Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock, Cornwall

[MaLO]

We had considered eating at Nathan Outlaw’s restaurant for a few years now, but the distance involved and the additional price of a hotel was always prohibitive. A few months ago a newspaper was running a promotion, collect tokens and get a discount at hotels. Among the hotels listed was the St Moritz, in Polzeath about two miles from Rock, so I collected tokens, booked the hotel and made a reservation at Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in the St Enodoc Hotel and off we went.

The restaurant offers one tasting menu and is based exclusively on seafood.

We ate

Amuse

Mackerel with pickled vegetables and horseradish mayonaise.

Breads were freshly baked slices of minature white and brown loaves.

First plate was John Dory. It was accompanied by a plump crisp fried oyster. There were brown shrimps lurking in the sauce which was lightly flavoured with horseradish and a hint of dill and a little additional texture from a tiny dice of cucumber.

Cod, “BLT”, Basil & Pine Nut came next. The BLT elements making up the sauce and the basil and pine nut forming the grilled topping.

Next came Bream with Saffron & Squid with Olive and Pepper Sauce.

Turbot was the final savoury course. It was served sat on a meaty bed of ham hock, asparagus, broccoli, peas and spring piccalilli.

We shared a small plate of local cheese. It came with fresh bread flavoured with stem ginger and equally tasty freshly baked crackers. There was a little chutney and some pickled celery.

The first of two desserts was a Vanilla Cream with Strawberry Sorbet and Jelly.

The final dessert was Lime and Elderflower Tart with Yoghurt Sorbet and Meringue.

The food was very good. As you would expect, the fish was fine and fresh. Sauces were well made, with rich flavours punctuated by subtle acidic elements. Interestingly the sauces were proper sauces, not foams or sticky reductions. I don’t have anything against a frothy sauce, it was, however, interesting than none of Nathans were.

Each dish was well composed with elements like the fried oyster or the squid proving excellent additions to the main component, complementing the main ingredient, adding flavour and texture.

There were also vegetables. Real vegetables; not blobs of puree artfully splashed about the plate, real vegetables. There was spinach with the bream and the turbot had sweet peas, asparagus and broccoli.

The cheeses came from a list of nine; you could either have six, as we did, or nine. The cheese plate pictured was for one. The cheese order is taken and arrives plated. I personally prefer the spectacle of the cheese chariot getting wheeled around the dining room and seeing what looks good. That said the cheese was very good.

The vanilla and strawberry dessert would have been something I would have picked above more or less any other option. It was very tasty. Dessert two, the lime and elderflower tart was also good. Good pastry, good meringue, good sorbet. Sweet and sharp. What’s not to like.

Service was performed by a team of three and was really good. They were attentive, friendly and kept everything ticking along nicely. There was a happy noise in the dining room, laughter and conversation. It was almost noisy at times. Much better than everyone sitting whispering. Each table was presented with a signed copy of the evening’s menu, and if you ordered cheese, a menu of which cheese you ordered was printed too.

The wine list has plenty of decent stuff. Wine by the glass starts at £9. We chose two half bottles; a Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee St Anne and a Pinot Noir from New Zeland. We also took a glass of Poire Granit and Banyulus to share with cheese and desserts.

It was very good. I would go back, and maybe one day I will. It is however a long way from home, most people’s home. That said there was only one table not taken and I would guess getting a reservation in the coming peak months would be far from easy.

If you are holidaying in the area or live nearby, it’s well worth a look. If you are planning a visit, then staying on site at St Enodoc would obviously be the best bet. There are also countless rental properties in the area. The St Moritz is also an excellent option. It’s a couple of miles from Rock. Not really walkable but they can fix lifts or a taxi. It is a very nice hotel and they are really helpful. Alternatively, you could stay in Padstow, there is a night river taxi between Padstow and Rock that runs from seven pm until midnight.

We also ate in the Seafood and gril. I will add more about this elsewhere.

Edited May 28, 2011 by MaLO (log)

[Harters]

Cor! That looks bloody good.

But, as you say, a heck of a schlep for most of us.

Edited May 28, 2011 by Harters (log)

[david goodfellow]

Strange as it may seem I googled mapped this yesterday and it gave nearly five hours journey time. I was looking to tie in a visit to Michelin starred Elephant in Torquay but the journey time between the two is another two hours. It would have to be a mini holiday to justify that sort of journey. Even by my standards it seems a bridge too far.

Personally I think the dishes look simplistic and I regard top quality product as paramount in fish cookery, something that Nathan Outlaw should have in abundance given the restaurant's location.

Clearly taste is all at this level.

Not entirely convinced with the look of those desserts though.

Thanks for the report MalO.

[kryptos1]

Next came Bream with Saffron & Squid with Olive and Pepper Sauce.

I am sure the accomplished folks out there can pull this off, but wow this one I have to try. This looks perfect....cutting into it would get the sauce for each bite...how would this taste?!