!

To follow, we treat ourselves to two dishes from the specials menu (main courses from the à la carte menu range from £11.75–£12.75 – even better value). I have the crispy pork belly with mustard mash, Bramley apple sauce and pork jus. Again, it’s beautifully presented and a generous portion with every mouthful a sheer delight. The pork is tender and tasty, and it’s served with a lovely piece of pork crackling – this is a real treat as so many restaurants fail to serve it these days. For me, crackling makes a super pork dish an excellent one.

George opts for the Anglesey Welsh Black sirloin steak with chunky chips and pepper sauce, which again he swiftly awards a 10 out of 10, with a special mention for the pepper sauce, which is “out of this world”.

We admire the desserts other diners are enjoying – all homemade and one of their specialities at only £5.60. They look superb but we have to admit defeat so finish our meal with the selection of Welsh cheeses: a Teifi laverbread and Teifi peppercorn, a brie-like Perl Wen, Perl Las blue cheese and finally a Caws Caerphilly. They are served with home-cooked oatcakes and Nia’s delicious fruit chutney, which is bursting with flavour.

As we conclude our meal, George comments on how beautifully presented the food is and that you can tell it’s cooked with love. We both award every course 10 out of 10, a feat that was easily achieved at Harry’s Bistro.

At the end of the evening, only one question remained unanswered: who’s Harry? Nia certainly wasn’t telling!

Article originally published in Welsh Coast magazine, issue 12 September 2011 www.walesandborders.com.