If only it was like last time we came......

Once upon a time there was a fantastic Sunday lunch to be had. Carpaccio of beef, beautifully roasted chicken, Brecon ice cream. Welsh cheeses, all sourced from the adjacent farmers' market. Then the building got taken on by new management as a backpackers hostel. The writing was on the wall for any idiot to see.

If you didn't know about the glories of times past perhaps you could have a reasonable experience at Tafarn. They've done a great job on the new interior (and check out the time-warp when you go to the toilets in the as-yet-unchanged old section) and there's certainly no difficulty getting a seat.

Which is probably because everything else is so disappointing. There used to be a good wheat beer on offer; now it's just the usual fizzy Euro-lager. The kitchen's been demolished, replaced by mini-grill-cum-microwaving area next to the bar. They do a reasonable panini served with a crappy salad, a tasteless leek and potato soup, plus a reasonably presented pizza and some curries we didn't dare trying.

Service is fairly dismal. Food comes 'as and when', and you'll probably be left with a big pile of dirty gear on your table to tidy up yourself. And the coffee is like brown-stained dishwater.

RIP the old Tafarn. It was nice knowing you.