The Pelican is an attractive and substantial old property with ample parking.
The Pelican no doubt benefits greatly from it’s exceptional location, right next to the super picturesque Ogmore Castle, and a mere stones throw from an incredible stretch of Glamorgan heritage coast, between the dunes of Ogmore and the fascinating jurassic beds of Dunraven Southerndown, which bring many visitors here all year round.
We were among the first in for lunch, just after 12pm (opening time). We made our way in to the bar and were greeted by a smiley, friendly bar person.
The decor is plain and rustic, with rough whitewashed walls, a wooden bar and furniture, and a flagstone floor.
I personally find this kind of decor to be charming and homely although it has fallen out of style in recent years, but that said, it feels authentic and appropriate to the character of this particular pub.
A slight downside to the welcome was that the place was freezing cold inside when we arrived, however the heating was switched on soon after and quickly warmed through. Personally I feel a country pub in the middle of December should be nice and warm by the time the doors are opened.
Disappointingly, there is a huge central chimney breast and fireplace in the bar.. which clearly hasn’t had a fire in it for years. I feel this is a big mistake. The management should know that this one feature could completely transform the character of this pub for the better. A real fire is a hallmark of a good country pub. Please get that working!
I didn’t visit the lavatory but the cleanliness was OK, though the bar top was a bit sticky, and the floor didn’t seem to have been swept or mopped that day, however the weather has been very bad for weeks and so that’s not completely unreasonable. The windows could have done with polish. I noted that the local authority has recently awarded the pub a 4 star rating for food hygiene, which is very good.
On to drinks, I asked to try a sip of beer (hand pulled Wye Valley Butty Bach (one of my favourite beers and a good benchmark), as I was first that day). This is an important matter for me, as I believe you can tell a LOT about a pub by the state of its beer.
I was pleased to find it fresh, bright and tasty, so I ordered two pints right away. This pub clearly knows how to keep beer, although (perhaps a bit cynically), I will say that real beer keeping comes easier in old country pubs as the cellars tend to be much better suited to keeping it. It is not all about the cellar though, so overall I rate the beer well.
On to the food, I had the sausages and mash. This was served promptly, in lovely big china plates. The food was piping hot, well presented, and the plates and cutlery were spotless. The food itself was good and there was plenty of it, although the quality of the ingredients was slightly below par in my opinion, for a place which is listed as a gastropub.
The sausages were nicely cooked and perfectly nice to eat but were a mid-range generic catering type item. Also, the mash was reconstituted, not fresh that day, and the gravy was likewise.
These are petty niggles though, and like I say, it was well prepared, good to eat and importantly, good value for the money, but it’s not gastropub food - this shouldn’t be viewed as a negative, just trying to set a realistic expectation. All in all, I would say it’s hearty, basic pub food, but done well, and good value!
Service was fine, there were plenty of staff and the young lady who served us was charming, friendly, and polite.
We’ll certainly return here, it’s decent.
A roaring wood fire, a little more attention to the front of house presentation and better quality food could elevate this pub to greatness in my book, as it has a lot going for it and I am certain it is not making quite the best of its potential - but it’s a good pub...
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