Harbourside Restaurant, The

This delightful hotel and restaurant is refreshing in more ways than one. What they are pleased to call the "why not" factor operates, which is their point of view, would translate for me as a place that is run in the first instance for the visitors. Whilst this may seem simplistic how many hotels and restaurants have you encountered where it sometimes seemed as though the visitors were used as gun fodder?  

Falmouth's oldest hotel it may be but its appearance, décor and attitude are bang slap up to date. Many of the ingredients are sourced locally but where they are not they come from equally reliable origins.

Crab and smoked salmon salad has about it a freshness that is compelling, or there is a Granny Smith and pea shoot salad. A burdock root smoked pork fillet has a certain familiarity with the locality, as does the roasted fillet of salt cod or a roast butternut and shallot tart tatin. Finish with a trio of homemade ice creams or a very rich indeed
chocolate Black Forest mousse.

The wine list is no slung together range of bargain basement numbers. Instead a carefully chosen list with strong European influence does not hesitate to champion Château Musar red to accompany the more bracing red meats on the menu, and recognises that Spain is now producing very credible wine in the middle range.

Falmouth is one of the finest, and largest, natural harbours in the world, and the surrounding countryside reflects its beauty and grandeur.