Dinner at Baravin, Aberystwyth...

It may not come as a surprise that I always research the best restaurants when I go on holiday to an area I do not know very well, so when we went on a recent break to Wales I found out some restaurant recommendations beforehand. We stayed in mid Wales for a few days of relaxation at a cosy Airbnb cottage and when I looked in to where we should go for dinner on Saturday evening I came across some good reviews for Baravin. 

Baravin is a contemporary and relaxed restaurant which serves an impressive range of pizzas and pasta dishes, alongside a varied cocktail menu. The location is a definite plus point too, as it sits right on the seafront in the pretty town of Aberystwyth. 

Inside, the hubbub of music and chatter set a welcoming tone in the busy restaurant and we took our seats at a table by the window, affording us an exceptional sea view. I sipped a glass of red as we perused the menu, opting for a rosemary and Halen Môn flatbread to start our meal – the use of Halen Môn impressed me as I like to see restaurants supporting local suppliers and Halen Môn sea salt from the island of Anglesey is an excellent local sea salt. The bread itself was crispy and light, with a fragrant hit of rosemary counterbalanced by the salt flakes and the olive oil and balsamic mix. 

On to mains and for me there could only be one choice, since from our table I had a great view of the chefs as they whirled around, expertly producing pizzas. I think it is practically impossible to improve on a classic Neapolitan style Margherita pizza, so I went for the tomato, basil and organic buffalo mozzarella pizza which shone with simple clean flavours.

My dining companion was equally enthralled by the calzones he had seen on a neighbouring table, so he chose the slow cooked beef, spinach and parmesan calzone, which was a generous size with soft folded dough enveloping a rich and comforting filling, with a set of deep and well-balanced flavours.

On to dessert and I opted for a Cosmopolitan, which has been one of my favourite cocktails since it became popular years ago. As a sweet and zesty drink, it will always have a place in my heart!

My dining companion had already earmarked the dessert pizza, topped with raspberries, white chocolate, marshmallow and a scoop of Conti’s ice cream. Naturally, I sampled the dessert pizza too and the toppings were not overly sweet and they played well against the pillow-like base, while the scoop of ice cream was the perfect finishing touch. 

I would like to pop back again some time to try one of the pasta dishes or perhaps another pizza. Service was friendly and efficient despite how busy the place was and we were served with water as soon as we took our seats, always a plus in my eyes as I find this displays attention to detail and courtesy. 

Overall we liked Baravin, which had plenty of style and rustic food made with quality ingredients - a formula which could not fail to please.

Baravin

1 Marine Terrace

 Aberystwyth 

SY23 2AP

http://www.baravin.co.uk/

What do you all think, do you like the sound of a casual restaurant with sea views and which of these dishes would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post. 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo