Merchants Manor Brasserie in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly

Had seen the restaurant advertised as 3 AA rosette but have since found out that is under review due to change of chef. Restaurant was dimly lit with nearby table resorting to using torch on his phone to read menu. Had the scallops which were average and small . Pork was okay as main course but not a large portion. Cheeseboard was average. Was expecting more from what was a listed restaurant.

This is a very nice restaurant with delicious food. We were staying at the hotel itself on a DBB package so ate here every evening. There's a great range of wines to accompany the food including some local wines (Polgoon) that I'd definitely recommend. The taster menu was very nice and the staff customised it for one of us as we didn't like all of the courses which I thought was very kind and generous.

A top notch restaurant with friendly and efficient staff. The Manor House is a hotel which looks beautiful. We didn't stay there just went for dinner. It is pricey but the food was delicious and beautifully presented.

Simply stunning. I’m allergic to all fish and booked taster menu for my mum because she is a foodie!! I genuinely was not fussed and would of skipped fish courses. On arrival I had a separate non fish menu! Extremely thoughtful and wonderful to feel included. Food presented and tasted amazing. The staff so attentive. Atmosphere wonderful. Highly recommend and we will be back

This restaurant was in our hotel and the menu was appealing. We made a booking and we were seated promptly. Great service and attention from the staff. I started with the pea soup which was very tasty. We both had the cod with two shared sides - potatoes and salad. All tasted fine. Dessert was the cheese plate. 3 great cheeses and crackers. I enjoyed mine with a tawny port. The white wine selected was from a local vineyard and it was very good. One minor observation was there were no side plates to put our shared salad on.

Ate there on the Sunday night as part of a deal. Once again tasty food from a menu offering us a wide enough choice. Service of a high standard that made the whole evening most enjoyable.

We were staying nearby in a self-catering apartment and wanted somewhere special for an evening meal. The restaurant at the Merchants Manor seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The Restaurant Manager, Stephanie, and her staff provided excellent service and the meal was delicious.

I was sick after dinner on our fourth evening not having eaten anywhere else. I reported to a member of staff and hope it was followed up with the kitchen.

Fantastic venue, service and food. Had the taster menu which was well worth it. Delicious. Really enjoyed the evening and highly recommend the restaurant.

Our stay at Merchants Manor was too short, however we managed to make use of the pool and build up a bit of an appetite for the 7 course tasting menu. This was delicious and pairing it with the wine was a nice touch. The waitress was highly knowledgeable about all the dishes & details - all the team were very helpful and friendly and went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable - thank you, we would love to return..

Had the 7 course taster menu on Friday evening. The food was gorgeous ; good provision was made for gluten intolerant. Amber, our server, gave us an excellent account of what we were eating and was very friendly in her approach. She is a real credit to the organisation. Highly recommend it, don’t be put off by the small portions ( it is a taster menu) we were full afterwards and I have a ‘healthy appetite’ 😂

We had the tasting menu. It was out of this world, 7 beautiful courses all carefully put together with the Cornish and sustainable story being told throughout. The barbecued pork was something else. We were blown away! A must try if you’re in the area. You won’t be disappointed.

Although we were part of a deal we were treated the same as full paying guests.The staff were very attentive and the food was very tasty especially the tasting menu.Breakfastwas cooked to order and a huge choice.

An amazing restaurant, we sampled the seven course taster menu and it was lovely. Staff helpful and friendly. Cocktails lovely too. Service was slightly slow on drinks but think the server was new. Lovely anyway and would definitely recommend.

Excellent 7 course tasting menu with wine flight. Locally sourced ingredients, beautifully presented and exceptional service.

Food was adequate however nothing special. Many significantly better options in Falmouth. Advertised as fine dining yet this is not reflected in the quality of the food. Disappointing considering both the promise of high quality ingredients and the price.

The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed. We were seated in the conservatory, which was very nice. The restaurant was not very busy. The wait staff was pleasant and attentive. We booked for the tasting menu and opted to add the wine pairing to our meal....

We had a brilliant time and was genuinely somewhere we would go again! Definitely think it’s a place for people who like new things and a new experience!

