The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow - 46 years old and still going strong

 

Coming back 14 years after our last visit to Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant was what decided us on spending this seven day break here in Padstow. Indeed we checked that we could book a table here before we decided which week to travel and where to stay etc. I'm glad to say we were not disappointed.

Due to the restaurant being booked many months in advance by the time we began to look the only tables available were at 5.30pm on a Monday evening, though we would normally eat later than this we were happy to change our arrangements to make sure we got a table. 

The restaurant is on the seafront at Padstow and almost straight downhill from the place where we are staying. We left the apartment at 5:10pm and meandered down arriving at the restaurant just on time. 

There were eight or nine tables all booked for 5.30am, so we had a short wait, which gave us chance to hang our coats up, before being shown to our table. 

Thankfully it was a large table so we had plenty of space to spread ourselves out, as became important as the meal progressed. 

Appetisers

The virtual monopoly Coombeshead Farm Bakery seems to have on sourdough bread in Padstow was replicated here, so we began with this lovely wholemeal spelt and rye flour dough with its deep notes of rustic charm. Alongside the kalamata olives, which were as sharp and spicy as usual, we also had Brandade, a cod, potato, garlic and olive oil dressing to eat with the bread - fish right from the start of the meal, as it should be in a seafood restaurant. 

Our accompanying appetiser was Padron peppers salted and oiled to perfection. These Padrons were larger than the ones I've had before, but no less tasty for that.

Starters

For starters Drew had the dish called Amritsari Fish. This Indian influenced dish is like a pakora, but made with fish. In this case a firm piece of cod deep fried in a batter of chickpea flour, garlic and ginger sprinkled with chaat masala. The spice flavour was strong, but the cod, being a robust fish, was able to carry the richness so that the combination was tongue tinglingly good.  

I opted for Smoked Eel, on the grounds that it isn't something I cook at home, or often eat elsewhere. It was served with sliced, boiled and chilled new potatoes both in a peppery horseradish sauce. This gave some amusement to the dish, as until cutting into the item, so carefully cut to be the same size, it was not clear whether you were getting potato or eel. Little squeals of ooh, it is more eel, could be heard from my side of the table. The eel and potato were carefully layered on the plate and topped with a garden of yellow dandelion leaves and frisee lettuce with a light dressing. The lettuce and dandelion were crunchy and fresh, but the eel and horseradish sauce plus potato and horseradish sauce eaten one after the other were the stars of the dish. 

Main Course

I felt obliged, having come all this way for a lovely dinner, to opt for the delightful 'Fruits De Mer' the signature dish of the restaurant which has stayed its course over many, many years having appeared on the menu back in 1975 when the place opened. I got very excited when the waitress put the accrutemants of the dish on the table in front of me, so many implements to get at my seafood.

I got even more excited when the platter itself arrived, the Drew view of the same plate is the photo at the top of today's blog post. 

This mound of seafood, each cooked to perfection in their own right forms an harmonious combination. The gentle chewiness of the razor clam was a delight, the little hints of saltiness from the periwinkles bringing back memories of winkeling on Oxwich Beach, the reminders of Spain with the burst of each clam, the reminders of Swansea Market and going home and boiling and eating mussels, the memory of cockles sitting in a bucket outside our backdoor overnight as they eased the sand away before they were cooked, the reminder of my Dad's delight when he got a large plumb scallop in a restaurant and it had the roe still attached (as these did) with that extra scallopy goodness of flavour. [Co-pilot's note: Captain Jack and myself, dear readers, have sought a reasonable explanation for this description but can only put it down to a seafood overdose.] Every taste evoked a joyful memory and every item was a delight to eat. My mouth is watering now as I write these words and remember my delight. 

Then it was on to the serious parts of the dish, two huge langoustines waving their pincers at me as I pulled off and sucked their heads. A large crab, already partly snapped, making my life a little easier, with its robust brown meat setting of well the gentler more refined white meat (not being so refined myself I've always preferred the brown meat) and then the half lobster which was the centerpiece. 

