Fishes

[Bapi]

Burnham Market in Norfolk, is often referred to as Chelsea-on-Sea, in view of the large influx of (often very loud) Londoners arriving to spend the weekend. A picture perfect, if subsequently, horribly busy village about 3 miles from the beautiful north Norfolk coast. My wife has been holidaying in this area here since she was a mere two years old - and I too have fallen for its charms - so much so, that we became engaged and had our wedding reception, along the coast in nearby Thornham. In fact the area has wealth of good eateries, which include the Hoste Arms, also in Burnham Market, the Victoria at Holkham, the White Horse at Brancaster Staithe and the Michelin starred -Morston Hall, just down the coast.

We have enjoyed a few meals at Fishes over the years under the previous owner, but had not ventured there for years and not since the current incumbent Matthew Owsley-Brown had taken over the reigns, four years ago. His previous experience extends to a stint with Rick Stein at the Seafood Restaurant (you can see that certain dishes have been brought over from his time there) and more recently at Noble Rot in London. He and his wife have much improved the interior with muted beige tones and tasteful artwork, and this along with the large glass frontage, gives the two rooms a bright and airy feel. The menu is, as the name dictates, unsurprisingly predominantly seafood and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the lunch menu was extraordinarily reasonably priced at £16.50 for two or £19.50 for three courses.

I started with a Rare seared Tuna loin, Haricot bean and Pesto cassoulet, with a Red Pepper dressing. Five slices of expertly seared tuna, which had a spice encrusted exterior. These sat upon the cassoulet which had a good depth of flavour, the pesto being a gentle hint rather than a overly robust flavour. In addition, this included unannounced slivers of what I thought was jabugo ham but was actually speck. The red pepper dressing gave a splash of vibrant colour and lifted the dish. Rosie went for half a dozen Brancaster oysters, at a £3 supplement - which was worth it. A perfect salty, sweet taste of the sea. An excellent, and as our munchkin slept through this course silently, a peaceful first course. (As an aside they are very child friendly and we were offered a baby seat on booking)

I followed with a Marmite Dieppoise- a delicate fish stew containing a fillet of sea bass, halibut, mussels and a langoustine, with small fronds of chervil as a garnish. This was served with a wonderful piece of brioche, smothered in a not overpowering rouille, finished with chopped chives. Marvellous for dunking into the broth. To drink we had a half of a luscious 2001 Trimbach Gewürztraminer, perfect with my dish, and a reasonable £15.25. Rosie opted for the Smoked haddock, with Toasted Brioche, Purple sprouting Broccoli, Hollandaise sauce with a Poached egg. A well presented dish, with well cooked fish and a fantastic hollandaise. This smokiness of the fish was offset by the sweet broccoli and rich hollandaise. A dish she very much enjoyed until about three mouthfuls from the end - when she noticed that a piece of the accompanying brioche had turned rather mouldy. A bit of a shock and I have to say it may have been something that would put me off returning to a place, if it hadn't been for one thing- the wholly professional way they dealt with the issue. Our waitress immediately asked whether she should replace the whole dish, but as I wrote, Rosie had nearly finished her meal , so she declined. She then took offending brioche away and returned very promptly with the chef's apologies stating that the dish had been removed from our bill. The owner's charming wife then came out and offered her and her husband's apologies as well, stating how upset he had been by the mistake. And you know what, they were genuinely upset by what had happened. Aberrations happen as we know, but if they are dealt with by such professional staff, then hey ho. So we continued with a Sticky toffee pudding, with caramel sauce and sticky toffee pudding ice cream. Textbook stuff, moist and datey and I am sorry to say - a bit better than yours Basildog.

A mention of the staff - who were actually quite young, even the very impressive front of house chap, and who were knowledagble and efficient. A very good and reasonably priced find in area where, much to the locals chagrin, the influx of Londoners has seen a steady hike in property prices and one would have thought, food prices. The quality of the food on offer, is in my opinion, a few considerable notches above the more famous Hoste Arms, two doors down in the village, where we have had more recent meals. So will the incident above, stop us from going back to Fishes- absolutely not, we very much enjoyed the meal and look forward to returning later in the summer.

[Andy Lynes]

Bapi - thanks for this report, sounds like a good meal and that potential disaster was skillfully averted.

I met Matthew when I used to do the odd day in the kitchens of the Fifth Floor restaurant and if I remember correctly his wife was head chef of the cafe? (I could be wrong about that). I recall him as being a very good cook and a nice bloke to boot. What I definately remember is how amazed he was when I said that I had recognised him from the picture that had accompanied the Independent review of Stepping Stone restaurant in South London where he had been head chef some months before.

The explanantion of this seemingly amazing feat of memory was that, in the days before I got hooked on the internet, I used to buy the broadsheets and cut out the reviews. In fact, I still have about a dozen folders worth of cuttings from the papers, the Caterer and various magazines. Sad, obsessive old git? Moi?

[Basildog]

No need to apologise for finding a better Sticky Bapi.

[Basildog]

on 2nd thought, your barred!

[Bapi]

What ! Barred? Lickle ol' me? I was being kind to you Basil- actually to hell with it, your version was rubbish.

Andy- Just as long as you didn't plaster the photos all over your wall and light candles and joss sticks before praying in front of them. Well, then, I think we can forgive you.

[Suzi Edwards]

No need to apologise for finding a better Sticky Bapi.

←

What's a sticky Bapi? I'm having a strange mental image that I'm not sure is entirely healthy.

[slacker]

No need to apologise for finding a better Sticky Bapi.

←

What's a sticky Bapi? I'm having a strange mental image that I'm not sure is entirely healthy.

←

He's always sticky - haven't you noticed?

Whatever....

........nice review Bapi. I stayed at Burnham Overy Staithe what must be b years ago - one November. My lasting memory is not of twatty Londoners (do they exist (tongue-in-cheek-emoticon)), but of large fistfuls of peeled brown shrimp. These are the best prawn/shrimp/lobstery thingy I have EVER tasted.

:)

P.S. Do you think I'm a starling?

Edited for unclosed bracket, para 3.

Edited March 18, 2005 by slacker (log)

[Bapi]

We returned recently for a lunch. Sadly, it was not a good experience. My Hot Shellfish with garlic, chilli and parsley arrived, but without a hint of even a solitary crustacean anywhere. It was nothing but various molluscs; some mussels that were past their best and a very chewy razor clam. A poor start. My main course too, was sadly a let down. Langoustines should be sweet and flavoursome- these were cooked, just past their best. Charged at a supplement- but accompanied by nothing at all but aoili. The missus had skate, with brown shrimps and nut brown butter- but this too was sadly ruined by the addition of an overly sweet element in the butter. Service too, was very slow with only two people working the room. Finally, £9 for a two year old's portion of Fish and chips, albeit very good, is just taking the piss.