As much as we loved our dining experience at the Seafood Restaurant, the clear winner was Rick Stein's Fish and Chips. We ate at the SF&C several times while were in Padstow. The seafood is either fresh or super-duper fresh, nothing is frozen. I envy the local people who have this utter gem in their neighbourhood.
There is always a long queue for the takeaway section and the dine-in option. Despite it's popularity, there is only a few tables in the dine-in section (no bookings taken). But this doesn't put off anyone from going because the food is just so fresh and tasty.
We opted for the takeaway on all occasions, simply because the takeaway line moved quicker. We had...
...grilled scallops, which were very plump. It had a nice crispy grilled outer, and the middle was just cooked perfectly. Gorgeous sweet flavour.
...grilled sea bream and chips. This was my favourite. Fresh fillets of fish, with succulent flakes. Perfectly grilled - I could just eat this all day. The chips are nice and chunky. Five stars.
...deep fried hake and chips. This was one of the 'specials' for a particular day. I forgot to ask for it to be grilled. It had a thinnish batter case. The hake was so fresh that you could taste the difference between the other non-specials fish. It really did taste like it was just caught that morning. The only minor comment was that they didn't scale the fish. But this was a minor thing to bear given the opportunity to eat such fresh fish.
...natural oysters. Medium-sized, plump and fresh.
...and deep-fried squid. Tender and tasty squid rings. I liked the fact that the batter was quite a light one, which allowed you to taste the subtle taste of the squid.
Overall
Love, love, love SF&C! If you love seafood, then go to this place. If you hate seafood, then go to this place and get converted!
A quick, fresh and tasty meal. I loved the fact that it was so convenient to eat fresh seafood (something that can't be said of London). One of the best meals I've ever had.
Address
Stein's Fish and Chips
South Quay
Padstow, Cornwall
I expected this of Rick Stein and it's so glad to hear he delivers. His F&S shop is definitely on my list for my next trip to Cornwall ... and a stay in one of his hotels and a trip to his cooking school.
ReplyDeleteMr Stein does deliver! I also wanted to stay in his b&b, but they're a bit pricey for me. We stayed a local b&b that came with an amazing breakfast each morning. They definitely know how to make and eat good food in Cornwall.
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