We went for Thursday lunch, but both lunch and dinner menus offer a choice of three starters and three mains and apparently one of each course is always a seafood dish. After a glass of white wine in the pleasant and fresh bar, we moved to the simple wooden floored dining room with interesting glass covered tables that display a large inset of attractive pink marble. On to the food - I enjoyed perfect mussels cooked in leek, onion with a dash of cream, and saffron - brilliantly fresh and perfectly seasoned. Sue had bruchetta piled high with tomato, a few herbs, chopped salami and olive oil. The salami gave it an interesting twist.
The main fish dish was succulent local smoked haddock with a little butter and boiled new potatoes. Chicken bits on the bone with pasta and a tomato and herb sauce with whole pieces of olive and garlic was an example of a simple bistro dish done well but otherwise unexciting.
For pudding, strawberries in balsamic vinegar were small and ripe and an ideal choice to share with bread pudding and heady armagnac creme anglaise.
At Stg 16 for three courses you don't expect, and don't get, more than a basic meal and my advice is never to eat here if you can afford to push the boat out at the Seafood restaurant when on a visit to Padstow. Interestingly, at a table patronised by locals, the mussels were negotiated as a complete meal for some of them - by the tureen full! They had the right idea.
The cost: Stg 47.50 plus service - food and coffee Stg 35
Copyright Graham Tigg 1996, All rights reserved.