heaven - Hotel Tresanton

foodie
Lunch Special
Starter
~ cucumber,
Watermelon, borage,
prosecco
A little bit of
Main
Lobster risotto, ~
mussels, sea bass
Desert
Chocolate and~vodka parfait,
expresso ice cream, hazelnuts
2 courses and a glass of house wine £23
3 courses and a glass of house wine £27
XX CORNWALL LIVING | FOODIE
HEAVEN
Amazing food, stunning views and wonderful service.
A
birthday treat for middle son (C)
meant an all too rare trip across to St
Mawes and lunch at the Tresanton. I
hadn’t been for years but had recently heard
excellent reports.
The journey across on the ferry is all part
of the outing, and it was lovely just being
out on the water. A stroll down to the stylish
Idle Rocks for coffee on the balcony with
huge pots of lavender full of bumble bees,
and that view: sparkling seas, lots of boats
around – the working boats all getting
ready to go out for a Saturday
afternoon race. Oh and the
quiet! There were plenty
of people around, but
it was quiet: just a
peaceful murmur of
voices and the sea,
it stayed like that
all day.
A slow meander
up the hill to the
Tresanton, admiring
the pretty cottages and
stopping to take in the
views. I was dismayed to
hear that it was C’s first trip
to St Mawes (bad parenting!) – but he loved it
instantly. And that went up several notches
when we got to the Tresanton. Even I had
forgotten just how gorgeous the hotel is. We
chose to sit outside on the fabulous terrace
and could have been in the south of France!
A bottle of cold water arrived, we chose a
deliciously crisp Sicilian white wine, which
came with some homemade bread and little
dishes of some of the best olive oil I’ve tasted.
In fact we thought it was infused with chilli
– but our lovely waiter told us that it was just
the taste of really good fresh olive oil, slightly
peppery and slightly cloudy. We demolished
the lot! I chose the lunch special – all three
courses (see box), and C ordered: Foie gras
parfait, apple chutney, and sourdough to
start, then the linguine with clams, chilli, and
garlic as a main. The watermelon starter was
refreshing and delicious and an idea I shall
pinch to serve at home. C’s parfait was served
on lightly toasted sourdough, which provided
the perfect crisp texture to the smooth
richness of the parfait. We were in heaven.
Service was just right – it really isn’t the
sort of place you want to be rushed through
your courses. The terrace was full, the sun hot
and the sea still sparkling with the full fleet
é ABOVE
Fantastic views
from the terrace
ì TOP
RIGHT
Delicious
lobster risotto
of working boats a particular treat. The main
courses were wonderful, the linguine and
risotto perfectly al dente. The pasta looked
and tasted like a plateful of summer with
lots of clams in their shells. My sea bass was
beautifully cooked with a delicious crispy
skin; the slightly sticky risotto was full of
flavour and beautifully complimented the fish
and mussels.
The desert was just the right mix of
chocolate and coffee flavours, the parfait
had a shell of rich dark chocolate and there
was enough vodka in it to notice without
overpowering the other flavours. Our waiter
kindly brought two spoons!
The terrace was busy and no one seemed
keen to leave. We arrived at 1.30 and left
around 4pm – and had a truly wonderful
relaxing time with fabulous food. The
Tresanton will definitely be on our list of
favourite places for lunch.
HOTEL TRESANTON
St Mawes TR2 5DR
01326 270055
[email protected]
www.tresanton.com
Find out more online: www.cornwall-living.co.uk
All images courtesy of Hotel Tresanton, copyright ©
CORNWALL LIVING | FOODIE XX