Situated in the picturesque and bustling village of Parkgate, No.1 Mostyn Square is located at the former site of ‘ The Marsh Cat’. The restaurant commands an impressive location with panoramic views across The River Dee and to North Wales. With a comfortable and stylish New England feel and charming use of locally reclaimed driftwood, the venue is warm, airy and welcoming. No. 1 Mostyn Square offers diners a modern a la carte menu.
With a very warm welcome from Restaurant Manager – Kayla Stevenson and Head Chef – Paul Pegram, we were seated at a window table with impressive views. Taking Kayla’s wine recommendation, we opted for an Italian White – Di Gavi – La Caplana – Piedmont – Italy. A wonderfully zesty and lime driven wine made from the Cortese grape. A great wine to marry with our canapés and starters. To begin… we were presented with a selection of canapés – king prawn with avocado served on a puffed crouton with lemon zest, Cajun griddled king prawn with a creole inspired dipping sauce – bruschetta with roasted vegetables, crumbled goats cheese and fresh herbs – tomato, cream cheese and chive mini tartlets –delicate, light and delicious.
For starters, we sampled the dry cured house trout served with house pickles, vinaigrette dressing and finished with wholegrain mustard seeds. The trout was delicate in texture, gently smoked and served with perfect accompaniments. Followed by the seriously good scallops with black pudding, crispy pancetta and a Bloody Mary sauce. Our final starter was the smoked duck salad. Tender, juicy pink and delicately smoked duck breast, served with a baby leaf salad, raspberry infused vinaigrette. Fantastic. To accompany ‘three’ of our ‘four’ main dishes we sampled the Giddy Goose – a lovely white, green and flinty Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and a French Rose – Les Olivier’s – Chateau de Berne – Cotes de Provence – an incredibly elegant and delicate dry pink dry, light and refreshing on the palate. Both brilliant and affordable wines. First of the mains to the table was the Gnocchi… usually served a side dish this was an incredibly tasty and satisfying main dish which was served with a silky and smooth mushroom and garlic sauce, herb crust and fresh parmesan. Delicious.
To follow was the ‘house’ favourite, the ‘Seafood Thailandaise’. Incredibly generously sized portions of beautifully cooked scallops, king prawn and monk fish. Accompanied with jasmine Thai rice and a delicious coconut and herb Thai inspired curry. The entire dish packed a punch from all corners! Superb. Next up was a classic ‘Supreme of Chicken’ with a mushroom duxelle and wrapped in Parma ham. The dish was cooked well with moist, succulent chicken, a smooth duxelle, accompanied with a mushroom and red wine jus, sage and onion mash. Lovely.
From the grill menu we opted for the fillet steak. Served charred, this was so impressive – an absolutely huge steak! (See pics). Perfectly pink, tender and well-seasoned, simply accompanied with griddled tomato, field mushroom and a side of crispy sweet potato fries. – perfect. For our ‘steak’ wine pairing, we sampled a Pinot Noir Reserve – Panilonco – Colchagua Valley – Chile and a Malbec ‘Aruma’ – Mendoza – Argentina. Both great individual tasting wines. Feeling sated and verging on ‘full’… we then had shall we say our ‘ little fingers’ twisted and tempted very easily to indulge in two naughty indulgent desserts… firstly… a delicious warm chocolate brownie, soft and moist with a crispy top layer, accompanied by ‘Nicholls of Parkgate’ choc mint ice cream and a warm chocolate sauce… you get the picture… followed by a delicious meringue with a crunch on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside,served with ‘Nicholls of Parkgate’ – banana and chocolate ice cream, Chantilly cream, toffee sauce and fresh raspberries… Both desserts being delicious and a great finale to our lovely dining experience.
No. 1 Mostyn Square offers affordable and relaxed dining, matched with great food, attentive friendly staff – suitable for the entire family. Open seven days a week, serving a great brunch menu at the weekend, the restaurant offers mid-week dining deals and a forty seat function suite in the upstairs restaurant section for hire.
In summary: Excellent hospitality and genuinely sumptuous dishes.
Highly recommended!
Booking is advisable. Telephone: 0151 336 1963
