The Seafood Restaurant

Rick and Jill Stein’s original venture, a small seafood bistro with red-checked tablecloths, is now a ‘first-division’ restaurant-with-rooms, a short walk from the centre of this busy fishing port. ‘We understand why the restaurant is a top tourist choice: it’s spectacular,’ say Guide inspectors. ‘The room is surrounded by banquettes and modern art, with a large, zinc-topped bar in the centre; the staff are well trained, observant, proactive. An extensive menu included delicious crisp-smoked mackerel, Cornish crab with a wakame-cucumber salad, enjoyable pan-fried monkfish with garlic and fennel. A soufflé dessert was light as a feather.’ Sleep in one of the seaside-inspired bedrooms afterwards – the best have a private roof terrace overlooking the estuary. ‘Ours had an entire wall lined with books, including old editions of the Poldark saga. The large bed had lots of pillows, a generous duvet; the bathroom was exceptional, with luxurious goodies, deep-pile towels and a freestanding bath for a gorgeous soak (shame the walk-in shower was a bit feeble).’ In the morning, rise and shine with ‘strong cafetière coffee; a fine buffet; a copious crab omelette’.