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Morfa Bychan beach near Porthmadog 
North Wales Calendar 
Woodlands Hall Hotel, Llanfwrog
WHAT do you need to ensure that eating out is a truly enjoyable experience? Good food? Certainly. Convivial company? Without doubt. Value for money? It helps. But what about atmosphere? If no-one else but you and your two companions is in the restaurant does that detract from the overall experience?
The question was raised during our visit to Woodlands Hall Hotel at Llanfwrog, on the outskirts of Ruthin, when we - myself, my wife and sister - were the only diners throughout the evening, despite it being a Saturday in mid-summer.
It was, in fact, a return visit, having been there on Taste Test duty many years ago but having been persuaded to go back by several favourable reports.
The Woodlands is steeped in history and I have several personal links with the place. In the 1930s, when it was owned by the eccentric Miss Helen Bremner, my mother-in-law (as she later became) worked there, and about 30 years later my wife also did a stint as a receptionist.
I, too, attended several functions there in the 1960s when numerous local organisations held their annual dinner-dances at the hall.
The building alone is worth a visit, being crammed full with ornate wooden panelling, some of Continental origin and others merely copies. The views from the hall, which stands in a very attractive, award-winning caravan park, are impressive, with the Clwydian Hill in the distance.
We were taken aback on entering the main bar to find the place empty. Where was everyone?
I had chosen to dine from the a la carte menu in the Bremner Restaurant instead of the bistro, and as we perused the menu we were served warm and cold canapés.
I was the only one to have a starter and I chose poached pear in a Stilton sauce. It sounds a rather uneasy combination but it was quite simply superb.
My wife and sister, taking advantage of our solitude, eagerly dunked their bread rolls - warm and home-made - in the sauce and agreed that it was smooth and piquant, not at all overpowering as Stilton can sometimes be.
We deliberately chose different main courses and though all were certainly satisfying and nicely prepared, they fell slightly short of the high standard set by my starter.
My wife had buttersquash and sage tortellini, which was perfectly acceptable but expensive for what it was. My pork fillets were beautifully tender and succulent, and better suited to the accompanying vegetables - sautéed potatoes, baby beetroot in horseradish batter, peeled broad beans and turnip "bullets" with black pepper.
My sister was complimentary about her monkfish in mild curry sauce and prawns - nicely prepared but not as exciting as it sounds.
The sweets saw a return to the exceptional standard of the starter. If anything, my own raspberry vacherin - a stack of thick cream, meringues and berries - was the least exciting. The meringues were pretty tough but it slaked my addiction to rich, creamy puds.
The ladies' choices were much more exotic, and were deemed as outstanding successes. My wife had elderflower cheesecake with elderflower fritters (really!), and though she is not a particularly "sweet" person, if you know what I mean, there were constant "mmms" and "oooh" from her.
My sister was just as effusive about her liquorice parfait with warm pineapple and liquorice sauce, which, apparently, is sometimes replaced on the menu by elderflower parfait.
All in all, we generally agreed it was a bit special, if pricey. And the lack of atmosphere? Being a pretty private threesome it didn't bother us in the least, but I can see how some might feel uncomfortable.
Strangely enough, when we told friends we had been to the Woodlands their first question was: "Was there anyone else there?" Their experience had clearly been the same. A pity, because without doubt the restaurant is worth a visit, if only for a special occasion.
Llanfwrog
Ruthin
Clwyd
LL15 2AN
Tel: 01824 702066