5th place to eat Falm this week , twice the price at £500 for 6,bang ave food , poor service . AVOID

Of the 5 things on the menu 2 of them were fish and chips(fried or grilled), one of them was sold out and the other two was a roast beef or chickpea curry. I think the headchef has Sundays off because that is a seriously...

We drove past the Merchants House Hotel & Spa by chance & stopped for a late lunch. We were greeted by Mollie, the restaurant manager who made us feel most welcome. After a great light lunch we enquired about the dinner menu and Mollie explained...

We recently ate at the Rastella and had the tasting menu. The food was beautiful and the chef was very accommodating. The service was great and all of the staff were very knowledgable. 10/10 evening, would definitely recommend.

Rastella’s tasting menu offered a range of beautifully cooked local food. The restaurant offered a nice setting with a good atmosphere which allowed us to enjoy the experience of the menu. The wine menu was extensive and offered a selection of local Cornish wines. Definitely...

Every single course was a joy to the senses - beaufifully presented, a Cornish journey through the finest ingredients, a relaxed pace, knowledgeable, unobtrusive yet attentive staff, and just an amazing experience to welcome us back to normality

One of the best damn dinners we ever did have Such a surprise that it was 10 minutes from our gaff The decor was insane, and the room was pretty too But back to the best part, let’s go back to the food 7 courses...

We visited Merchant Manor for a swim and afterwards decided to see if there was a table for lunch. We adore Merchant Manor and feel blessed that it’s located on our doorstep. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and we were shown to...

Went here as it’s advertised as the most awarded restaurant in Falmouth. Wanted something really special as we were celebrating. Arrived and waited around 20 mins for a drink, was shown to a table and was shown the menu. We had decided not to go...

Booked a table for two for the last evening of our holiday only to be phoned in the morning to be told our reservation would be cancelled! This was due to a programming error on their website.. the lady who phoned then tried to blame...

Lovely Tasting Menu. We had a lovely meal here last night. Food was amazing and so was the service. We had a young man called Sam looking after us. He is a credit to the restaurant.

The eight course tasting menu was incredibly fresh and innovative. Each course was delicious and the waitress explained the ingredients and concept with great detail. The hake and beef brisket courses were outstanding.

We had about a 25 minute wait after ordering one of our rounds of drinks.Restaurant is a bit tired - dead flies on window sill.We were wished "happy anniversary" when it was actually a birthday we were celebrating - nice try, but would've been much more effective if the right occasion had been referenced. However the guy that came over to say this was lovely and I felt bad correcting him. They also gave us a free glass of champagne which was greatly appreciated.Staff uniforms are a bit weird for a triple rosette restaurant. Baggy tshirts which say "Social distancing" or have Grant Wood's American Gothic on them (but the people in the painting are wearing face masks ha ha...). Food overall was good, but having hake twice was a shame for a tasting menu as I had contacted the restaurant in advance to tell them about being pescatarian. Must've been a good deal on hake that day.

Experienced the 8 course tasting menu last night and it was such a brilliant experience. The plates and ingredients were perfectly picked and thoughtfully put together. Well beyond our expectations, this would be my top dinner pick for Falmouth by far

I hope I went on the chefs night off! The menu was limited (we weren’t warned) and loaded towards more casual options. The food was poor, the burger was overcooked and very salty the smoked salmon was served on toast and the salad was just leaves and uninspired given the cost.

When a chef takes the time to come out of the kitchen to talk about his food it is usually because he is proud of his work. In this case the pride is entirely justified. This creative 'Taste of Cornwall' unique experience is pure poetry. Thank you - all of you.

Sadly it has taken me 2 years to eat at this restaurant and it seems it could only happen now during COVID, but WOW the tasting menu that is now available was fantastic, it flowed very nicely and the chef would explain the dish personally when able. The oyster was fresh and had such a bold flavour even the garnish of seaweed was amazing.The bread was served with 4 different butters that were all incredible. (Black garlic, wild garlic, smoked and herb butter)The duck that I’ve always heard good things about was even better than imagined brilliant flavour and really well done.Dessert was light and easy to eat between the 2 which was milk sorbet with lemon curd and bee pollen and fresh honey which was so smooth to eat. Followed by the chocolate with meringue that melted on your Tongue!Over all what an experience excited to see there progression and look forward to going back.

