About our restaurant
We set the restaurant up in the morning, according
to that evening's bookings. The room has a large collection of oils,
watercolours, prints and photographs which Roy acquired on his last two
visits to Zimbabwe to see his mother.Dinner at Lloyds is for those who enjoy a leisurely evening at the table, are able to book well in advance (since we do not cook on some evenings and bookings are taken on a first-come basis, with local diners also welcome). We ask guests to assemble at around 7.30pm, for a pre-dinner drink and for Tom to reveal the evening's five-course menu (a surprise until then) and discuss wines. The meal starts shortly after 8pm, and it is generally around 11pm before we reach the coffee stage. Often it is midnight or later before guests retire or leave for home.
In planning the evening's menu, Roy's starting point is anything you and other guests have asked us to avoid. Particular (and informed!) care is taken when it is an intolerance or allergy. For returning guests, he will look at what we have served before, and notes made about dislikes. Roy regularly adds to his collection of recipe books, so sometimes the menu will be completely new even for us. We rarely repeat a menu, and certainly if guests are eating on more than one night, will devise a different menu for each evening.
Our meat and poultry come from Wm Jones, a family butcher in Newtown, who shares our commitment to quality before price. Sometimes we buy from specialist suppliers, such as Donald Russell, Forman & Sons, Graig Farm Organics, and Broad Stripe Butchers. A fishmonger attends the local market each Saturday (we have to order the previous Wednesday). We buy vegetables and fruit locally as far as possible, and are strong supporters of Great Oak Organics.
Our substantial wine list is sourced from Tanners of Shrewsbury and Ballantynes of Cardiff. Our mark-up on wines is modest by city restaurant standards, and provides particularly good value in the upper price range. We offer a limited choice of half bottles and our three house wines are available by the glass.
Lunch
We do not serve lunch as dinner preparations usually start at noon, and
shopping for the evening's menu has to be fitted in before then and once
breakfast has been cleared: there is simply no time. There are around a
dozen places in the town that do serve lunch.
On behalf of the water walkers, a very
sincere thank you for your hospitality last weekend. As usual Roy
excelled himself with his delicious menus and those who had not stayed
with you before were completely won over.
Thanks again for fitting us in last night
and providing such an excellent meal. It was nice for us to have
everyone together and especially for Bex near her birthday and with the
knowledge that she can eat and enjoy everything without worrying about
nuts. Jen also appreciates being pandered to!
Thank you again for cosseting us in five
star kindness! The extra bonus this time was being able to enjoy two
outstanding dinners. Your attention to detail and determination that
your guests/friends needs are paramount, resulting in a unique
experience.
Roger & Margaret, Blackwood, July 2009
Roy with Tom behind, busy in the restaurant.
Really can't work out how you manage to
maintain such a fantastically high standard in what you do. Thank you so
much.
Thank you for a super meal. I do enjoy
being with you - not just for the food!
Thank you so much for a fabulous evening,
we so enjoyed it, the food was stunning, as was the whole experience! We
felt nourished, relaxed and pampered!
Thank you so much for making our evening
so memorable. We had forgotten how superb the gastronomic experience at
Lloyds was. The attention to detail and the warmth of the welcome
coupled with fine food puts eating at Lloyds in a league of its own. We
read about and see on television all these celebrity chefs who achieve
Michelin stars but I cannot believe their restaurants can equal the
quality of food presented to diners at Lloyds.
Roy surpassed all expectations with the
meal we enjoyed on Saturday evening. Special mention must be made to the
'melt in the mouth' lamb. We speculate as to what delicious delights you
will concoct for us each night (it is part of our anticipation to what
we will enjoy) and indeed we were not disappointed. Thank you for the
thought and obvious love of producing gourmet food which goes into each
dish you present. Long may we continue to visit you - you cannot retire
yet! Thank you to the ladies who help you too. They are always so
pleasant and nothing is too much trouble.
