The Shed Fish & Chip Bistro — Restaurant in Wales

The shed

The Shed sits at the end of the Harbour at Porthgain, Pembrokeshire with fantastic views of the Harbour and the Sea beyond.

It is a traditional 'Fish and Chip' shop but due to its proximity to the water, 'Fresh' Sea Food takes on a whole new meaning.

Unpretentious, simple but iconic. This small stone building is a completely honest little restaurant offering basic Fish and Chips with some clever additions.

Their web site boasts:

"A small, but intimate & welcoming bistro in the renowned village of Porthgain - a unique & local experience offering Fish & Chips with simple and favourite specials focusing on local fresh produce using a variety of sustainable and local catches.”

We had booked a table which was a smart move as they were busy and people were queueing at the door.

We were shown to a slightly smaller table than I would have liked for 4 people but it had a great view of the harbour through the small window.

The building is stone and with the front door permanently open it was a bit chilly.

We were provided with Menus and it was a challenge to decide which meal to chose.

There were lots of delicious options.

Haddock with chips Tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon. £11.95 0r £7.95 half portion.

Cod with Chips Tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon. £11.95 or £7.95

Hake with Chips, tartar Sauce and a wedge of Lemon.£12.95 0r £8.95

Pollock with Chips, Tartart Sauce and a wedge of lemon. £10.50 or £6.50

Plus:

Whole Sea Bream (GF) Baked & Served Whole ‘En Papillote’ with Garlic, Lemon & Fresh Herbs served with a Fennel & Apple Salad £17.95

Lemon Sole Meuniere (D) Pan Fried Fillet Lightly dusted with flour & Served with Butter, Lemon & Parsley £16.50

Hake (GF) (D) Pan Fried Fillet Served with Pea shoot, Yoghurt, Feta & Mint Salad £17.95

All mains were served with Pembrokeshire Chips which are home Prepared (What does this mean?) & Cooked Daily (V) or ‘Tato Newi’ – Pembrokeshire New Potatoes (GF) (V) (D) .

It was a clever move offering 'half portion' for those with slightly smaller appetites as well as children's meals

We all chose the half portion and it was perfectly adequate.

There was a really tasty side of Slaw with Cucumber and Fennel @ (£2.95) as well as Mushy Peas(£1.00) but these were relatively small portions.

The food was good, Fish was extremely fresh which is what you want in a fish restaurant. Well cooked and well presented.

Service was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient.

There was a reasonable wine list. We chose a white 'Rioja' at £19.95 and the girls seemed to enjoy it though I stuck to Fizzy water whilst our driver pushed the boat out with a Ginger Beer.

Our Bill for 4 people was £89.50 which is a bit expensive for 4 portions of fish and chips but you are paying for the venue, the freshness and the quality, and that comes at a price.

I recommend anyone in the area gives this place a try, especially if you like Fish and Chips.

Come on whats...

Recommended by friends who live locally and exceeded all expectations! (Booking required to sit inside). We enjoyed large prawns to start in a delicious sauce (which we reserved for chips...), followed by Haddock & Chips (half portions available) and then Affogato and a Banana Split to finish, sat out on the harbour wall. What a meal! Really tasty, fresh seafood; not at all greasy; perfect portion sizes.

The décor was splendidly 'sea-sidey' up in the loft and the setting at the head of Porthgain harbour was as delightful as you'll find anywhere along the coast of the U.K.

We'd also like to make a special mention and heart-felt thank you to Molly and Martha who, on the two nights that we attended, looked after and charmed us with their respective university stories, banter and exceptional waiting/service abilities; they are a credit to The Shed and I'm sure will be sorely missed when the summer season ends. Thank you both and good luck with your endeavors!

Only one grumble: you CANNOT tip if paying by card. I'm sure there's good reason for this, but from the perspective of a former restaurant manager I really do feel that...

a) this is embarrassing for the 21stC customer who (increasingly in many cases) doesn't carry cash and...

b) denies very deserving members of staff something which they often rely upon.

Scope to re-think this...

Sour Caroline

We had an enjoyable meal at the Shed, with excellent service from junior members of staff, unfortunately we have been left with a very sour taste from our experience due to the very hostile senior member of staff, Caroline.

We spent upwards of £250 and tipped 10% for our good service. Two of our party queried about purchasing two pint glasses and were pleasantly surprised when our waiter said they could take them home with no charge.

Off we went on our way, fed watered and ready to enjoy the rest of our holiday. However, things then took a sinister turn for the worst. An hour or so passed and we received a WhatsApp message from Caroline accusing us of stealing said pint glasses. After explaining the situation Caroline has stood firm on her accusation, essentially saying we are liars and thieves. She has even threatened to get the police involved for two glasses that we had permission to take home. And to top it all off she has unlawfully charged our card an extra £40 for the glasses, even though we said to deduct any fee for them out of the tip we had left.

This really is dreadful example of how to run a business, and I really do feel sorry for anyone that has the displeasure to work under Caroline....