Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

It is said that one can enjoy Creole cuisine only if you have 'la bouche Creole', the mouth of Creole. However, it is well recognized now that people from all over the world enjoy these dishes, la bouche or not, and in Cornwall it is best savoured at this small, well designed bistro, featuring the hearty no-nonsense taste of Louisana's traditional dishes prepared using fresh Cornish produce. Guests can enjoy the food and friendly service in a relaxing ambience.

The seafood thermidor is absolutely superb with all the individual flavours of crab, monkfish, scallops and prawns enhanced by the delicious sauce.  Meat options include confit of free range duck with white beans, tomato and chorizo and braised pork Orleans with garlic and spring onion mash and cider. Desserts are equally good with options such as white chocolate bread pudding with whiskey sauce and bourbon pannacotta with a cinnamon and rum spiced mango compote.

The Springer Spaniel may look like any other unassuming roadside pub, but venture inside this 18th century building and it is immediately evident that this is no ordinary hostelry. The cosy main bar has a two settles fronting a wood-burning stove, comfortable wall benches, rustic tables and a relaxing, chatty atmosphere - no intrusive music or games here (and there's a separate beamed dining-room where booking is essential at weekends).

It is also obvious that food is taken seriously here. Emphasis in the kitchen is on the use of fresh local ingredients with most of the salads, herbs and vegetables locally sourced. Quality of food is matched with good service, a well-chosen list of wines (seven by the glass), and tip-top West Country ales - Sharp's Doom Bar, Eden Ale, Cornish Coaster and a beer brewed specially for the pub, Springer Ale. Children and dogs (especially Springer Spaniels!) are very welcome and there is a splendid beer garden during fine weather.

Jamaica Inn hotel, Cornwall's legendary coaching house immortalised in Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name, has stood high on Bodmin Moor for over four centuries. Made famous by smugglers, its breathtaking location makes it an ideal stop off point on the way to Cornwall's many attractions. The inn's cobbled courtyard, beamed ceilings and roaring log fires along with delicious pub food and real ales speak of warm and friendly hospitality that evokes the romance of another age.

From breakfast until late evening, guests can enjoy an extensive range of home cooked dishes, from a mid-morning snack to a sumptuous dinner, that cater to all of the family. After an activity filled day satisfy the appetite with steak and ale pie, ploughman?s, fish and chips, venison sausage with gravy, a variety of steaks, burgers or sandwiches. The likes of Tribute, Dartmoor Jail Ale and Legend keep the hand pumps busy in the Peddlars Bar. After quelling the hunger pangs you could check out the inn museum?s collection of smuggling artefacts or learn more about the Cornish smuggling trade in its cinema room.