Thursday 12 May 2016

A Food Journey At The Celtic Manor Resort

You may or may not know that hubby and I are complete foodies. We adore food and everything that goes with it. We love to cook and play with flavour combinations. He makes his own chocolate truffles and I enjoy eating them. 

We also love nothing more than eating out whether that be in a Michelin starred restaurant or at a local deli. Our finest foodie experience to date was when we ate at restaurant Gordon Ramsay which is 3 Michelin-starred. It was incredible. Whenever we go out for food we always aim to try something new or something we can't cook at home.

I was delighted to have recently had the opportunity to try out some of the latest food offerings at The Celtic Manor which is my favourite hotel in South Wales. Hubby was gutted as he couldn't attend but I got to go with a lovely blogger friend of mine Leanne who writes over at A Slice Of My Life Wales.

The first stop on our food journey was at the new Signature Lounge for drinks and canapés. The lounge is part of an exclusive floor that has been created for adults only. There are newly refurbished bedrooms, the lounge and a restaurant as part of this collection. The lounge was modern but has a cosiness about it. The views were beautiful. 





The canapés were a selection from the brand new restaurant, Steak On Six. The whole Jamón Credo De Campo was my favourite. It comes from acorn-fed pigs and has been matured for up to 3 years. My mouth is salivating just remembering it. 
I also really enjoyed the asparagus, pea and welsh feta panna cotta. It was something unusual that I haven't seen before. 



We then had a tour of the restaurant which is uniquely decorated, combining cow print with modern decor to create a relaxed and rustic vibe. There are floor to ceiling windows which provide a stunning backdrop in which take in views of the lovely Coldra woods and countryside.

Next up was something very special. We were treated to a dish from The Epicure Experience by chef Richard Davies. Richard Davies is a Michelin-starred chef who has previously worked at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, (no wonder I enjoyed the food so much). 



Our dish was taken from the starter menu which was scallops with beetroot and cauliflower. I am a huge fan of scallops and these were some of the best I've ever tasted. They were a good size and the combination of flavours created a party in my mouth. There were different cooking techniques and textures on the plate which created a unique but mouth watering dish. 

We then had a masterclass by chef Larkin Cen on how to prepare and cook Peking duck. Chef Larkin Cen was a finalist on Masterchef in 2013 and is passionate about pan Asian cooking. This was clearly reflected in his demonstration.



The class was very insightful and I learnt a lot. I had no idea how much effort went into preparing a dish like this or the best places to buy some of the ingredients. I also learnt a fab way to peel a cucumber, although I have to say, I haven't been brave enough to try it yet. 




Last on our food journey was our dinning experience at Larkin's restaurant Cen. I have been coming to the Celtic Manor for years and this is a very new food concept for the hotel. It's fantastic to see them adding in an Asian restaurant which is something I have never seen them do before. The menu is inspiring creating modern dishes but with traditional pan Asian flavours. 


We got to enjoy the wonderful dish that Larkin had demonstrated to us. I'm so glad this was on the menu because my senses were driving me wild during the class. The smell was tantalising. The dish completely lived up to my expectations and more. The duck was so tender and the skin was divine. I could've eaten a whole plate of the skin. 







For desert we were presented with a chocolate dish which was made with dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, chocolate aero, malt ice-cream and mandarin. It was just the right amount of sweet and sour. The dark chocolate didn't make the dish to rich which meant it wasn't sickly at all.


Finally, we had an ice cream bao slider which was made with salted caramel and coconut. Oh my goodness!! It was so tasty and so refreshing. A perfect desert for spring/summer and a great dish to end a meal on. 

Overall, I had a wonderful evening. The Celtic Manor has lots of exciting new food experiences available which shows they are keeping up to date with the latest fusions and flavours. I am itching to go back and dine in all of the restaurants so I can appreciate them further. As previously mentioned, this is my favourite hotel in South Wales and with these new food adventures, it will continue to be for a long time.

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28 comments

  1. I knew the Celtic Manor was a beautiful luxury hotel but had no idea how amazing the food was. I am a complete foodie too, but living in a little town I don't have the opportunity to try such beautiful food very often. I've been to a 1 Michelin star restaurant but not a 3. Would love to eat at the Celtic Manor. Wow, the food just looks amazing! I could eat that duck now and I bet that dessert tastes beautiful.

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  2. Really glad you enjoyed it lovely! I will keep you updated on future events.

    India x

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  3. I don't eat duck but would love to try everything else - it looks amazing. I had no idea the food was this good at The Celtic Manor. Kaz x

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  4. This looks really tasty. I had duck on a work night out when was a teacher ages ago and it was so good. :) This looks amazing. Angela

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  5. Oh what a treat! Those cocktails look so gorgeous. I love Asian food too. You have me hungry now.

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  6. Wow! This makes me really hungry. A friend was there sometime ago and she loved it there.

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  7. I've been dying to go to the Celtic Manor for years now. This food all looks so good, and I love those cocktails with the flowers in - so pretty!

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  8. It's good to hear that you had a good evening - I have to say those cocktails look AMAZING!! H x

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  9. I have always wanted to eat food prepared by Michellin chefs and considering he worked at a Gordon Ramsay resturant his food must be insanely good. I like the sound of the pea panna cotta!

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  10. Wow, everything looks amazing. I had no idea how much effort went into making the food either! What a wonderful experience and opportunity. Celtic Manor sounds truly lovely! It sounds like you had a wonderful time xx

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  11. The food and the place looks amazing. What a lovely place to experience its great u had the oppertunity to do so.

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  12. Wow this looks incredible. It must be lovely having hubby make you truffles aswel!x

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  13. My goodness, that food looks absolutely delicious, the Asian food more so than others as my palate is still loving the Asian blend

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  14. Wow wow wow!!! Looks and sounds amazing. Celtic Manor is still on my list. One day I hope to experience it all.

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  15. Wow that place looks absolutely incredible! I love food too, if I could eat out somewhere every night I would ;) x

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  16. I've only ever once been to celtic manor and that was for work. But even that was a wonderful visit. The food looks amazing...well, I'd be happy just with that chocolate dessert

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  17. Wow, it looks and sounds just absolutely incredible, I don't even know what I would pick as my favourite x

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  18. We have driven past Celtic manor a few times and I've always said I wanted to stay there. Now I want to even more

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  19. What an amazing treat -shame your hubby couldn't go. My mummy loves Asian cuisine! Its such a beautiful setting too! Lucky you :)

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  20. Wow what an awesome treat the food and drinks look amazing !!

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  21. I have to say the food doesn't appeal to me personally but it looks wonderfully presented and sounds like you really enjoyed it!

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  22. Ive geard so many good thibgs about Celtic Manor but this report really gives me a motive to go and try for myself.

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  23. I had a family member who went to the Celtic manor hotel and told me how amazing it was. One day, as i'm broke at the moment. xx

    www.annanuttall.com

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  24. Looks fab!! Must go back there soon :)

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  25. Looks fab!! Must go back there soon :)

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  26. Looks like you had an amazing time!! My husband would love to eat somewhere like this.

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  27. wow the food looks amazing! Totally jealous- we rarely get to go out to dinner! xx

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  28. Okay so not only does the whole place look amazing but so does the food, wow x

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