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Jwmpin Jac's Café Bar
Marine Square
Holyhead
Anglesey
01407 765003
GIVE or take the odd sulk, my computer's worked like a little Trojan for nigh on a decade - and I should think so, too, considering what it cost.
Then, on a drear wintry evening a couple of weeks ago, just as I was finally getting to grips with something new, what's known among techies as the blue screen of death suddenly replaced my perfect prose and sent me into a panic.
As ever, my son sped to the rescue. Once sure that the computer had indeed given up the ghost, he found a state of the art box of tricks with an elephantine memory , customised everything so that it worked like the old one, assembled the whole contraption, showed me which buttons to press and left me to it.
Even so, surveying all this new-fangledness squatting on my desk, I couldn't help feeling as if he'd dumped an untrained Rottweiler in my living room. Writing this Taste Test is actually the hound's first proper outing.
Son, daughter, daughter-in- law and I visited Jwmpin Jac's café-bar cum bistro on a damp, cold and miserable Sunday evening at the fag end of a damp, cold and miserable year. But the place itself was warm, cheerful and full of mouth- watering smells - fresh bread and garlic in particular.
There's an assortment of seating arrangements for short and longer stays set out over two floors.
In daylight, the upper floor must have a super view of Holyhead port, although all we could see was rain lashing against the darkened windows, a fog rolling in off the sea and, barely discernible through the murk, the lights of the docked HSS Explore.
The menu features countless variations on the themes of pizzas, nachos and side salads, yet still caused me to fret somewhat, looking as it did more geared towards snacks than meals.
"Have faith," son advised, ordering himself a white chocolate milk shake while our food was cooked.
Daughter, in the driving seat that night, had a non-alcoholic fruit concoction. Daughter-in-law had a glass of house red; throwing caution to the winds, so did I.
Son's milk shake was only one of the many flavours on offer and it was gorgeous - light, ultra creamy and subtly flavoured with vanilla. The wine was good stuff, too. Red wine usually gives me a headache but this left me unscathed.
The two younger ladies had tuna and mayo panini, son had a meat feast pizza and I had a margherita with extra cheese and tomato, all of which were freshly made but still arrived well within 15 minutes.
The panini, stuffed with melt in the mouth fish and whatnot, came with beautifully dressed salads and the pizzas, on nicely crisped bases, had more than generous toppings. Meal- sized grub, as son had promised, and delicious to boot.
Although Jwmpin Jac's does various cakes and deserts, there wasn't a lot left at that time of the evening - a busy day, I reckoned.
Still, they managed to rustle up Belgian waffles with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
I discovered afterwards that the lone lass behind the bar was also sole cook and bottle-washer for the duration.
Despite that, and the trouble she was having to take schlepping up and downstairs, she was exceedingly helpful and sunny- natured, never mind efficient.
The puds were a delight and to finish, we had coffees from a gourmet-style selection to fortify ourselves for the trip home.
And for once, a jolly good nosh up for four didn't make much of a hole in the pocket.
