Holywell restaurant serving up quality classics and more

Halkyn Road, Holywell

Tel: 01352 712942

Website: stamfordgatehotel.co.uk

The unthinkable happened on our visit to the Stamford Gate, my dad had no room for dessert!

Or as my son said: "They've broken granddad."

But let me go back to the beginning.

We'd not been to the Holywell venue for just over three years, and in that time they have had a whole new refit.

And it's lovely. They've opened it all out, making the most of the large space but maintaining a cosy feel. A working log fire certainly added to this.

We were shown to a round booth with a great view across the restaurant.

Drinks ordered, we set about eyeing up the menu.

My teenager is a big halloumi fan but both him and dad went for the BBQ pulled pork and mozzarella flatbread (£5.50). This was to be their delicious downfall.

I was tempted by the Oriental chicken bites but ended up choosing the teriyaki chicken bao buns (£6.50).

My buns were exactly as I'd hoped, soft and warm, melt in the mouth, and filled with a good amount of sweet, sticky chicken.

Teriyaki chicken bao buns.

The flatbread. Wow! Caution, the portion is not for the faint-hearted. What is effectively a decent sized and amply topped version of a pizza left the fellas some way to feeling full.

I may have even acquired a slice, and can confirm it was damn tasty. Dad said that and a portion of chips on the side would have done him.

But tough, mains were on their way, with a sharing side of onion rings to boot (£3).

Our choices for the main event had been good. There are plenty of classics - lasagne, scampi, gammon - along with noodles, a lamb makhani, and of course burgers.

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I stuck to a pub grub favourite, beer battered fish, hand cut chips, peas (a choice of mushy or garden) and tartare sauce (£15).

It was burgers for the boys. Dad having the southern fried chicken (£12) and the Stamford burger (£12) for the youngster.

Both burgers were served with fries, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and crispy onions.

My fish was a hefty portion, and some of the incredible looking chips were pinched off my plate before I'd even lifted any cutlery.

The burgers were going down well, and got bonus points for being served on actual plates.

I can't lie, all three of us struggled to finish our food, with everyone declaring there was no room for pudding.

Beer battered fish, hand cut chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce.

It is simply unheard of for my dad not to do a sweet treat but he was defeated, and settled for a black Americano (£2.25).

Against everything my body was telling me, I asked for a look at the puddings menu anyway.

There was cheesecake, Waffle of the Week and fruit crumble to name just a few but in the end I went for the bakewell blondie with chantilly cream (£6).

In my defence, this was ultimately shared with my son. It was one of the best desserts I've had (I'm more of a starters girl, so high praise indeed).

It was warm and sweet, with a fruity twist throughout. We'll have the bill and the recipe please!

It was a great visit to local venue that has so much going for it.

First of all the restaurant/hotel has a huge car park, always a plus. They have a great outdoor area too, with cracking views across the Dee.

Staff were really friendly and made us feel incredibly welcome on our Tuesday night visit.

If you've never been, do make an effort to call in. I guarantee our next visit will be long before another three years are up.

Bill total: £80.55