Modern Coastal Dining at The Jetty, Harbour Hotel, Padstow

The Jetty is Padstow’s Harbour Hotel’s gorgeous new restaurant, overlooking the Camel Estuary.

Celebrating Cornwall’s seafood and local produce, The Jetty’s menu offers a wide range of fish and other delights from the sea. This is alongside tantalising meat dishes and a varied and impressive vegan and vegetarian menu. Myself and my friend, Vicki, were invited to try the new offerings from The Jetty, and experience this special restaurant that lives within the Harbour Hotel, Padstow.

Harbour Hotel, Padstow

Padstow’s Harbour Hotel towers above the Camel Estuary. It can be found in a residential street on the edge of the small Cornish town, giving it that tucked away feel.

This Victorian hotel gives one nod after another to Padstow’s fishing town identity with it’s tasteful, coastal decor. Walking into the reception, the words, “quiet luxury” come to mind. Harbour Hotel is classy and smart but there’s something subtle and coy about it. If you visit for the food, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re staying, even better. A great deal of thought has been put into the wishes and needs of guests and visitors. There’s even wellies hanging up, readily available for guests to use.

The Jetty Restaurant

The Jetty was recently launched in the summer and has deservedly garnered a lot of attention. With Chef Patron, Alex Aitken, bringing elegant coastal dining experience to Padstow, you can sit back and relax with a cocktail, knowing you’re going to taste some spectacular seafood.

Decked out in subtle coastal themed or styled materials and fabrics, The Jetty is laid back and approachable. There’s no rush here, which is just as well. Gazing out to the estuary and harbour is something many of us could do for hours.

The Jetty’s menu is a delightful smorgasbord of seafood and local produce. There is no doubt that locally caught fish and seafood, coupled with contemporary flavours, is the star of the show. My friend, Vicki, is vegetarian and the meat free and vegan menu is equally tempting and plentiful.

The food

Let’s get down to business! The menu and food choices at The Jetty are fantastic. I found it quite hard to decide what to have; a testament to how many enticing choices there are. Aside from the dishes on the menu, there’s also the “catch of the day” to consider. The Jetty proudly use as much local produce as possible. Whatever we decided to eat, we knew it hadn’t travelled far. The wine selection is vast as well. We both decided to have a glass of Pinot Grigio to accompany our food.

To start, I decided to have the Grilled Mackerel and Crab. A mackerel fillet, saffron emulsion, potato, horseradish and crab salad. This is so delicious, I could’ve eaten it 3 times over. For a starter, the portion is generous but as fish and seafood is light, I didn’t find it too much.

Starters

For her meat free starter, Vicki had Pea, Mint and Broad Beans. This wonderfully bright dish came with a pea veloute and toasted sourdough. It looked amazing and Vicki really enjoyed it. I may have had a little nibble and it’s good. Apparently, the veggie and vegan menu changes regularly at The Jetty which I find quite exciting.

The main course

Choosing my main course took a bit of deliberation. For me, it was a toss up between the Wing of Skate or the Roasted Monkfish. I opted for the latter. The monkfish is served with grilled prawns and calamari, grilled courgette and a haricot bean sauce (I’m a sucker for beans). The monkfish was plump and meaty and it proved to be the warming dish I needed.

Vicki had the Vegan Potato Gnocchi, plated up with sauteed wild mushrooms, spinach, soy cream and crispy shallots. There’s something about gnocchi that is just so comforting; it’s proper autumnal food. I had a taste of Vicki’s main course and it is yummy. She enjoyed every mouthful.

For dessert…

For dessert, I was once more torn between 2 dishes. I quite fancied the Apple and Rhubarb Strudel but thought I’d try something different. This led to me ordering the Iced Coffee Parfait, candied hazelnut and malt crumb. It’s a relatively light, refreshing dessert. The coffee is flavoursome but not overbearing. It’s deliciously creamy.

Vicki had The Jetty’s Dark Chocolate Tart, milk chocolate tuille and pistachio ice cream. This is a chocolate lover’s dream, even the pastry was chocolate. The tart itself is like velvet – just so good.

We had a great time at The Jetty. Not only was the food incredible, staff were thoughtful and attentive. Myself and Vicki would highly recommend it – a truly special dining experience.

You can browse the latest menus and The Jetty at Padstow here.

We were invited to dine at The Jetty in Padstow but the views here are my own. I liked it so much, I’ve booked my next visit!