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The Seahorse Restaurant

Fish, Italian·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of The Seahorse Restaurant

Silver Award

“A fine example of a chef/patron restaurant” this well-liked seafood stalwart has the kind of warmth you might associate with a bedded-in eatery on an Italian backstreet – not a Devon waterfront. The interior, like the exterior, is bright and welcoming, as are the staff, who have been praised for being “equally welcoming to young and old alike”.

Proprietor Mitch Tonks has positioned himself as the natural successor to Rick Stein’s crown in the West Country, and he certainly knows all about “supremely fresh, brilliantly cooked fish”. An acclaimed restaurateur, chef and author, Tonks is as dedicated to providing the very best produce cooked to perfection each and every day at his Dartmouth quayside restaurant, which makes dining there a pleasure every time.

Much of the daily catch comes from nearby Brixham, and the kitchen treats its seasonal haul with due respect: scallops are roasted in the shell with white port and garlic; turbot is dressed simply with olive oil and lemon; John Dory is partnered by braised courgette, lemon and basil. Elsewhere, lemon sole, langoustines and red mullet are grilled over the fire, along with prime beef ribs and veal. In addition to the array of fresh seafood, the kitchen takes deliveries each week from markets in Milan and Paris, bringing produce such as baby artichokes from Brittany, Burrata from Andria in Puglia and Heirloom tomatoes grown in the UK.

Italy dominates when it comes to desserts such as scroppino (a frozen dessert-like cocktail), zabaglione and affogato espresso. The £20 three-course ‘locals menu’, available at lunchtimes and early evening,  offers terrific value, and the extensive fish-friendly wine list vigorously supports European vineyards. A few fine wines are available by the glass, for special occasions, and a good selection of cocktails, softs and spirits, including Joe’s Gin which is distilled on-site.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
Fish, Italian
Ambience
Cool, Cosy, Traditional, Widely spaced tables
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

About

An award-winning seafood restaurant from the mind of Mitch Tonks, you’ll find The Seahorse Restaurant sitting pretty on the South Embankment in Dartmouth. The menu here draws heavily on fire cooking and Italian cuisine, allowing the fish and seafood, which arrives fresh every day from small boats that dock just a few miles away, to really shine. It’s also driven by the tides, created on the day depending on the best produce and proteins available from local suppliers.

Though always subject to change, previous dishes on The Seahorse Restaurant menu have included charcoal-roasted Torbay scallops with garlic and white port, sea bass crudo with blood orange and hazelnuts, and tagliatelle with langoustine scampi and datterini tomatoes. And that’s just the starters. For the main course, The Seahorse offers options, ‘Today’s Seafood’ and ‘Today’s Meat’. From the former, expect the likes of Dover sole cooked on the bone, monkfish with romesco and a garlic cava dressing, and Spanish tina collar roasted with rosemary.

From the meat selection, all of it sources locally, think prime rib with a barolo wine sauce available for one or two people, and a duck breast dish with perea, roasted endive and porto sauce. Tonks is perhaps best known for his series of fish restaurants in Dartmouth and further afield, Rockfish. As a chef, he’s dedicated to changing the ways in which people experience seafood in the UK.

One way The Seahorse Restaurant contributes to this aim is by offering a reduced price ‘locals menu’ at lunchtimes so that great seafood can be accessed by all. Dishes on this menu are also available a la carte, and have previously included sardines prepared according to traditional Venetian techniques, brown shrimps with soft polenta, and main courses of middle white pork chop with sage and crisp fried whiting with tartare sauce.


FAQs

Is there a set lunch menu?

Yes. The restaurant serves an affordable set lunch menu every lunchtime between 12:00 and 2:24pm

Helpful? 0

Are there vegetarian optinos?

While there are meat-free starters, The restaurant isn't recommended for vegetarians.

Helpful? 0
Meet the team
The Seahorse Restaurant

Mitch Tonks

Chef Patron

Born in Weston-Super-Mare, Mitch Tonks has always had a connection with the sea with a childhood spent crabbing, fishing for eels and preparing simple seafood dishes with his grandma. His first project - a cleverly conceived restaurant cum fishmongers called FishWorks - became a national chain but it was a case of too much, too fast (a few remain but Tonks is no longer involved). He now runs the The Seahorsein Dartmouth - which is generally regarded as one of the best seafood restaurants in the UK - and the expanding RockFish chain, a modern take on a chippy.


The Seahorse Restaurant is featured in

Location

5 South Embankment, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9BH

01803 835147 01803 835147

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue 12:00-14:45
Wed 12:00-14:45
Thu 12:00-14:45
Fri 12:00-14:45
Sat 12:00-14:45
Sun Closed
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 18:00-20:00
Wed 18:00-20:00
Thu 18:00-20:00
Fri 18:00-20:00
Sat 18:00-20:00
Sun Closed

Reviews

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2 Reviews 

Burt O

24 April 2018  
Amazing.

Diana L

21 March 2018  
Simply the best food, setting and ambience. Best value set lunch going.
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01803 835147 01803 835147

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