Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Originally opened in 1993 by Mike and Elaine (Margot) Meredith, the chef/owner is now Adrian Oliver, assisted by his wife Julie.

There are only 8 tables which makes for a cosy sort of atmosphere. The staff are friendly and efficient and the cuisine could be described as good local materials produced in a no-nonsense manner.

There is a good balance between fish and other items. As they say themselves 'we prefer to talk to vegetarians and cook for them individually, rather than giving them nut cutlets'.

One has the distinct feeling that if you asked for a savoury they would rise to the challenge.

The crisp vegetables served in bamboo steamer baskets are always well received.

New World inclined wine list, but some Old included. Italian house wine at £9.95 and others upwards.

That Padstow is now the culinary mecca of the southwest is very much due to the flair, influence and enthusiasm of the celebrated Rick Stein. The Seafood Restaurant could perhaps be described as the flagship of his operations.

The results of what you see on the TV are very much in evidence. The choice of menus is exciting, different methods of cooking are all there and the general ambience is relaxed but well-organised and efficient.

The wine list also reflects Rick's travels, currently centred on West Australia. House wines are upwards of £16.50.

There are rumblings about the cost of sharing the fruits of Mr Stein's travels, yet I have never heard any complaint from anyone who had actually been there. What is done is done well and professionally. No children under 3 years.

You have to hand it to Rick - business-wise he really has it organised. It would be foolish to suppose that his benign dominance in his native Padstow could possibly ignore the nation's favourite dish, and here it is; an upmarket version to be sure, but none the worse for it.

A recent "report" given much air time by the media, offered yet further advice on what we should be eating, demonstrated by a table with various temptations set out, and removed one by one as the presenter blackballed them, to leave an empty table, eventually filled by a bowl of fruit which I am sure is very good for you, but does not have quite the same frisson of pleasure that comes from a nice bit of well battered haddock.

Up to a point one can see what they mean, but c'mon, leave us some pleasures please, and one of them simply has to be good old-fashioned fish and chips. Of course the menu at Rick's is never going to be that simple, so choose from nine different sorts of grilled fish after you have worked your way through a few battered local oysters, or you can have your fish battered as well, cooked in beef dripping. Never mind those gorgeous chips as well.

Side orders include traditional naughties like chip butties, curry sauce (with fish, m'dear?), bread rolls and mushy peas, though the latter I have not yet seen on the list of Not Being Good For You. Perhaps they actually aren't? Wow! Put them on that TV table quick.

Wine starts at under £10

Here is the answer for anyone who genuinely believes that the Rick Stein Experience is pricey. For a modest sum you can enjoy some of the simpler fruits of the sea, with a main course setting you back between £11-£16.

The ambience is free and easy, recorded music with live on special evenings.

The wine list follows the same trend and you should not pay more than £20 for a perfectly credible bottle.

Julian Lloyd moved here from The Seafood Restaurant and the standards are high.

Like so many places in Cornwall people come here for the sea-views alone, and they keep on coming year after year. Cornwall seems to breed that kind of loyalty. The restaurant offers uncomplicated food, reliable and generous from a menu that changes, but not too much. The utterly fresh fish for which Cornwall is justly celebrated features largely, but not to the exclusion of a wider approach. Adequate wine list with house wine at £10.70.

Yet another branch of the Rick Stein empire, though this time cunningly concealed beneath a good old local name.

Alistair Clive has moved from the Seafood Restaurant to take over the kitchen, where seafood reigns, but not exclusively.

There is an uncomplicated, perfectly simple seafood trend, doubtless aimed at a sector of the market, and, as with all Rick's enterprises, done extremely well.

Good wine list, house French at £12.75.

At Custard, Sophie Doyle manages a busy restaurant with a team that has as its head Chef, Dan Gedge, formerly of the Seafood Café. The décor is all clean cut brown and white, with accents from the British designer Cath Kidston. So start the day with a sturdy breakfast that could include soft boiled duck egg with soldiers, before moving on to elevenses, and a selection of cakes and pastries.

Custard certainly thrives on performance, and with lunch being an important part of the day out there is a good choice, from tasty snacks like salmon fishcakes, to full meals such as Trethillick Farm lamb with courgettes, broad beans and mint. Some inspired choices at dinner time include potted salt beef with horseradish and apple, followed by whole Cornish oh-so-fresh plaice with samphire and brown shrimps. To finish, perhaps a pear and blackberry crumble with custard.

All wines are from a European source and with ingredients not coming from too far off, there is a nod to low food mileage at Custard.