The top line: Former Casamia chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias is overseeing Ynyshir’s sister restaurant’s transformation from a wine bar into a far more ambitious tasting menu-only restaurant. In its new guise, Gwen serves a 20-course menu priced at £216 per person. The setup is unusually intimate. The restaurant seats a maximum of eight guests, who move through two open kitchens as the meal progresses. The entire experience is delivered by just three people: Sanchez-Iglesias cooking alongside an apprentice chef and a front of house team member who is also at the beginning of their career. The project marks a return to the stove for Sanchez-Iglesias, who closed his final Bristol restaurant, Paco Tapas, last year shortly after it lost its Michelin star. He is best known for Casamia, the pioneering fine dining restaurant founded by his parents before being taken on by Peter and his brother Jonray. Under their stewardship it earned a Michelin star in 2009 and retained it until closing in 2022 to make way for the more casual Italian concept Casa, which has also since shut. Speaking to Restaurant, he said the appeal of Gwen was simple: a chance to strip things back and spend his time doing what he enjoys most -cooking. Gareth Ward and Amelia Eiriksson launched Gwen on Machynlleth’s main street in 2023, with former Ynyshir head chef Corrin Harrison leading the tiny kitchen and serving a creative but relatively understated à la carte menu.
On the menu: The menu reflects Sanchez-Iglesias’ culinary journey to date, drawing on Italian, Spanish and Mexican influences. While there are echoes of Gareth Ward’s maximalist approach to flavour and take-it-or-leave-it attitude to the restaurant business, Gwen never feels like Ynyshir Lite. Sanchez-Iglesias’ own personality runs throughout the meal. Snacks include a take on a gilda featuring raw tuna and top-quality anchovies; a Parmesan mousse with 25-year-old balsamic; and a pot of outrageously sweet Isle of Wight tomatoes layered with strands of stracciatella and vanilla. More substantial dishes include chickpeas served in a miso-infused liquor split with chorizo oil; a pork rib inspired by al pastor tacos; and a chilli con carne made with A5 Wagyu trim, served alongside both rice and generously buttered sourdough in a nod to his wife’s love of double carbs. The desserts are equally inventive and full of impact, including a riff on the Mexican classic mangonada with salted tamarind and Clase Azul tequila. Perhaps most impressive is how much Sanchez-Iglesias achieves with such limited resources. Cooking from a tiny kitchen with minimal equipment and a three-person team, the level of precision and ambition on display is nothing short of remarkable. Sanchez-Iglesias says that while working in such a small space with a tiny team has its challenges, it gives him an unprecedented level of control over what leaves the kitchen.
The vibe: The tiny dining room -so small it falls below the threshold for paying business rates -retains much of its original look, with black walls and a deliberately understated feel. A handful of tables have been removed to accommodate the new format, while the former bar has been converted into a counter kitchen where guests watch the snacks being prepared at the start of the meal and desserts assembled at the end. The soundtrack is eclectic and at times pumping, but nowhere near as loud and in-your-face as its two-star sibling down the road.
And another thing: Sanchez-Iglesias says that by acting as both head chef and general manager, he has created a viable business model despite the restaurant serving a maximum of just 32 guests each week.
21 Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth SY20 8EB