Meal was delicious... chef delivered a few of the dishes himself and gave a wonderful background on the food and where it came from. Even after the dinner, we sat in the lounge and had another cocktail and the chef came back by to wish us a nice evening. Excellent food and very friendly, attentive staff

For a unique experience of local produce put together in imaginative ways you need to eat at Rastella restaurant in the luxurious Merchants Monor. Each dish has a story to go with it and the tastes are exquisite. The attention the staff give to ensuring that you are safe and protected from the Coronavirus are the best I've seen. I'll definitely be going back.

We arrived for our stay at the hotel and were quite hungry so we decided to eat here, we both ordered the burger with chips although the burger was nice the portion size of the chips were disappointing, there just weren’t enough.

When the meal arrived, I wondered where all the vegetables were as it didn’t look like enough for 2 people. The beef was thinly sliced but tasty. However at the end of the meal, we were suitably satisfied ! The veg options consisted of 2 pieces of grilled corgette, which was a little meagre we thought, all be it tasty. The gravy was really good.Would certainly recommend it but don’t go if very hungry !

The 8 course tasting menu is really innovative. You can't work out from the descriptions what each dish is - they are introduced in turn by the head chef. Absolutely delicious with a huge range of flavours. The chef was more than happy to improvise for our vegetarian daughter. In London, this will have cost more than double. A real treat and easily in the top 15 meals I've had.

An excellent menu of mainly local produce that was cooked to perfection and efficiently served by knowledgeable staff. The Rump Steak was delicious as was the Sunday Roast Beef.We were on a Sleepover Sunday deal at the Hotel that included Dinner and so we enjoyed a fantastic deal . There was a small supplement for the steak but it was well worth the extra. We also had a decent bottle of wine sensibly priced at £22.

We ate 3 times in Rastella during our stay at Merchants Manor. The food was excellent and service exemplary on each occasion. We hop to return!

Booked to stay at Merchants Manor Hotel for husbands birthday. The evening meal was excellent. All of the restaurant staff were very pleasant, friendly and knowledgeable regarding the food they were serving. Breakfast, was again, an excellent menu, well cooked and pleasant surroundings

Food was average not sensational although roast was good. Don't expect much choice..Service is friendly it lacks promptness.

The chef is a genius! Everything he cooked for us was absolutely delicious. The staff are excellent and very attentive. We love coming here and can't wait to come back again in the future.

We stayed in the hotel and had one evening meal and 2 breakfasts. The food for all meals was very well prepared using good quality regional produce and very enjoyable. My only complaint was that the cheeseboard at £12 represented poor value with 3 minuscule pieces of cheese which by my estimation weighed no more then 50g in total.Service was variable and somewhat pretentious. Having ordered our drinks and food from the lounge, they forgot to bring us our drinks and show us to the table until the food was ready. We then ordered coffee to be served in the lounge, but again we were forgotten until we reminded a member of staff.

You can choose anything on the menu. Everything is delicious. Good wine list and excellent service. Dining room very intimate. Could be one of the best restaurants in the area.

Excellent well prepared food using only the freshest local ingredients in a relaxing setting . Staff are attentive with a good understanding of each dish .

We loved the food in the evening, we both had mackerel, hake and I had a wonderful pudding and my husband had the cheese board. I did miss orange juice at breakfast but understand the reason for not offering this.

Everything we ate was delicious. The lamb and crab was exceptional. The duck with candied pecans was perfection on a plate, as was the duck starter. The steaks were lovely. The black and white squid and monkfish was generous and scrumptious. I'm actually running out of adjectives to describe the lobster croquettes and corn veloute and the Tr11 soup. Desserts were also delicious, scrumptious and yummy. The service was immpecable. Molly and Natashia added charm and warmth to our evening as did the magnum of good rioja. We enjoyed the stories of how chef came up with the innovative menu. We will be back. Roll on 51!!!

The duck entree was amazing, as was the lobster and corn. The mains of hake and the lamb with crab were brilliant. Well constructed with an array of flavours. Finished off the the parfait dessert and cookies and cream. Service was great. As was the wine. Must go if you’re staying in Falmouth or anywhere in Cornwall for that matter

Excellent menu with some really way out dishes. All good stuff and very very inventive and exciting. Go there!

