MOR

Not many restaurants boast a backdrop like MOR’s. The jewel in the Carbis Bay Estate crown, it sits directly alongside the beach cabins that hosted world leaders for the G7. Step inside and your gaze is pulled straight to the front, where floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows frame the sweeping Cornish bay.

There’s something hypnotic about watching teal Atlantic waves churn into the beach, and we’d recommend extending your time here with a pre-dinner tipple. The cocktails offer the first hint of the obsessive care baked into everything here: a mix of tonka-infused tequila, mezcal, coconut, spiced pineapple and jalapeño lands like a grown-up Piña Colada, transporting us down to the golden sand down below, where late evening shadows are starting to form.

An open fire flickers between the bar and the dining room. Sweep past the heavy curtain and the space opens up to reveal more stunning coastal vistas, a bustling open kitchen, and fabric billowing from the ceiling like soft swells. Staff glide between tables in sharp mocha worker jackets. Again, MOR is all about the little touches: once you’ve ordered, a smiling server brings over a tray of custom nautical chopstick rests - our choice was a rather handsome octopus.

Tom Sellers and Tom Anglesea have assembled a menu that, naturally, showcases exceptional local seafood, but also has a playful side. Purists can get a perfectly cooked piece of fish, but Anglesea really gets to showcase his skill with a heavy Asian influence. Flame-licked octopus skewers come drenched in a sweet, sticky tare glaze, as does a John Dory chop - the latter paired with a smart, nori-layered potato terrine. There’s also a scallop the size of a tennis ball, dressed in foaming roasted chilli butter, on a bed of blisteringly umami dried scallop XO. It’s thrilling stuff.

Desserts finish things on a high: a comforting plum crumble, and a silky date custard tart paying homage to legendary Aussie chef Neil Perry. Top-tier cooking, warm service and one of the most alluring settings in the country - MOR is another massive win for Sellers, who is rapidly proving to be one of Britain's most reliable restaurateurs.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers returns to Cornwall with the launch of MOR, an ambitious new restaurant set high above the white-sand sweep of Carbis Bay. Taking its name from the Cornish word for sea, MOR marks the next chapter for Sellers’ HiStory Hospitality group and a long-anticipated follow-up to his celebrated 2019 pop-up, Story by the Sea.

Firmly rooted in its coastal surroundings, MOR is conceived as an exploration of Cornwall’s rhythm, seasons and wild abundance. The menu is anchored by an impressive raw bar and charcoal grill, spotlighting the region’s finest produce - think hand-dived scallops, day-boat fish, ex-dairy beef, and vegetables grown specifically for the restaurant in its own on-site kitchen garden. Expect precision craftsmanship across dishes such as Cornish crab with steamed milk buns and garden lettuces, Nori-wrapped day-boat mackerel escabeche with English wasabi, and a Cornish clotted-cream soft-serve served with jasmine rice, salted caramel and horseradish.

Sellers’ trademark storytelling informs every detail, but MOR is equally defined by its sense of place. Designer Shayne Brady of Studio Shayne Brady has crafted a serene, contemporary sanctuary where Japanese Shinto influences meet Cornish Celtic mysticism. Natural stone, wood and sheer fabrics frame organic forms, while floor-to-ceiling windows blur the boundary between dining room and seascape. An intimate 14-seat private dining room and a sculptural cocktail bar elevate the experience further.

For Sellers, MOR is an attempt to bottle the magic of Cornwall - a place where sea, land and story converge. Carbis Bay Estate owner Stephen Baker calls the project a homecoming for a chef whose 2019 residency left an indelible mark, and believes MOR will cement the estate as one of the UK’s most compelling luxury dining destinations.