Review: Shore, Penzance

Let me tell you about Penzance and St Ives, the two towns on the edge of the Land’s End peninsula (or Penwith, as it’s more properly called). One of these towns has winding cobbled lanes absolutely stacked with lovely shops, galleries and cafes, many of which wouldn’t look out of place in Bath or Brighton. It has a pair of beautiful sandy beaches. It has a renowned modern art gallery and the garden studio of Barbara Hepworth. The other town has a handful of serious granite-clad buildings, a town centre looking kinda down-at-heel and missing quite a few shops. It has a harbour and a couple of rather sad hotels on the promenade.

The first town is St Ives, the second is Penzance. But Penzance has one thing that ought to make its chocolate box neighbour jealous: Penzance has Shore.

Chef Bruce Rennie’s restaurant has 24 covers, which is actually mighty impressive given that he works alone in the kitchen. This explains why the menu is a fixed five courses, and why only one of them is hot. I have to admit that I did notice that simplicity. Doesn’t matter though, this is a £60 menu that showcases fantastic produce and a lot of skill and inspiration.

There is a cup of hot umami broth to start us off, along with squid ink crackers and a roll of nutty dark bread with sesame oil to dip in. The first dish is a dark ruby jewel, a little bowl filled with diced sea bream stained burgundy by a beetroot cure. Like a sort of English market garden ceviche.

Next up is surely a signature dish. Beautiful piece of local mackerel, cured everso gently so that it picks up a slightly sweet flavour, has slightly sturdy flesh, but is still magically translucent with the oily fish flavours not at all covered by vinegars. The bright wasabi sorbet quenelle on top is perfect with it, the radish heat tempered but the flavour still distinct.

Next up, picked crab in a lovely gazpacho-y cold tomato soup with perfect little flavour-bombs of tiny whole heritage tomatoes. And so to the main course: Mr Pollack. He had been roasted to a beautifully slippery softness, but with a surface seared to a really nicely bitter-sweet black. There was a really deeply flavoured green miso broth with him, and some simple green beans. It all came together beautifully.

Dessert was an eyecatching ring of velvety red, filled with a sturdy almondy baked cream (or something!). I must admit, the lovely local strawberries, vivid basil sorbet and lush vanilla cream impressed my taste buds a lot more. The dish as a whole, very pretty.

Shore is an excellent high end seafood restaurant, and if you are coming to Cornwall you should take the trouble to dine here. It’s £60 and the cooking is flawless. The wine pairing was well thought out and for a reasonable £38 we enjoyed every one. And then of course you’ve got the stunning views of the Lands End peninsula on your doorstep…