Storm Fish

David Joseph C. ( 20s, Male, London )

Neatly tucked away off the beaten track, behind the Poole marina and out of view from Pizza Express, Storm is a small rustic empire of freshly caught fish (and Italian CDs), owned by Pete Miles, a local fisherman who runs the ship along with his wife, Frances.

Both Pete and Frances ensure that the daily menu is never the same, changing according to the fresh fish available, making each dish and each visit an individual experience.

As Lucio Battisti crooned over a crackling radio, I guzzled down the half dozen Irish oysters with red onion and thyme red wine vinegar (£6.00), while listening to music that took on a form of Gipsy King rendition. This was by all accounts, my first experience of an oyster, the plump and silky, and I have to say it, slimy meat from the shell, agreeing with me.

My service waiter was dressed in black and of Medearian decent. He welcomed me and my Pa upon arrival and sat us down immediately with a wine list in my hand. So far so good. I pursued the menu. The selection was limited but fine for lunch. A carefully chosen roster with good European variety in both red and white categories.

As the bustle of a seaside town weaved its way through the sea air streets and into the restaurant, we saw less of our charismatic waiter, who dashed from table to table, seating new customers and wiping down surfaces.

My main complimented my starter nicely, the fresh baked fillet of Cod served with Welsh rarebit topping on mash and wilted greens (£8.50), was washed down by glasses (my father and I managed a lunch-time bottle) of crisp Sauvignon blanc, a light and crispy cold white, and less complex than many, that matches heavenly with fish, and particularly this dish.

Fine wine, food freshly caught and presented on the plate, and very reasonably priced, the beaten faux rusticity, yet entirely modern location is at current, a hidden gem in the back alleys of a small Dorset fishing town, though it will not remain this way for long.