The Queen’s Head used to be a regular lunch place for us whenever we visited the Llandudno area. But we’ve not been here since 2017. In that time, it’s changed hands and been remodelled to provide for more tables. It now has much more of a feel as a restaurant, rather than a pub with food. And it seems to feel very comfortable in its new skin. The shortish menu covers all the expectations of the modern “dining pub”. Fish & chips – yep. Burger & fries – yep. Slow cooked lamb – yep. Vegetarian East Asian dish – yep.
One of us started with a sweet potato and coriander soup. Full of warm spices and a thick consistency, this was a soup setting up for early autumn. That was followed by a smoked haddock and leek quiche from the “Light bites” section – mercifully, there are no “lite” bites. Good flavour here as well. It comes with some leaves and very lightly pickled cucumber, which contrasted nicely with the richness of the quiche.
Across the table, there were slices of sesame crusted tofu, sitting on a well balanced little salad of fennel, pickled sushi ginger and watermelon, dressed with soy and chilli. It works – a tasty light start to any meal. Chicken, ham and leek suet pudding is never going to be the slimmer’s choice. But, for anyone who has brought a proper appetite with them, it’s a belter. There’s a thin, but not overly so, suet pastry well filled with the meats and leek. . Something to get your teeth into, if you will. There’s a good non-sloppy mash. And ponch maip – North Walian for mashed swede to you and me. And, adding to your five a day, some purple sprouting broccoli. It’s a good, homey plate of food. Just the thing for Wednesday tea.
Only one of us wanted dessert. A Belgian waffle, covered in a rich chocolate sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream, It’s another rib-sticker of a dish. Just lovely.
