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Ripley's


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Tonight i dined at Ripley's in St Merryn, which is just outside Padstow in Cornwall.It gained a Michelin Star in January, and this was my first return since.They also have had some changes in the layout and decor.Before it was a bit cold, with a bit too much stone, now a wood floor,timber beams and a new bar/reception area add a much warmer and stylish feel.

We took no pre dinner drinks, as we were still deciding on who was driving,so just water

After we had chosen from the menu, an amuse of 4 grilled mussles with hazelnut and coriander butter.Could have been a little more seasoned, but a nice start.Homemade Bread rolls were served at this time.I like my bread room temp, Mrs BD likes warm bread.She won

Mrs Basildog chose the Home Cured Gravadlax with Honey and Mustard Dressing on the condition that i had the Seared Scallops,Oriental Salad with Sesame Dressing.Both excellent.Glass noodles in the Oriental Salad were a fantastic touch.3 large scallops were just the right amount( they were bigger than the ones i have been getting recently, must check with Paul who he is using :wink: )

We only had one bottle of wine with our meal, Louis Jadot Mersault.£38.50, superb, and from the high end of the wine list(we don't get out much, so a treat)

We both had the Fillet of Scotch Beef on the bone with Bone Marrow Butter,Red wine and Port Sauce.Just fantastic...superb quality meat, beautifully cooked ( rare and a medium) with a plate of Cornish New Potatoes, and a mix of Asparagus, Leeks,Mange Tout.The marrow bone butter just added a richness as it melted.

A slight pause for dessert which for me was probably the star

Chocolate Fondant, with Banana Ice Cream and Caramelised Banana.

All i can say is this the best dessert i have ever had.The fondant just perfect,oozing chocolate.Stunning!

Mrs BD had the Queen of Puddings.which was excellent.Simple but very well executed.

2 coffees to finish with a plate of goodies.Brandy Snaps,Fudge,Rum Truffles ,Honeycomb and Chocolate dipped Strawberries.All fantastic as they sound :biggrin:

Service is friendly and smooth.No rushing around, just calm professionalism.Bill was £105 for 2, (but we did go big on a bottle of wine)and they make no service charge.

This is the best restaurant in Cornwall.OK i have not tried them all, but if you know of better, please let me know.I took a big breath before writing this , as i didn't want it to come across as a gush for a chef i know and admire, but there it is.Paul produced some fantastic food tonight and in my opinion throughly deserves his star.For those making the trip to Cornwall, put it on your to do list.

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I'm not likely to be near Cornwall anytime soon, and if I am, Margot's will be the preferred venue. But this sounds great, BD. Nice report.

One question: you mention "Filet of Scotch Beef on the Bone." Could you provide more detail as to what cut of beef this is?

Dave Scantland
Executive director
dscantland@eGstaff.org
eG Ethics signatory

Eat more chicken skin.

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I'm not likely to be near Cornwall anytime soon, and if I am, Margot's will be the preferred venue. But this sounds great, BD. Nice report.

Very nice of you to say so Dave, but the idea is you come and try us all!

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The holiday cottage I've booked for a week in the summer is so ruinously expensive that we won't actually be able to afford to eat anywhere when we get there (apart from Margot's and I intend to mug a local in order to fund that particular outing). Still, it will be terribly interesting to read all the menus :biggrin:

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  • 4 years later...

That is a great loss - a meal there in June was simply superb. I can appreciate the effort exerted takes its toll.

Paul Ripley is one of the best chefs I worked with. If you didn't get a chance to eat his food I feel sorry for you. Passion for ingredients and cooking.

A great loss it will be! :sad:

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  • 1 month later...

have just read oline that ripleys in cornwall will not close!!!! paul has promoted his sous chef of 3 years 2 be head chef, he will still be owner but will be concentrating on his deli,. this is fantastic as the south west cannot afford 2 loose anymore eaterys of this standard(read this at the caterer online)

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have just read oline that ripleys in cornwall will not close!!!! paul has promoted his sous chef of 3 years 2 be head chef, he will still be owner but will be concentrating on his deli,. this is fantastic as the south west cannot afford 2 loose anymore eaterys of this standard(read this at the caterer online)

Can you give us a link for this? I thought that Ripley's had already closed, so presumably this is actually re-opening?

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  • 5 weeks later...

I was sorry to hear this restaurant had lost its star, I had a great meal here over a year ago. It makes sense if its closed, but it seems really unclear now as to whether it has or not. I'm not going to ring them to ask as it would be a bit odd- I'm not in the area anytime soon. But I will definitely be going this summer and as well as trying Margot's I would have gone back. For future reference, does anyone know if it has closed or if the standards have dropped under a new chef?

Thanks,

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Total guesswork on my part but i would think Paul would have informed the guides that he was closing , so that may well explain his loss of star.

Edit, i assume it will be open very soon, it's valentines next week!!!

Edited by Basildog (log)
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