Storm Fish

Storm Fish, in High Street, is a modest family owned restaurant and the owner, Peter Miles, is a keen fisherman, hence the strong bias towards fish and seafood, as well as a committed environmentalist. He and his wife Frances opened Storm in 1999 with the aim of putting the best fresh fish, shellfish and produce on the table. This could be said to be a canny move at a time when the demand for seafood in restaurants and elsewhere is on the increase, and their success is very evident.

As a dedicated fisherman Peter is one of those happy souls who can legitimately combine what some might regard as a sporting interest with his work. However, his is a working commitment and his daily contacts within the fraternity of fishermen ensure that he is able to be highly selective when it comes to quality. As if he weren't busy enough, he is also a keen beekeeper and in the summer months grows many of the vegetables used in the restaurant.

Combining this with a natural inclination towards doing all things properly and with a deft touch ensures that discerning diners regard Storm Fish as a shangri-la. Prawns from Studland Bay; sole, plaice and turbot off the beaches of Poole Bay, or lobster and dived scallops from the Purbeck coast, all these and many more make for glad tidings to the connoisseur.

Walk in to Storm Fish and be immediately gripped by the feel of the sea. Wooden rustic tables and old fishing lamps hanging from the ceiling add to the cosy ambience and the conviction of good things to come, amongst which is lunch, an occasion taken just as seriously as the evening menu. Starters of half a dozen local oysters with red onion and thyme red wine vinegar, or cracked local crab with lemon mayonnaise and dressed leaves make a pretty definite statement, and from amongst a choice of six main courses think in terms of Goan fish curry with local mullet, tuna, organic salmon fillet and tiger prawn with lemon hinted rice. Whole fish of the day takes advantage of the local catch and for determined carnivores a 6oz Dorset rib-eye steak with risotto rosti, wild mushroom sauce and grilled asparagus should provide an ideal answer.

Finish with warm upside-down apple cake and brandy crème anglaise, or perhaps some of their fine artisan cheeses with quince jelly and biscuits. Lighter bites such as smoked mackerel with a new potato and fine bean salad dressed with tartare sauce are designed to sustain the appetite in anticipatory form ready for an evening of gastronomic pleasure.

This could start with skewered tiger prawns, or steamed Scottish mussels, before heading towards pan-fried fillets of local grey mullet and red bream with a fennel, samphire, new potato and watercress salad with lemon dressing. Such is the tempting diversity of the desserts that many are driven to resort to the aptly named Piggy's platter, a choice of three from the six normally listed.

Storm Fish is second home to the local Business Women's Lunch Club which not unnaturally includes lunch. It's my experience that those sort of organisations are pretty hard-nosed when it comes to their requirements, so their continuing happy association with the restaurant after nine years may well speak for itself.

A relatively short but more than adequate wine list represents a sound understanding between kitchen and cellar with a sensible selection by the half carafe or bottle, and by the glass. Service is as polished as the glittering glassware.

This is a simply splendid restaurant. Further evidence, should it be needed, exists on their Website, after that it's up to you!

PS. As if that wasn't enough, kids eat free between 5.30 and 7 pm, up to three young with two adults, this includes choices like homemade pasta, gorgeous fish dishes and ice-cream for dessert amongst other things.