I took the olds for lunch at Fifteen in East London a few years back so thought I’d check out it’s little sister / big brother in Watergate Bay, Cornwall. This is one of my favourite spots in the UK, photos included to show why, which is a good start to the experiences. It’s a tiny bay, with everything you need to eat, drink, sleep and surf within 100m.

After a full explanation from our efficient and friendly waitress, we opted for the 5 course taster menu. There was also a 7 course menu for those with a bigger belly than mine. You could choose to have each course paired with a different wine, but we opted for a bottle of Brokenwood Cricket Pitch. Two factors influenced this decision. I was with an ex-professional cricketer and I like sauvignon blanc. A light wine, very easy to knock back (that’s as technical as my wine descriptions get).

Olives and bread were a pre first course course. First up was ‘Newlina’s ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers’. Otherwise known as, deep fried courgette stuffed with ricotta. A small, tasty bite but nothing to write home about.

The next course was a choice of venison carpaccio or prosciutto with melon and hazelnuts. We ordered one of each. The carpaccio was fresh, clean and delicate with a peppery edge from the rocket. The prosciutto was delicious and the melon fresh and juicy (Sicilian apparently). A great start. Both were good, but my vote went to the prosciutto.

Next up was raviolo of lobster or potato gnocchi. Again we ordered both and shared. This time the winner was the gnocchi, a surprising victor, we had assumed the locally sourced lobster would romp home, but it was just a little rich for us.

The forth course was either lamb loin or crispy seabass fillet. If you had opted for the 7 course menu, you would have been served both! Despite seabass being one of my favourite ever fishies, the lamb just trumped it. Melt in your mouth succulent slices of pink Bre Pen Farm lamb loin with lentils, wild mushroom and lardo. Delicious.

Last course (well apart from the after dinner chocolates), was either a cheese board or a super rich flourless dark chocolate torta with cherries. I love a cheese board and this one was no exception but didn’t find any of the cheeses that distinct in flavor or particularly strong, I hoped one of the four would have been. The torta won this final battle.

Being more a regular at canteens and BYO restaurants in East London, a dinner that lasted the whole evening was novel. A memorable and thoroughly enjoyable evening. Due to the location, an extra bonus for me was that you could rock up with wet hair, shorts, flip flops and no make-up and not feel out of place! Beautiful sunset too!

Why not check out Fifteen in East London with TableCrowd on 26th September hosted by Jay of our Fine, Wine and Dine crowd? Details here.