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Menai Magic

Ah, Menai Bridge. Overlooking the beautiful Menai Strait, here lies a pathway between the mainland of Wales and the Isle of Anglesey; a pathway leading straight to the wonders of Dylan’s, an outstanding waterside seafood and pizza restaurant that introduced me to some of the most exceptional pizzas, desserts and calamari I have ever had the pleasure to taste.

Situated overlooking the Menai Strait with views of the mountains of Snowdonia, Dylan’s aims to ‘celebrate the local produce, character and natural beauty of North Wales’. In my opinion, it does exactly that. Seemingly ever popular, there was not a single visit in which the restaurant was not operating on full steam and deservedly so. Since 2012, the restaurant has thrived, using local suppliers and offering delicious, fresh courses for reasonable prices. I first visited Dylan’s with my boyfriend whilst we were on a short holiday to explore Bangor before I was to head off for university there. I’d already scoured Trip Advisor and Instagram beforehand searching for numerous places we could go and Dylan’s captured my eye immediately, the menu withheld so much variety and though I’m not necessarily a seafood fan, as they also specialised in pizza’s – which Instagram assured me looked very impressive -I insisted we had to go.

On our first trip, I knew exactly which pizza I was opting for, the Aphrodite Pizza. Not only does it withhold a unique and intriguing name, but it bares roasted figs, cured ham, goats cheese, tomato, mozzarella, rocket leaves and a drizzle of honey, all perfectly balanced and delicious as ever. Anybody who knows of Greek Mythology will know that Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of love, beauty and pleasure – I can admittedly say, I fell in love with this pizza the moment it was presented to me, the presentation was beautiful and I felt an immense amount of pleasure in demolishing it. It was beyond exceptional. The pizzas are all made on a sourdough base, which was soft but crisp, the perfect accompaniment to the contrasting sweetness of the figs and honey and the saltiness of the ham and goats cheese. Rob went for the Dylan’s Club Pizza, a combination of smoked chicken, bacon, fresh tomato, basil, mozzarella and cos lettuce with a mayo dressing. Safe to say, they’re not shy or reserved on their toppings. Both pizza’s impressed us before we’d taken a single bite and it merely took one bite for us to decide we were going to make it our mission to try every single pizza on that menu.

My second visit to Dylan’s was introducing my parents to my new favourite restaurant, yet I was so captured by the first pizza I had, I just had to have it again. I ordered another perfectly made Aphrodite Pizza, Rob chose Drover’s Feast (chorizo, pepperoni, Napoli salami, tomato & mozzarella) which he acclaims is his favourite of all those he tried and my parents both opted for Dylan’s Chicken in a Basket, spiced breaded chicken served with coleslaw, skinny fries and Dylan’s BBQ sauce. Once again, all of our meals were perfectly presented, cooked and impressive. Overall, it was a fantastic choice of restaurant to take my parents, or anybody visiting Wales for that matter.

My third visit was due to Rob coming up to visit me for my birthday, so naturally we had to go back to the place that captured our hearts. This time, I changed things up a little, going for A Walk In The Woods, a pizza topped with a combination of wild Snowdonia and field mushrooms, caramelised onions, taleggio, mozzarella, rosemary and truffle oil. Now I’m a sucker for caramelised onions and anything cheese-related, so this was sure to tickle my fancy – good heavens, it was incredible. The various flavours of the mushrooms came through with each bite, simultaneously, the different textures of the cheeses and the added flavour of the truffle oil balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the onions. Plus, knowing that a donation of 50p would be going towards the upkeep of the Coed Cyrnol with my purchase brought a further spurt of joy to my enjoyment. For his choice, Rob went for The Secret Garden, offering sweet potato, courgettes, feta and more, which he then added an extra topping of parma ham too. Generous with their toppings once more, it was third time lucky for us. In fact, we were so pleased with our pizza’s, we made sure to try a dessert this time too. At the time, they were offering a special bread and butter pudding dessert, which Rob enjoyed whilst I tried their Snowdon Pudding, a steamed lemon sponge pudding with a roasted coconut custard. I adore anything lemon or coconut orientated, so this seemed simply ideal for me. Tried and tasted, though it was presented beautifully, the flavours were not as strong as I’d hoped they’d have been. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, warming and I’d happily get it again. I think I just hoped I’d get a little more of a zing from the lemon and a little more creaminess from the coconut.

