Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 01208-841259;
www.stkewinn.co.uk
; St Kew; mains £8-16; 11am-3pm & 6-11pm)
The best pub grub
hereabouts can be found in the village of St Kew, about 6 miles drive east of Polzeath and
Rock. It looks rustic, with a 16th-century stone exterior and an interior full of beams and
flagstones - but the food's bistro standard, from sardines to minute steak. The beer
garden's lovely, too.
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw
( 01208-862737;
www.nathan-outlaw.com
; Rock Rd, Rock; tasting menu £99; dinner 7-9pm Tue-Sat)
Since
graduating from chef Rick Stein's shadow, seafood specialist Nathan Outlaw has earned
himself a national reputation and two shiny Michelin stars - the only chef in Cornwall to
do so. There's a choice of two Outlaw venues: foodies favour the exclusive (and expens-
ive) Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, while the more relaxed
Seafood & Grill
(mains £16-25; lunch
noon-2.30pm, dinner 6-9.30pm)
serves similar quality seafood at (slightly) more affordable prices.
Nathan's style is surprisingly classic, and relies on the quality of the seafood rather than
cheffy tricks to provide the fireworks. Both restaurants are at the St Enodoc Hotel.
SEAFOOD
£££
TOP OF CHAPTER
Padstow
POP 3162
If there's one town that's synonymous with Cornwall's recent renaissance, it's Padstow,
the undisputed capital of Cornwall's culinary scene, thanks to the efforts of one man -
celebrity chef, TV star and local-food champion Rick Stein, who set up his first bistro
here in 1975 and has gone on to create his own miniature gastronomic empire.
Since his arrival Padstow has become one of Cornwall's most cosmopolitan corners,
with a profusion of posh boutiques and upmarket eateries rubbing shoulders with the old
pubs, pasty shops and lobster boats clustered around the town's old quay. The 'Stein Ef-
fect' has certainly transformed the place: Padstow feels more Kensington-chic than
Cornish-quaint these days, and not everyone's enamoured of the change.
Whether the town's managed to hold on to its soul in the process is debatable, but it's
still hard not to be charmed by the setting - especially outside summer, when the quayside
throngs have thinned.
