The best restaurants serving British food in South West
5.266 Restaurants on GastroRanking
832 Opinions in 3 websites
13/14 Alverton Street, England
My favourite restaurant in the world! I came here twice two years ago and think about it all the time. Can’t wait for the next visit. Bruce only uses the absolute freshest ingredients and it shows - the taste of dishes here is so tender on the tastebuds and exploding with umami you want to pinch yourself to see if it’s real. Posting below a review I wrote in August 2022 after my first visit: ‘One of the absolute highlights of our Cornwall trip was a beautiful little gem of a restaurant in Penzance called the Shore. The chef, Bruce, greets you enthusiastically, barefoot, at the door, introduces every course to the 12 guests in the space, and does everything from nabbing the freshest fish from local fishmongers before they even go to the public to washing the dishes to renovating the space. Bruce is adamant on freshness and bringing out the fullness of the flavour in everything - sea and garden ingredients served with a Japanese-inspired twist. I think a good indication of his sophisticated and delicate but unpretentious style of cooking is how he intentionally never uses an ingredient that's only pretty as garnish but can't be eaten. His food is truly food as art, and in a way it reminded me of really good therapy in the sense that you can taste within each slice and sliver of food the kind of immense skill, rich trove of knowledge, and keen insight that take decades to build. It reminded me of the intimacy of certain works of immersive theatre which offers an intimate experience in a space tailored to the production for the audience, but I have to say, seeing shows are much more tiring because you have to concentrate the entire time, without getting divine food! (Another way in which the night reminded me of theatre is how you can never get the same experience again, and how the realisation makes you savour the preciousness of every moment.) Bruce’s blend of down-to-earthness and high level of skill, craft, and understanding is such a marvel to me. It's easy for mastery in cooking to be touted at high prices, dressed up in fluff and frills, or for it to be surrounded by an air of exclusivity and elitism, but here the intimacy of the setting is because of practicality (one person can only cook for so many!) and also because of a real emotional attentiveness. In a world where "intimacy" or "homey vibes" can be sold as commodities, it was refreshing to just return to the basics and be in a situation where intimacy is the natural result of the setting and the person's philosophy. It also reminds me of the Japanese concept of shokunin, referring to artisans, craftspeople, et al who are singularly devoted to their craft over long periods of time (as long as a lifetime or beyond) and with a deep sense of humility. The grilled bass was absorbently juicy, and having pickles before hake and mussels is a genius stroke because the sourness of the former fully brought out the sweetness of the latter. The memory of the courgette, tomato, and squid soup still makes my mouth tingle with umami. The skinned tomatoes were tender, the diced courgette as freshly flavoured as green mangos, the squid impeccable, served with a side of chilled broth which you can feed into the bowl on your own. What I also appreciated about Bruce's food was how attuned he was to the outside world and how his guests were feeling - he served a chill soup because of the hot weather, which shows a connectedness with one's surroundings, the antithesis of the hubristic belief that you can get anything by air freight as long as you're willing to pay more. I have to say: Bruce makes me understand why things get put on the Michelin Guide, and I want to give him all the recs in the world!’
1189 Opinions in 4 websites
6 New Road, EnglandWe had booked a meal online through the Fishermen's Mission offer, and we are so glad we did so - even though it involved a round trip from Edinburgh! Beautiful restaurant - so tastefully decorated with little touches such as fish wallpaper in the toilets! Superb view of the sea - and as it was early March the waves were spectacular. All the staff were so welcoming and explained the various dishes in great detail. We started with the raw cured and pickled selection - and having always preferred cooked fish, this has converted me! So delicately flavoured and so fresh. Basically we tasted everything on the menu. All of the fish were beautifully cooked (Dover sole, john dory, hake and brill) and presented and the sauces and accompaniments were mouthwatering. Particularly loved loved the jerusalem artichoke and langoustine sauce with the hake. The desserts were also delicious and we opted for the cheese as well. All in all an absolutely perfect meal! I hope we manage to repeat the experience!
1064 Opinions in 2 websites
773 Opinions in 2 websites
68 Fore Street, EnglandI was almost put off visiting this restaurant after reading some of the more negative reviews on here but i'm glad I decided to ignore them and try for myself. First of all the setting is great, the glasshouse was lovely, bright and warm on even the most cold and wintery of days. We had booked for 1pm and by then a number of tables were in full swing and it was a lovely jovial atmosphere as we were shown to our table. I was visiting with the in laws and they are a tough crowd so I was hoping something would take their eye on the menu. I have to say the menu is not great. It is at best confusing. The prix fixe 3 course menu has meat on both mains (not an issue for me but for my other half who is a pescatarian). The game terrine starter was not available off of the prix fixe menu. It is a little restrictive but that is usually OK, I would have gone for 3 main choices and just added a non meat dish as an option if it was me. You then have the lunch menu with no starters other than one type of soup which is mixed in with the mains. You have platters which are big and extravagant and "nibbles" which seem like tapas type dishes (Padron Peppers, home made hummus). No normal starters like sea trout pate or grilled mackerel fillet, simple dishes, missing a trick here. Confusingly under "light bites" you have Venison bourguignon and lots of other dishes that I wouldn't usually identify as "light". These are the mains. The older crowd were getting confused at this point. I expect the lack of starters is a lunchtime thing but looking around at the clientele I suspected most were taking this as their main meal of the day and not a quick bite. Anyway we settled on the catch of the day which was Hake for the main and one of us had the soup and the rest settled on bread and "nibbles" for starters. Starters came and the soup was given the thumbs up, Padron Peppers were cooked well, but basic (drizzled in oil, salt), hummus was nice, bread was standard, nothing special. Butter was again standard and plain , two 10p coin sized portions for 3 people!!. Overall it was OK but I would just expect a bit more. Mains were great, hake was cooked superbly , it was fresh and presented well, side dishes were all fairly generous, sauces were tasty and well seasoned. There is a tendency to over salt on sauces but not here. All 4 of us were pleased with what we received and it showed that the kitchen knew what they were doing. We all finished off with desserts, they were very good, everyone was happy. The front of house were great, very professional, ever present but not in your face, they were a real credit to the restaurant. Overall it was a really enjoyable lunch, lovely environment and atmosphere, mains were great, desserts were great but there was a definite shortfall in starters. Little touches needed but nothing major. I would definitely come back here. I am not sure what some other reviewers encountered, the menu definitely seemed all over the place but the food was good and portions were generous.