My fourth visit was a form of goodbye meal, as I saw Rob off. Still in the frame to try something new, I went for the Smoked Chicken & Chorizo pizza. This little beauty consisted of smoked chicken strips, chorizo, tomato, mozzarella and for me, spinach, though the menu offers leeks I cannot stomach them and so I made the hearty choice of a topping swap. Chicken, Chorizo and Cheese though, what can I say, the three C’s that speak to my heart in ways nothing else ever could.

God blessed this pizza. Rob tried the fiery Red Dragon, topped with pepperoni, minced lamb, chilli, tomato and mozzarella. Though he’s not such a fan of heat, he managed this like a champ, even if it took two jugs of water… Safe to say, it lives up to its name. After our last visit, it simply didn’t seem right to NOT get dessert, so this time I went for the classic Messy Môn, a summer berry & orange compote with whipped cream and crushed meringues, topped with fresh raspberries. Wow. I expected something small and dainty, I got a glass full of goodness. The soft, sweetness of the meringues and the pleasantly generous amount of whipped cream combined with the tanginess of the compote and the fresh raspberries created something simply exceptional. The dessert was light yet incredibly filling (especially after an entire pizza) and quick to become a favourite. It was definitely a better choice than the Snowdon pudding and far better value for money. Rob chose the Warm Treacle Tart, a choice I’d have opted for if it wasn’t for the apple gel it is served with, Goddamn my allergies. Served upon a slate plate and accompanied with clotted cream and apple gel, it went down a treat. With Rob insisting that he didn’t find it sickly at all, despite it being a sugary masterpiece.

Okay, so here’s the moment this dreamy review hits a steep note. After bragging about the brilliance of Dylan’s and it’s exceptional quality, I opted to take one of my friends along to try the pizza out for themselves. Though the restaurant was not buzzing with people, it was not empty, as we went at a slightly earlier time. I ordered my safe and dependable Aphrodite pizza and my friend went for the Red Dragon, however, we were left waiting for quite some time and when our pizza’s arrived they were burnt to a crisp. When I mentioned this to a waitress, though she offered to have new ones made, we were starving and this seemed pointless. In outlining this, she simply said “okay” and walked off, no apologies, no offer of a refund... Nothing. It was slightly disappointing, to say the least. It was like one of those moments when you’re a child and you’ve got a new toy that you can’t wait to show everybody, yet when you finally get the chance to show it off, a new version’s come out and nobody’s interested. In order to try and redeem the meal, we decided to try a dessert. This time I went for the daily special, a Blueberry Cheesecake served with a raspberry coulis, my friend going for the Warm Double Chocolate Brownie, served with with chocolate brownie ice cream (the nut free version). Though I prayed I’d enjoy this, I simply didn’t, the cheesecake had no taste at all and I could tell by my friends face that the brownie was not living up to any expectations.

I did not return to Dylan’s for a fair while after that, having left Bangor to return home for Christmas and deciding to suspend my studies during this period. However, on collecting my belongings from my halls, I just had to enjoy another meal there, I had to. It would have been a regret for me if I hadn’t returned just once more… (For now).

This time, I was going all out. Experiencing this visit with my parents and Rob once more, we all chose a starter. Having recently been introduced to Calamari, I noticed that Dylan’s had a Calamari starter and I was determined

to try it, being a seafood restaurant, I had high hopes. So the starters looked a little like this: Me: Spiced Calamari with garlic mayonnaise. – 10/10, honestly, it was AMAZING. I wish I’d tried it sooner, the spices worked perfectly, the garlic mayonnaise was gorgeous and the calamari was crisp and warm and just delicious. Rob: Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos with mojo picon, shredded iceburg lettuce and a red pepper houmous – presented beautifully. Mama: Free Range Roasted Belly Pork with Dylan’s BBQ sauce. Papa: Soup of the day – Mushroom and Rosemary, I believe.

Mains Me: Aphrodite Pizza. (I’m sorry, I had to.) Rob: Drover’s Feast Pizza. Mama: Dylan’s Chicken in a Basket. Papa: Baked Cod Fillet with sherry lentils and dill potatoes.

Desserts Me & Rob: Messy Môn. Papa: Blueberry Cheesecake.

Overall, the meal was an incredible success. Every course was cooked to perfection, the staff were attentive, friendly and very accommodating and nothing disappointed. My faith and hope was restored and I cannot wait to revisit Wales and Anglesey once more in order to be reunited with the rest of the pizza’s I’m yet to experience. Dylan’s is an incredible restaurant and it achieves awards because it offers quality and an ambience that cannot accurately be put into words. It comforts you and it finishes off a perfect day by offering you a supreme service, fresh local produce and all for an incredibly reasonable price. I could not have asked for more from a restaurant. Dylan’s is an absolute gem.