Merchant's Manor is an impressive manor house, and with the addition of new restaurant/concept, Rastella, we were very much looking forward to dining here during our stay in Falmouth. Based on reviews and articles, we should be in for a treat.

We had dinner twice in the restaurant during our stay. The first visit we were given a table by the window, and enjoyed a lovely meal. On the second visit, although the food was just as good, we were seated at tables for 2 positioned so close together, that it felt uncomfortable ( listening or being listened too ) . I really feel there is no need to put these tables so close together.

Fantastic meal cooked to my preference - I like well done steak and it was beautifully tender. Excellent service, the staff could not have been more helpful. We were told that the Chef would be very happy to modify dishes as we requested. The breakfast the next morning was also varied and delicious and seemed to cater to all tastes. Highly recommended

If you are looking to experience some of the finest food, drink and service that Cornwall has to offer, then look no further. Home-grown and original flavour combinations to tantalise your tastebuds in our award-winning restaurant. Rastella is also home to our very own wood fired oven, Bertha. From cooking sourdough to smoking the fish for breakfast, she can do just about anything and is a huge part of our signature taste here at Merchants Manor.

Amazing food from a chef who cares deeply about ingredients, presentation and service. Best food and dining experience we had in the region without a doubt.

We ate in the restaurant during our stay at the hotel. The menu was interesting, without being pretentious and the food was delicious. The best meal we have had in 2019 by far! Highly recommend eating here.

After a day out walking we were looking for somewhere to eat. After a couple of false starts elsewhere which included a restaurant where an engaging young boy was hurling the Hulk and Batman around the restaurant (I liked the diversion and my conversation with him but decided he would not make the best dinner companion) we came upon Rastella. Parking was a bit tight but once inside despite our scruffy appearance we were given a warm welcome by Will and a lovely fire. It's true that one does have to wait awhile to be seated and I did wonder when there are more diners how they would cope but we were fine with the wait.

I’d read great reviews about this restaurant so was very much looking forward to visiting. Our table was booked for 7pm and we didn’t get seated until nearly 8pm. Whilst they like you to sit in the lounge while browsing the menu, which is a nice touch, it took over 40 minutes for our order to be taken. By that point I was really hungry.

Imaginative menu using quality local ingredients. Enjoyed every dish and presentation excellent. Steak and chips top class meat, cooked to perfection. Breakfasts superb.

Enjoyed our evening meal and had very good service. We just thought that a wider selection of main courses would have been good if we had been staying longer - perhaps a a different 'special'

A four-night stay allowed us to work through the entire menu plus breakfast. The locally sourced theme is very popular nowadays, however South-African chef Hilton Espey goes further and brings in the hedgerow, fields and woods of Cornwall to make dishes that can be pure revelation. The Alexander plant and Penny Royal for example help to satisfy any foraging heart and make adventurous eating.

We had a very enjoyable meal here. The food was good, some of it was exceptionally good, but heavy on the sweetness in places. The service was quite painfully slow though, even though the restaurant didn't seem to be all that busy. Nice atmosphere and very pleasant surroundings, lounge area with an open fire.

We dined on Valentines day and experienced the best service and food! From the moment we walked in, everyone was attentive, chatty and really friendly! The menu was explained to us without fault or hesitation. The food was AMAZING!

We booked a 3 night stay at Merchants Manor which included a 3 course dinner each evening and what a pleasant surprise! The food is amazing and the service is superb, even though my wife is gluten and lactose intolerant she had a choice of some of the best food she has tasted for as long as she can remember.

Both nights we had a three course meal . What an amazing restaurant. Staff very helpful and friendly and food brilliant.

I have been to Rastella on numerous occasions. This is by far my favourite restaurant in Falmouth. The food is delicious, made with only the finest locally sourced ingredients and presented beautifully. The chef, Hylton Espey, is passionate about foraging and sourcing seasonal local produce. His style is unique and very appealing. The restaurant setting is lovely, cosy and the great service is most welcoming. My latest experience at Rastella was for Christmas lunch with my family. It was tastefully decorated, even with a special Christmas chocolate table to which you could help yourself! Don’t miss the stylish cocktails in the lounge before your meal, they are well worth coming in a little earlier than your reservation. I will most definitely visit Rastella again on my next visit to Falmouth and can highly recommend it!