I used the tabasco sauce to spice the langoustines, the shallot vinegar to add tang to the white crab meat and a little of the mayonnaise to spread on the lobster tail each in their own way adding a new flavour, but in the end the seafood itself sang with taste in a way that made the dressings interesting but not essential.

I ordered a Garden Salad as a side, and eat some of it as a palette cleanser as I moved from one seafood to the next, so that each had its own clear flavour on my tongue. The salad itself was light and crispy, on other occasions I might wax eloquent about such a salad, but tonight the seafood is what really sang.    

The bowl of empty shells and lemon skins are evidence of a delight and pleasure of their innards which have now become my innards. It was only by looking at the time of the first and last photos that I realised it had taken me 45 minutes to eat my meal. But the time seemed much less as I was immersed in the pleasure of the experience.

I really did feel as happy as I look in this empty plate (apart from seaweed and solid and melted ice) photo. Though my ability to keep the table cloth clean was not as successful as my ability to eat had been. I just hope they have a good laundry.

Meanwhile, across the mound of food, so that I couldn't actually see it until looking at the photos, Drew was enjoying his main course.

This was chargrilled fillet of Wild Sea Bass with a tomato, butter and vanilla vinaigrette making such a lovely colour. The fish had a crispy skin and perfectly cooked, the firm nature of the fish had all the flavours associated with bass and the hint of citrus flavours from the sauce brought out the key flavour of the fish.

This was served with Cornish New Potatoes with parsley and mint which were perfectly cooked.

Drew had also ordered a tomato, shallot and basil side salad which he really enjoyed. The tomatoes were soft, the shallots had a gentle flavour, much more subtle than onions and the basil and vinaigrette brought out the best dimensions of the tomato and shallot flavours. 

Dessert

Having waited patiently for me to finish my seafood, Drew was very ready to get on to dessert, often his favourite part of the menu. He opted for Rosa Chocolate Mousse with chocolate raspberry meringue and pistachio ice cream a mix of flavours which worked really well, the chocolate mousse was soft and rich in flavour, Drew would certainly have it again. However for him the real stars were the raspberry meringue, which was crisp and and had a fizziness to it. The ice cream were perfectly smooth and full of taste. 

I was delighted to see that there was a cheese plate on offer and went for the five cheese option (there was a three cheese one too). The biscuits were the same oaty ones I had had at St. Petroc's a few days ago and two of the cheeses were also repeats of that menu, but none the worse for it.

From bottom to top (the order in which I eat them) I had:

Ashlynn - this cheese belies its delicate appearance by having a complex savoury note to its flavour. The thin line of charcoal through it gives it a slightly smoky hint, like coal might taste if you nibbled on it, an existing cheese that I'm likely to order for home.

Davidstow Cheddar - Often a winner of cheese prizes at the Royal Welsh Show was a 7 year matured version which gave it a bite back of strong flavour, this is cheese with attitude, just as I like it. 

Finn - this Hereford cheese is like a harder version of Brie, it has an acidy taste to begin with and then a full bodied mushroomy flavour to follow. Unusual, but excellent.

Livarot - the Normandy cheese which begins with a nutty flavour which gradually releases lemon and spicy notes as it melts in the mouth

Roquefort - This well know strong blue cheese is salty and spicy and always makes me think that it would be a cage fighter if it was a person. Rough edges, lots of heavy musles, per personable enough when out of the ring. I always think Roquefort is a good cheese to test people with, it is such a strong flavour that only real cheese lovers can bear it - and I just love it.  

We ended the meal with an espresso each and Drew managed all four of the petit-fours. These were a fudge and a raspberry fondant in a chocolate cup, a nice sweet way for him to end his meal.

We left the restaurant at 8:15pm and wandered back along the harbour and through the town and up to our accommodation. An excellent evening which we will remember for a long time.