Home to a truly stunning dining room, Idle Rocks Restaurant (part of a hotel of the same name) is situated in St. Mawes, boasting a long and varied history, having first been built in 1913. The restaurant is hardly showing its age though - the dining room takes advantage of the coastal views with large floor to ceiling windows, while dark wood tables, vases full of fresh flowers and studded high back chairs upholstered in bold colours set a luxurious tone.
Idle Rocks Restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, while the kitchen here is overseen by executive head chef Dorian Janmaat, who aims for his menu to be a celebration of Cornwall, thanks to the regular use of fresh local produce and strong relationships with the area’s wealth of suppliers. During the spring and summer seasons, the restaurant’s outdoor terrace comes alive for alfresco lunches, when you might find the likes of wild garlic soup with pine nut crisps and parmesan emulsion, followed by hen’s egg and spinach ravioli, then rounded off with white chocolate cremeux, pear and apple sorbet for pudding.
Dinners meanwhile can be enjoyed inside the cosy dining room, with dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus available alongside the regular a la carte. Start with the likes of lightly cured sea bream with grapefruit and yuzu granite, before moving on to main courses such as Devonshire duck breast with plum ketchup or curried monkfish with coconut dahl and kaffir lime. To finish up, choose from Idle Rock’s tempting selection of puddings - think a slice of coconut cheesecake or a Cornish strawberry ice cream sandwich.
If you are looking to celebrate, you will find a list of Champagnes to choose from, while a selection of globally inspired wines is also available, one which champions small producers who use sustainable practises.