My wife and I always try to go to Rastella for lunch or dinner when in Falmouth. It is definitely our favourite restaurant in the area. The food is always exceptional. The menu changes regularly with the chef, Hylton, using seasonal locally sourced ingredients. I particularly like the steak and the oyster starter is the best oyster starter I have ever had. The attention to detail and good service compliments the delicious food. I can highly recommend Rastella.

I was treated to lovely second birthday dinner at Rastella. We started the evening with an amazing local gin and tonic. The highlight at Rastelle is definitely the food! All the dishes were delicious and plated beautifully. The unforgettable food (I had the Bobotie for main - a must try!), ambience, beautiful setting, good wine & attentive service will make me come back here over and over again.

Beautiful food, exemplary service (Josh in particular) and amazing setting. Can't recommend enough. Will definetly visit again

We had Christmas lunch here, December 2018. The restaurant was tasteful decorated and felt very festive. The staff were very welcoming and keen to give everyone the best possible experience. I was concerned that it would be a mass produced Christmas lunch and wouldn’t be that good but I needn’t have worried, all 6 courses were delicious. We had a brilliant afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Would definitely eat here again.

We ate here each night whilst staying at the hotel. The menu changed every night and was absolutely delicious.

Plates to enjoy with your eyes as well as your mouth. Beautifully presented with a South African twist. A very nicely presented restaurant with good service.

We had the delight to dine at Rastella whilst staying at the adjoining Merchant's Manor hotel as a gift treat and boy, is this place wonderful!

Beautiful restaurant, relaxed atmosphere. Superb service from staff and food absolutely divine with unusual delicious choices and coffee yummy.

We ate fish two days running here as it was so delicious! Missed out on the scallops the first day, but caught them the second time around.....just fantstic !

A warm welcome, very knowledgeable front of house staff. The menu is locally sourced and absolutely delicious. The presentation was a work of art, the flavours were exquisite. I had mackerel for starters with the hake for the main, the desserts were a taste sensation, I would recommend this experience again and again just to try the other options on the menu, the pearl barley risotto vegetarian option was very flavoursome. Staff asked about dietry needs, very attentive.

Booked at short notice and visited on a Monday night so good to see this restaurant is so popular. It wasn't full but had a nice atmosphere. Lovely staff - friendly and helpful. It's an interesting menu and the chef is obviously pushing boundaries and experimenting with flavours. Overall the food was very good. I would say that some experiments worked better than others. For example the starter of beetroot and mackerel was absolutely delicious. The herb custard was interesting with a beautiful texture but the flavour was slightly bitter. On the main courses, the venison loin was well cooked and delicious. The hotpot that came with it was also delicious but had Chinese spicing in it that didn't seem to quite fit with the other half of the dish. The fish course of hake was very tasty with a light broth but wasn't very filling. The home made bread is excellent and there is an extensive wine list with a good selection by the glass. We had no room for desserts but they looked good. It's relatively expensive here so not a place for everyday dining, but great to have a chef of this calibre in the area.

I bring a group of 8 people twice yearly to this hotel and restaurant and never once have we had a bad meal. We are privileged to be given a Cornish "Tasting Menu" which has always been fantastic. Hylton the chef is brilliant in the way he uses local ingredients and infuses flavours. If you want meat and two veg go elsewhere !!!!. Everything is home made and Will the manager, does a brilliant job of explaining the menu and providing suitable Cornish wine. Great restaurant with great staff.

Such a wonderful experience. We visited the hotel and dined in this restaurant for three nights. The food was stunning. Exceptional quality and perfect presentation. The front of house staff led by Will were so professional and knowledgeable. The highlight was meeting the chef Hylton who chatted to us about his menu and how is food is locally sourced. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.

Fantastic 3 course meal, impeccable service all in the cosy snug which was beautifully laid out. Steak cooked to perfection! Superb

Hilton, the head chef , is South African, and has worked at some great resturants around the world. He produces some very creative dishes which just have to be experiensed. The menus that we had whilst we were there were just fantastic. This coupled with fantastic service all led to a great stay.

