New Crown Inn, Merthyr: A Taste of Portugal in Wales

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Grade II-listed The New Crown Inn, Merthyr Tydfil is the oldest pub in the working class town that was once the epicentre of the South Wales iron, steel and coal mining industries. However, the food served here couldn’t be further apart from the traditional local cuisine you’d expect to find in the heart of the South Wales Valleys.

First opened in 1785, during the reign of George III, The New Crown Inn has been a focal point of the local community for over 200 years. Initially named The Crown Inn, it was originally a coaching inn serving the thriving stagecoach trade between west Wales and the English borders. Over the years, it’s also played the role of the town’s post office and sorting room, as well as hosting numerous friendly – and not-so-friendly – society gatherings.

During the infamous Merthyr Rising of 1831 and the Chartist movement that followed, the New Crown Inn was a hub for the various protest groups that formed in resistance to local authorities. Today, the venue is a flourishing restaurant and bar. Unlike any other pub in Merthyr (or elsewhere in the South Wales Valleys, for that matter), however, it’s perhaps best known for its authentic Portuguese food and drink.

Opened in 2016, The New Crown Inn is run by husband-and-wife team, Fatima and Jorge D’Ascencao, who moved to Merthyr from Tomar, a charming little town in the Santarém District in Portugal, just north and inland of Lisbon.

Had we not been due to waddle back to the railway station to make the one-hour train journey back to Cardiff immediately following our meal, we would’ve contented in working our way through the extensive Portuguese wine, beers and spirits list. Instead, we settle for a bona fide Portuguese Camelo latte (£1.60-£3.60) and a refreshing ginger beer (£1.30).

The food menu at The New Crown Inn, Merthyr

A quick glance at the menu takes me back to my many memorable outings to the tapas and wine bars propped up on the steep, winding cobbled streets of the Algarve and Porto. As you’d expect from a cuisine with such heavy Mediterranean influences, seafood steals the limelight. Think ameijoas a bulhao pato (fresh clams in white wine and garlic-infused olive oil), bacahlhau (salted cod) in double cream, head-on sardinhas (sardines) and caldeirada de peize (Portuguese fish stew).

Meanwhile, meatatarians can sink their teeth into enormous espetadas; hunks of chicken, beef, Portuguese sausage and beef scoured with fresh garlic and salt, skewered and chargrilled until crisp, teamed with homemade chunky chips and an obligatory side salad. Alternatively, feast your eyes – and your appetite – on the flame-grilled chorizo or piri piri chicken.

However, if it’s hearty pub grub you’re after, rest assured that you’ll be just as well catered for at The New Crown Inn. The ‘Crown Classics’ section features all the usual suspects, from fish and chips and breaded scampi, to corned beef pie and sausage and mash. It would be cardinal sin for a pub in the South Wales Valleys to miss burgers and mixed grills off the menu, so as you’d expect, staple steaks and super-sized sizzling meat platters straddle across at least one-quarter of the menu. Meanwhile, lighter appetites are looked after with jacket potatoes, sandwiches, pastries and omelettes.

Starters

Chouriço assado

We fire up our tastebuds with the chouriço assado; firewater-flamed grilled chorizo, served with a pillow-soft Portuguese floured bread roll and two portions of Nova Acores manteiga – a radiant yellow, lightly salted butter from Azores.

My first experience with Portuguese firewater

I first had the pleasure (if you can refer to it as such) of tasting Portuguese firewater – officially titled ‘‘água ardente’ (burning water) and otherwise known as ‘aguardente de Medronhos’ (water of Medronho) or simply Medronho (after the fruits of the Medronho tree) – in the leafy outbacks of north-western Algarve in a quaint little town called Monchique – the Algarve’s highest point – on my 24th birthday.

After driving along a rugged dirt path in an open-top 4×4, through towering cork and invigorating eucalyptus tree forests, we eventually reached a quaint little farm that produced Medronho. As a special birthday surprise, my best friend arranged for our group to sing happy birthday to me, before presenting me with a shot of this traditional Portuguese fruit brandy. I knocked it back in one go, immediately regretting my decision as I felt my throat burning up and began heaving so badly, it took all my strength to refrain from throwing up all over the farmhouse floor.

Thankfully, I can only just taste the Medronho in the New Crown Inn’s chouriço assado. In fact, it adds a pleasantly sticky, sweet coating to the crispy, chargrilled skin of this smoky, salty sausage. At just £5.95, this is an absolute steal of a starter. Given the size of the sausage, though, I’m not sure the bread roll is entirely necessary.

Welsh rarebit

Our second starter of Welsh rarebit (£3.95) is more of a disappointment, although admittedly the standards set by the chouriço assado are challenging to uphold. A handful of grated sharp cheddar is mixed with wholegrain mustard and punchy Welsh ale and spread onto a halved and toasted bread roll. Had it been cooked properly, it would probably be rather appealing, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear to have been left under the grill for more than a few minutes as the cheese hasn’t quite melted yet.

Mains

Frango com natas

Thankfully, our hopes are lifted once more with the arrival of our main meals. The frango com natas (£10.95) consists of succulent morsels of chicken breast sitting in a sauce of garlic, mushrooms, Cognac and champagne, paired with crunchy, crinkle-cut fried potato slices. The presentation could be better, but the creamy, coral-coloured sauce leaves nothing to be desired.

Francesinha sandwich

Opposite me at the table, my guest tucks into a francesinha sandwich (£9.95). Affectionately translated as ‘little Frenchie’, Porto’s iconic adaptation of the popular French croque monsieur has to be one of the most definitive Portuguese comfort foods. Cooked-to-order minute steak is sandwiched between layers of cooked ham, sliced chorizo and melted mild, creamy cheese (possibly the everyday Portuguese cheese, queijo flamengo), topped with a fried egg. The finishing touch is a velvety, peppery sauce distinctively flavoured with brandy and Port wine. We sweet talk the staff in the hopes of getting our hands on the full recipe, but the chef’s lips are sealed!

Dessert: Pastéis de nata

When it comes to dessert, we have just enough room left for a traditional Portuguese pastel de nata. A generous heap of smooth, cinnamon-infused custard is enveloped in countless layers of shatteringly crisp puff pastry – the perfect match for another Camelo coffee.

Obrigados to The New Crown Inn, Merthyr

Obrigados to Jorge and Fatima, and the friendly waiting team at The New Crown Inn, Merthyr, for bringing an authentic taste of Portugal to the South Wales Valleys. We’ll happily be making the one-hour journey from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil to dine here again in a heartbeat!

The New Crown Inn | 28 High Street | Merthyr Tydfil | CF47 8DP | 01685 387 925 | www.thenewcrownmerthyr.co.uk

Like the sound of The New Crown Inn, Merthyr? Here are some of my other personal favourite South Wales restaurant reviews.

• Amazonas (Portuguese and Brazilian Street Food), Cardiff – now closed but still worth a read!
• Llanerch Vineyard – Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan
• The Admiral St. David, Cardiff Bay
• Gliffaes Country House Hotel, Brecon Beacons
• Ty Morgans – Rhayader, mid-Wales

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