I am going to put this simply- Seafood and shellfish is at its best here. Fish Kitchen is the more casual offering of Nathan’s restaurants, but this in no way takes away from the quality and level of cookery. At this point I do not want to go home, imagining myself coming to this place every week and having super fresh top products within easy reach, something that is so hard to get when you are not that close to the sea. I envy the locals; they are incredibly lucky to have this all to themselves. At first, I was thinking, oh no, not another set menu… Another place telling us what we will be eating without any choice. But in all fairness, I thought this one worked, even with the prepayment (Which I can tell you, I am not a fan of and tend to avoid this everywhere in the world where it can be avoided.) There are always a few exceptions from my side but not that many. Because it was Nathan, I said ok let’s try.
The restaurant is a charming little place, a 15th century fisherman’s cottage on the Harbourside. You feel well in here, the décor is fitting and it’s cosy. The idea is, there are several sharing plates that come out one by one, all depending on the local growers, the sea, and fishermen, they dictate the daily menu. The first dish to arrive was crispy squid and olive oil mayonnaise. Indeed, it was the crispiest and tastiest calamari style plate I have eaten in a long time. So addictively moreish but you could see the skill here in such a simple plate of food that needs to be bang on. The squid showed not an ounce of toughness, the mayonnaise silky and perfectly balanced, and the seasoning exactly right too.
Next the pepper cured monkfish, cucumber and mustard and the wonderful Port Isaac lobster cocktail, basil, and orange. So light, so fresh from the sea, this is exactly how one should eat these wonderful products. I couldn’t overly taste the mustard which for me is a good thing.
Take an exceptionally good scallop, prepare it well and pop it back into its shell cooked with chilli, coriander, and ginger butter. This is what we have here, it was divine… Rich in butter (But not too rich) Cooked perfectly yet served piping hot with the centre still soft, the scallop brimming with flavour. So simple to do but not so easy to get right.
The next impressive dish was the mackerel, with mushroom and lime. My guest is super fussy with this fish and had nothing but good things to say, and I agreed, it was excellent. The product did speak for itself, you only have a couple of things on the plate here, it is all about having superior products, cooking them well and not overshadowing them, fish is meant to be uncomplicated after all. Normally with mackerel it leaves a lot to be desired when in the wrong hands, or when the product is not the best but here you could really taste it, and it was perfectly executed. I won’t forget this one.
The main event to end this glorious fish feast was the whole John Dory with oregano, garlic, and lemon dressing. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the best dish of the night, the fish was naturally meaty but was slightly slightly over, still pleasant though served with salad and potatoes. The dishes before this wowed us, more of these smaller plates would have been most welcome instead.
Before we left, we had something sweet (Vanilla cream, blackberry, and cinnamon.) I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing, I ate half, thinking of my weight and all that… But it was spot on with the cream giving the right amount of sweetness that I prefer, offset with the crumb and blackberries. It was dangerously delicious.
If this were on my doorstep, I would come all the time, I just love the taste of fresh fish and shellfish (Who doesn’t?) And eating it with the sea view outside makes sense. Nathan and his team know exactly what they are doing and that is bringing out the best in everything they are serving. I wish I were here.
