Surprisingly good food, but some kinks to iron out
The talk of the town is the newly opened The Garden Kitchen by Pugh’s, located at 7–9 Mill Street in Abergavenny (formerly Timothy Oulton), which opened its doors on 29th January.
It’s billed as offering “sumptuous home-cooked meals” and so we wanted to try it out for ourselves.
We dropped in on a busy Wednesday lunchtime, in its first week of being open. Parking could prove to be an ongoing challenge here; several cars were parked on double yellow lines directly outside. We opted for the bus station car park, just a short walk away.
Our first impression was how cold it felt in the downstairs restaurant area, which adjoins an impressive and well stocked deli/food hall and a garden-centre-style gift shop. I can’t comment on the upstairs dining space, but downstairs many customers kept their coats on while eating.
The décor is pleasant and practical, though, with some thoughtful design touches and, importantly, comfortable dining chairs. However, the downstairs layout is a little awkward for parents with buggies or prams, requiring chairs to be moved and disrupting the flow of the space. The overall ambience sits somewhere between café and bistro: polished, but still casual.
There was a short wait for a table for two, though nothing excessive. Staff were clearly working very hard, efficiently clearing and resetting tables.
There are separate breakfast and lunch menus. Lunch offers a selection of small plates, larger dishes and sides. Personally, I’d have liked to see a soup option or something lighter, such as a Buddha bowl, as much of the menu leans towards heavier or fried dishes, though I am sure this will change seasonally. Ordering can be done at the table or via an app accessed through a QR code set into a brass plaque on the table.
I chose the tempura vegetables, listed as being served with dashi broth and pickled ginger. My partner went for the Korean chicken grilled cheese, filled with pulled chicken, Korean BBQ sauce, Gruyère, pickled red onion and sriracha mayo. For the table, we shared truffle tots with bacon jam, aioli and truffle cheese, along with duck-loaded fries topped with confit duck, spring onions, hoisin crispy shallots and kewpie mayo.
Food took around 25 minutes to arrive, which felt a little long, though understandable given how new the operation is.
Portions are generous; so much so that we couldn’t finish everything. The tempura vegetables were freshly prepared with a light, crisp batter, but unfortunately the promised dashi broth was missing, replaced instead by a sticky, teriyaki-style sauce (still tasty). The pickled ginger was also absent, as was the seaweed salt, which was disappointing.
The truffle tots looked fantastic, with strong street-food vibes. While I struggled to detect much truffle flavour (my partner insisted it was there), they were crisp, indulgent and comforting – exactly what you want from a dish like this.
The Korean chicken grilled cheese was excellent: crispy, generously filled and an obvious crowd-pleaser. The duck-loaded fries, however, were a let-down. Despite a good portion size and tasty fries, there was very little shredded duck – certainly not enough to justify the “loaded” label – and far too much unrendered duck skin, which should never have made it onto the plate.
Overall, The Garden Kitchen by Pugh’s is an enjoyable lunch spot with plenty of potential. As the weeks go on, any early teething problems will no doubt be ironed out by the hardworking and friendly staff. Attention needs to be paid to ensuring dishes arrive as described on the menu, and that anything not fit for the plate stays off it. And, perhaps most urgently, the heating needs turning up.
Go for: A casual, generously portioned lunch with friends
Stay for: The comprehensive and cleverly stocked deli and food hall
Total cost for our meal (two adults, including soft drinks): £37
Ratings
Ambience: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Speed of Service: 5/10
Value for Money: 6/10
Total: 24/40
All reviews are conducted independently. Establishments are not notified in advance, and all meals are paid for in full by Focus Magazines Ltd.
