After much anticipation, Mumbles' newest addition has finally opened. The Oyster House hotel, bar and restaurant completes phase two of the redevelopment site of the former Tivoli Amusements art deco building off Mumbles Road.
I visited the new eatery on a miserable Sunday afternoon with high expectations. After all, it has been the talk of the town for months and I was keen to see what they had to offer.
The restaurant is the first part of the development to be completed, with the roof-top terrace set to be finished in the next couple of weeks, and the hotel will start taking bookings in the near future. Despite the remaining scaffolding, the building fits right in with its elegant neighbours and, like them, boasts panoramic views over Swansea Bay, which today, was sadly shrouded in cloud.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were promptly greeted by Deborah, the duty manager, who swiftly showed us to our seats, just inside the main restaurant but next to the patio. Despite the patio doors being fully open, it was still perfectly warm. The patio itself is almost fully covered, surrounded on all sides with glass and topped with a retractable roof, which can be opened in better weather.
The restaurant itself was full of light with a modern and colourful finish. The very subtle sea theme was tastefully noticeable throughout the space, completed with beautiful artwork on the walls and ceilings. There are indoor and outdoor seating options, the outdoor being the patios, and the seating was comfortable.
There are four menus: breakfast, lunch, dinner and a Sunday menu. The lunch and dinner menus share some of the same dishes, such as the chicken supreme, but are otherwise different. The restaurant was busy when we arrived, but this didn't phase the staff, who were kind and attentive, and nothing was too much trouble.
For our starter, we ordered the soft shell crab with kohlrabi slaw and a miso and tomato mayonnaise, and a selection of cured meats and pickles. The course came out within 10 minutes of ordering and was delightful. The crab was well-presented, with a good helping of the mayonnaise. The batter was light and crispy, and the crab itself tasted fresh. The meats came accompanied with four halves of pitta, which were warm and fluffily. There was a generous helping of the meats, leaving us ready for our main course.
For our main, we ordered the grilled beef burger and hanger steak. Again, the course came promptly and heads across the restaurant turned to look at the food as it came. The steak was ordered medium rare and was cooked to perfection. It was a good size, tender and juicy, and the peppercorn and brandy sauce accompanied it well. The chips were also light and fluffy.
The burger was delicious and full of flavour, although it was a bit of a messy eat (which I don't mind at all). The burger on the menu comes with cheese, lettuce, tomato, gherkin and burger sauce, but I was able to swap the cheese for some bacon.
We weren't sure if we could manage dessert, as we were feeling full from the first two courses, but we were both tempted by the chocolate brownie and the chocolate and salted caramel tarte. When the tarte came, I thought the slice looked a bit small, but it turned out to be the perfect size, as it was lovely and rich. The brownie was warm and gooey, and was accompanied by raspberry sorbet and whipped cream.
We were offered tea and coffee, but feeling well and truly stuffed, we declined. Overall, we had a very pleasant afternoon, the menu prices were pretty standard for this kind of restaurant and, in my opinion, the food was excellent value for money. For an opening weekend, everything seemed to run smoothly and I can only see it getting better as they get into the swing of it, especially when that roof terrace opens in the next couple of weeks.
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