BRYNSADLER
Sunday lunch is safe in The Ivor Arms

Sunday lunch is always a treat if you choose the right pub (although more and more restaurants are in on the act these days). Having not partaken of the tradition for quite a while, we decided to take the family off to The Ivor Arms in Pontyclun after hearing some good reports on the pub lunch grapevine.

I must confess, the reason we'd stopped doing Sunday Lunch was because it had become, all to often, a very hit or miss affair. After several disappointments where poor service and sub-standard food had been the order of the day, I was not expecting great things.

Our first impression of The Ivor, as it's affectionately known locally, was a pleasant one. Tasteful paintwork and signage greet you and the car park was reasonably busy but not overly so (and free of litter - always a good sign). We entered, passing the lounge bar where some locals were enjoying their Sunday pint while reading and chatting and were shown to our seats and offered some drinks and menus. Looking around, almost two thirds of the tables were booked and every so often a new party would arrive giving the place a nice buzz but without being noisy.

Our order duly arrived and I have to say, the presentation was excellent - the meals certainly looked good enough to eat. We all tucked in. My lamb was unbelievably tender. Melt in the mouth would describe it perfectly. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and when I say cooked I don't mean al dente which is, more often than not, chef speak for undercooked. Beautiful carrots, green beans, peas and cauliflower. No, this was perfect. Indeed, I was half way through my meal before I realised I hadn't reached for the condiments - this meal was perfectly seasoned straight out of the kitchen.

I particularly liked the potatoes prepared three ways - a pleasant surprise (roast, rosti and boiled) and, thankfully, whoever had prepared the menu had resisted the urge to describe them as such.

My wife had odered Leg of Duck which was so flavoursome. Perfectly crisp skin and beautifully moist meat. Our son was tucking in to the lamb and his cousin was munching his way enthusiastically through a slice of pork - both agreed the food was excellent. We had ordered child portions for them and, although they're both twelve, the portions were more than adequate.


This is probably a good point to mention their wine list. My wife likes a nice sauvignon and there are several on the list along with an intelligent selection of other whites and a good selection of reds. If you're feeling in a celebratory mood, there are some sparkling wines and a Pol Roger champagne if you want to push the boat out. To be perfectly honest, at this point I was checking the prices on the blackboard. Usually ingredients of this quality, combined with cooking of this calibre, would carry a much higher price tag.

We finished our mains wondering what the very subtle background heat was in the gravy, but despite several requests to the waitress, chef was not giving up his secret. The gravy really was superb and might have accounted for the reason we didn't have to season our food. We all agreed that, so far, the food had been excellent and decided to see if the desserts were just as good. We needn't have had any doubts. Our son played it safe with some plain vanilla ice cream and his cousin tucked in to a gorgeous sticky toffee pudding - both were devoured leaving no trace.

My wife chose the Pavlova which was, in her own words, "very naughty." I went for the Strawberry Cheesecake with cream which was really quite delicious. We rounded the meal off with a couple of lattes while the boys quietly honed their Gameboy skills. A very enjoyable lunch all round.

All too often these days, Sunday Lunch just doesn't cut the mustard. Conveyor belt, ping cuisine seems to be the norm but, thankfully, at The Ivor Arms this certainly isn't the case. The food is, quite honestly, superb and just one mouthful tells you corners aren't being cut. This is pub food at its very best and I would heartily recommend it without hesitation.

The Ivor Arms Inn Cowbridge Road, Brynsadler Vale of Glamorgan CF72 9BT 01443 222287 www.theivorarmsinn.com Sunday lunch served midday to 3pm