Oh Cornwall what have you done to me. I was all happy with my recent discovery of Wales and thought no other place could contend – yet I’ve fallen in love all over again. Visiting the coastline of the UK is something I don’t usually do and having lived here all my life – this was the first time for me in Cornwall and it most certainly won’t be the last. Not only were we blessed with beautiful surroundings, but in one of its most prettiest spots – Fistral Beach. A surfers paradise with a secluded golden coast and clear blue waters. It’s picture perfect.
We were staying at one of the bays best hotels too, Fistral Beach Hotel and Spa – home to the wonderful Dune Restaurant. The dining room is perched on the edge of the cliffs looking out over the sea at all the surfers riding the many waves. Pre-dinner we took up cocktails in the Bay Bar first which were a real highlight. The guys here know exactly what they’re doing and don’t hold back on the spirit measures. A firm favourite was the cucumber and basil gimlet. A gorgeous medley of Plymouth gin, lime, sugar and the obvious – cucumber & basil. The perfect drink for a sunny day like we were lucky enough to enjoy.
Food wise there’s a big focus on seafood given proximity to the coast and it comes through in the dishes. The menu changes regularly along with the wine list and is all sourced as locally as possible. Expect local Cornish seafood, fruit, vegetables and even wine. Our starters were a great homage to locality with a fresh and vibrant treacle cured salmon and bowl filled to the brim with fresh pan-fried squid, garlic, chorizo and coriander. The sort of dishes which remind you with every bite that the sea is within eyes view.
Main courses were just as delicious. Huge quantities of fresh, perfectly cooked food. Star dish of the whole evening was the pan roasted John Dory, clams, samphire, chorizo and dash of white wine. Lots of flavour, the fish was well cooked and the oil from the chorizo was seeping into the crevices of the fish skin giving it all a lovely sweet smokiness. Special of the day was a gargantuan t-bone steak with a huge pile of fries, salad and roasted tomatoe. The meat had a great flavour and was very well-seasoned but cooked every so slightly over my requested medium-rare. Thankfully the quality of it meant it still cut through like butter.
And then there was dessert. Two beautifully created sweet treats of pure heaven. The Summer berry Eton mess was a lovely nostalgic treat, full to the brim with sponge, cream, more cream and ripe red strawberries. The real highlight of the dessert offering however was the classic sticky toffee pudding. If any of you know me well you’ll have probably heard of my obsession with it and the example here makes its way into my top 10 discoveries. Perfectly cooked sponge with a rich, but not too thick toffee sauce and just the right amount of it. The dollop of Cornish clotted cream was a great accompaniment too.
Overall we had such a lovely evening at Dune Restaurant. It isn’t going to be the best meal you’ll ever have, but it may be the best on Fistral Beach and for the reason it should be the go to place for anyone visiting this area of Cornwall. With a beautiful dining room, delicious cocktails, affordable pricing, magnificent wine list and fresh seafood – this restaurant really is a wonderful taste of Cornwall.