Good value for money for 3 courses, staff gave plenty of time between courses and the wine and cocktail menu is varied and good quality.

Un pequeño menú, pero un chef inteligente ha creado una excelente tarifa de productos locales. El personal de recepción es muy amable y toda la experiencia es de primera clase. Ambiente informal tan fácil de abrir con poca antelación, que es muy conveniente. Los precios son razonables. La mejor experiencia gastronómica en Falmouth.

Recientemente nos quedamos en el Hotel Merchants y disfrutamos de una fantástica comida de tres platos en Rastella. La comida era de una calidad excepcional debido a la localidad del producto servido. Disfruté de un bistec increíble perfectamente preparado a pedido (medio raro) que no es una tarea fácil teniendo en cuenta el corte de carne. El chef nacido en Sudáfrica, Hylton, obviamente conoce bien la cocina, ya que el postre Milk & Honey valió la pena el viaje de cinco horas solo.

The dining room, particularly the glass conservatory section, is lovely. The food was excellent and beautifully presented. The service was friendly but not always smooth or professional.

Very Nice food and drinks at Miguel’s bar! Great historical ambiance, Fantastic local food! I Will come back again.

After travelling for 5 hours, i decided to pop for a couple of drinks at Rastella Restaurant. Been served by Miguel, Sam and Connor, all of them with very professional manners, great knowledge of the drinks menu and pleasant to chat with. Completely amused them selves guiding me trough the stories behind the hotel and also about every dish in the dinning menu. will definitely dine with them tonight.

Excellent food from a creative chef with real skills. High calibre service which will make your dining experience an unforgettable one. If you find yourself in Falmouth this is a must-visit place. If you are from Falmouth then you don't need me to tell what's what.

What an amazing array of food, the service from the staff was impeccable. The home made garlic butter was delicious.

We dined on 3 successive nights and every dish was excellent. Interesting and novel combinations - e.g. lamb and crab, duck and rhubarb, worked really well and wood-fired grill produced flavoursome steaks. Starters included oysters - fresh and tempura, and lightly pickled local mackerel with cucumber and apple. Desserts and cheeseplate super, especially 'milk and honey', sharp lemon posset with white chocolate crisp. Friendly, efficient service and pleasant dining room.

I cannot remember the last time I have enjoyed a meal so much and where everything was "on point" - from the impeccable service (thank you Will!) to the exquisite food by a very talented chef, we had a truly sublime dining experience.

Fantastic food served by wonderful friendly staff who were very knowledgeable about the dishes they were serving.

I ate here with my partner as part of a DB&B; package at merchants manor hotel. The staff were very friendly and on arrival we were seated in the bar area for a drink and to look at the menu. The maitre’d talked us through...

The al a carte menu is tasty and imaginative and well presented. It doesn’t look like you get much on your plate but believe me it’s rich so is more than ample! Lovely atmosphere in the restaurant itself and the staff are all very friendly...

We had a break at Merchants Manor and dined in the Rastella Restaurant. On arriving we had light lunch , myself smoked salmon sandwich, lots of delicious salmon to be had, my husband a meat & olives dish again great. In the evening in the...

My wife and I had the privilege to dine at Rastella in December. The restaurant is situated at the Merchants Manor hotel and was beautifully decorated for the festive season. We visited Falmouth during the cold, wet and windy winter season, but the restaurant had a romantic and warm atmosphere with soft music, candlelit bar and a fireplace. It was the perfect setting for our Christmas dinner. The staff was friendly and the food simply superb! Their rib eye steak was one of the best I've ever had and can't compliment the chef and his team enough. When visiting Falmouth, dining at Rastella is simply a must.

My partner and I had the pleasure of dining at Rastella 2 nights in a row due to a deal...

Staying 3 nights 2nd to 5th March 2018. The quality of food and service here is outstanding, nothing is too much trouble. Chef. Manager. Service staff are all a credit to rastellas exquisite dining experience. We have fairly challenging dietary requirements as a couple but the staff and the clearly professional chef have produced a fusion of fresh foods that titilate the tastebuds that were not on the stated menu for us. I'm proud to have had a hand in one item that will be included on future menus solely down to its uniqueness. We're not finished with our visit yet but felt this was the right time to speak up. Rastella going that extra mile!