Sunday 9 February 2014

Sea food - yum!

Some of you may have heard some really interesting news on the grapevine - Bath has a new fish restaurant!
Now, this fish restaurant isn't any old chippy opening up. Oh no, it is run by the chef Martin Blunos and I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening night! (I will admit to being invited because of my husband but OMG I was so excited I even tried to sew a dress for the occasion, but that is a whole different tale.)
I have never been to a restaurant opening so wasn't sure what to expect and, by the end of the evening I was replete with fantastic and very fresh seafood. The restaurant itself is located underneath The County Hotel and ticks a lot of my personal boxes.
I really like the decor. There is grey and lime and chocolate. I am seriously in love with these colours. There is an accent of orange to add a bit of zing. I totally loved the circular seating and the small dining room containing three tables.
For those that are interested, there is a basket langoustine on the right hand table and they were truely delicious.
A selection of the tables near the kitchens provide a view of the fish counter, which was groaning under some amazing seafood. May I just say "oh! Oysters how I love thee".
I felt happy I could identify all the fish on the display unit.
I was also lucky enough to be able to view the kitchen but only from the door of course as I was wearing outdoor clothes.
Of course, the most important thing about a restaurant isn't the ambiance but the food. All evening I was lucky enough to sample fresh shucked oysters, mackerel soused in vodka, cherviche cod, caviar belinis, langoustine, goats cheese with anchovies and Parmesan crisps, tempura and some lovely, plump and delicious green olives and almonds washed down with champagne.
The restaurant ethos is simple - buy and serve the best fish of the day. In order to have the widest range of choice, book an earlier sitting as, as the fish is sold, the availability will change. This means that having dinner at 7 will provide a wider selection of dishes than sitting down for dinner at 9. This might a sound simple but this means that every diner will sit down to fish that is as fresh as possible and that it makes the best use of a special and very tasty resource.
I had a fabulous night, with excellent food and great company (which is what a meal is all about).
Blunos opens on 28 March and I look forward to eating there in future.

1 comment:

Miss Elle said...

Martin is a fabulous bloke, used to work with his son in H&B! Wish I could get over my fish fear to try this place out!