Padstow is a bustling harbour town with stunning coastal views and some of the best restaurants and places to eat and drink in Cornwall
Padstow is a bustling harbour town on the lip of the Camel Estuary, but while its coastal views are stunning, as SARAH JUGGINS discovered, there is much more to whet the appetite
It might seem a little excessive to find three celebrity chefs operating within a stone’s throw of each other, but then Padstow is no ordinary town; rather it is a culinary jewel that sets foodie's hearts beating faster.
This has not always been the case. Common consensus among residents is that, until recently, Padstow was a gastronomic desert. True, Rick Stein was based there, but his restaurant was seen as exclusive and the other outlets specialised in the cheap, fast food associated with English seaside towns.
And then the bar was raised, Stein's dominance of the Camel Estuary was challenged by not one, but two Michelin-starred restaurants, and suddenly Padstow was a renowned foodie’ mecca.
It’s all about the food
First to appear was Paul Ainsworth. Viewers of the BBC’s Great British Menu will know Ainsworth for the stunning dessert that won the final in 2011, but in Padstow he is known for his cheery smile and a menu that celebrates local produce. Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 is located next door to Rick Stein's café, in a narrow back street. From the exterior it looks quite an unprepossessing place – just a single-fronted building – which Ainsworth and three fellow chefs took over in 2006. Three years later, Ainsworth went it alone, picking his Michelin star up along the way.
Inside Number 6, it is clear that it is all about the food. There are two small rooms with tables crammed in, so you quickly become acquainted with your neighbours, a plus because you can see what they are eating, but a minus if you want a romantic evening a deux.
The staff are great. The maitre'd is knowledgeable and has worked at some of the best restaurants in the UK, and all the staff are well-versed in the history of the restaurant and the provenance of the food. There is also a complete lack of pretention, no hovering sommelier and ever-enthusiastic staff.
Starters included a variation on a Scotch egg, with a quail's egg, haddock and black pudding; a Cornish cured salmon with acidic pickled beetroot and miso eggplant; and Cornish duck with a soft herb pasta ragu and smoked almonds.
Main courses were balanced to meet everyone's tastes. Those hungry for a taste of the sea could choose between sea bream, cod or monkfish, while the carnivorous diner could indulge in Hereford beef, moorland lamb or Cornish saddle pork.
It would be wrong to not mention the bread served before the starters. This came with a cod roe, sprinkled with pork scratchings - sounds odd, but tasted delicious.
And finally, to dessert. Called a Trip to the Fairground', this is a sharing platter that can only be described as a return to childhood, but a sweet and indulgent childhood with popping candy, lollipops, toffee apples and marshmallows. There are other desserts, but if you are only visiting once, then the Trip to the Fairground is a must.
A trip across the estuary
A three-minute ferry ride delivers diners from Padstow onto the shores of Rock. A further five-minute walk and you arrive at Outlaw’s, where the major decision is whether to fine dine in the two-star restaurant, or eat from the seafood and grill menu on the terrace.
The weather plays an important part in this decision so, as the day was bright and sunny, we decided to take the al fresco option and we were soon engrossed in tough decision number two – what to eat?
Chargrilled mackerel for starter won the day, and this was perfectly matched with a light Picpoul de Pinet wine. Other starters included Lobster risotto with basil and orange; smoked Coley with rainbow radish and lemon, hand-dived scallops with tomatoes and olives – it was simplicity, but genius.
The main courses followed this trend. A few ingredients working together to make the taste buds dance. Hake with peas, broad beans and mussels was spring on a plate, with flavours so delicate that you almost had to close your eyes to fully comprehend what you were experiencing.
At the other end of the scale, grey Mullet served with bulgur wheat, chilli and red pepper shellfish sauce was hearty, earthy, and reminiscent of Spanish cuisine.
Nathan Outlaw trained under Rick Stein, and although he is definitely challenging his old boss from his fortress at Rock, the two chefs remain good friends. Outlaw's opened at The Enodoc Hotel in 2009, two years after he had opened his first eponymous restaurant in Fowey.
King Rick
And so to the master. Rick Stein has nine commercial outlets in Padstow, which explains why cynics have re-christened the town Padstein’. The danger with so much diversity – the nine includes a café, a deli, a fish bar, holiday accommodation and a cookery school – is that quality becomes a victim.
But, as we sat at the circular bar in the middle of Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, it soon became clear that this is far from the case. The first thing you notice is the buzz – both from the diners and from the staff. This is a place where people like their job. Our waitress had worked at other top restaurants and said she had never been in a better kitchen than now. The wine waiter enthused about the courses he had been attending – and made a great recommendation to boot.
And the food was sensational. The menu changes daily and there is a balance between local dishes such as Fowey Oysters and Newlyn fish pie and more exotic offerings based on the results of Stein’s travels – sashimi of scallop or Indonesian seafood curry.
Stein himself has recently returned from India, where he had been in search of the perfect curry, so it was inevitable that Madras fish curry was a popular dish. Was it the perfect curry? I’m not sure, but it was wonderful – hot and sour and completely belying the belief that spice ruins the taste of good fish.
The presence of the three chefs has had a galvanising effect on the town. There is a sense that every food outlet has risen to the challenge of producing good quality, locally-sourced food. There are award-winning pasties at Chough’s bakery; fabulous cream teas at the Elizabethan manor house Prideaux Place; and coffee lovers swoon when they realise that the Bin 2 wine bar serves Monmouth Coffee.
As 75-year-old local woman Sue Goodsir said: It is the restaurants that have saved Padstow from the worst of the recession. It is a beautiful place but most people who come here, come here mainly for the food experience.’
SNOG, MARRY, DIVORCE
The I would marry tomorrow’, definitely worth a kiss’ and grounds for divorce’ of the restaurants:
Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 - A Trip to the Fairground (marry), the breads and cod roe pre-dinner (kissable), the slightly claustrophobic lack of space (divorce material).
Nathan Outlaw at the St Enodoc Hotel - The Hake, broad beans, mussels and paprika oil (marry), the view across the estuary (kissable), the wait for a first drink (definitely a divorce case).
Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant - the Madras Fish curry (marry), the buzzy atmosphere (kissable), the fact we had no room left for dessert (deplorable).
