Pitching up famished in an unfamiliar place having done no prior research or planning and trusting Tripadvisor is fraught with peril. And yet here we are, on a day trip to the Marches, putting ourselves in the hands of a site that briefly ranked a fictional eaterie in a shed as the top restaurant in London. Boasting 111 five-star reviews out of 122, the Banc may be rated as the best place to eat in Powys, but it’s with a degree of trepidation that we take our seats.
We needn’t have worried. My steak sandwich is stuffed with sizeable, tender chunks rather than a thin apology of meat, while caramelised onions and horseradish vie for supremacy in the flavour stakes. Equally tasty is a pair of ham croquettes – dense, flat discs of shredded meat in crispy crumb with no extraneous potato padding, served in a pool of apple puree and surrounded by dollops of piccalilli. Upgrading from skin-on fries to hand-cut chips may cost an additional £1.75, but one bite and je ne regrette rien. Meanwhile, our eight-year-old gourmand-in-training interrupts his scoffing to declare his toasted bacon sandwich “absolutely beautiful”.
Table service, courtesy of the sole member of front-of-house staff, is attentive and friendly at the Banc, despite what is an unusually busy lunchtime for a dreary early January day. Formerly the town’s Midland Bank, the building still has its steel-doored vault, now converted into a characterful private dining room whose walls are adorned with photos of notorious robbers. Be warned, though: fail to tip well and you might find yourself enjoying a different kind of lockdown.
5 Broad Street, Knighton, Powys. Info: 01547 520009 / www.thebancknighton.com
words and photos BEN WOOLHEAD
