Superb sushi and funky fusion - D'FLY Cheltenham

Here at SeafoodShack we cover great seafood all over the world. This week, however, I am delighted to report on a new find very close to home - D'FLY in Cheltenham. This imaginative venue has developed during 2009 to offer a marvellous array of food including Thai, Asian and Fusion styles as well as modern British. However, as a seafood junkie it was the sushi menu that caught my eye. The team of chefs seems to be getting more impressive by the minute, with a sushi specialist from Monte Carlo now joined by Dale Lepperts, lately the Executive Chef at Cowley Manor.

We visited on a Saturday night, and the joint was indeed jumping. The bar area was buzzing with both happy folk on a night out and beats mixed for the occasion. At the other end of the space, the restaurant was pretty full too and I think we were lucky to get a table. Equipped with a pint of Budvar and a glass of unoaked Chardonnay, we tackled the mixed nigiri/sashimi/maki platter as a starter. It was first class, with choice salmon, tuna and a white fish nigiri (4) and sashimi (3 x 3 slices - thickly cut and excellent). 6 tuna maki rolls completed the platter, which was beautifully served with wasabi, ginger and a small carafe of soy sauce.

We went for Asian main courses - my beef rendang was really good, the best I've had outside Asia for some time with plenty of spice and star anise flavour. Coconut rice proved a splendid accompaniment. Jenny went for the Singapore Laksa soup as a main course was pretty authentic too, great colour and taste. (She said she could use more chilli heat, but regular readers will know this may say more about her than the food!)

D'Fly are now having music on several evenings a week (latin guitar on Wednesdays, jazz sax on Thursdays, folk and soul on Fridays) along with weekend beats, a jazz jam on the first Sunday of the month and more gigs to come. Well worth a visit or two. Also try the Sushi Club - their top ten sushi dishes for £3 each Tuesday - Thursday 6pm - 10pm.

D'FLY, 1a Crescent Place, Cheltenham GL50 3NX, Tel 01242 246060, www.dflycheltenham.co.uk

Delicious tapas - Browns Hotel, Dartmouth

During our recent Devon visit we had an evening to spare. Having had excellent dinners, breakfasts and lunches for some time, we weren't really feeling up to another full blow-out, and were wondering what to do. Then we struck lucky at Browns.

This is a boutique hotel just set back a couple of hundred yards from the busy front at Dartmouth. The restaurant is certainly stylish, with interestingly modern furniture and decor. Perusing the menu we tucked into a plate of green padron peppers - fried and salted - which were a new find for me. About one in ten is really hot, so there's an element of russion roulette about popping one into your mouth!

Two starters seemed like the way to go - all the started looked very interesting. Jen had a mixed tapas platter, for which this place is justifiably famous - grilled chorizo, salami, machego, anchovies, hummus, tara, olives... what's not to like? I had a plate of local marsh samphire (a real find these days) with poached egg and caper dressing - very tasty.

We followed up with squid, pan fried with a caper, lemon and harissa dressing. This was really first-rate, delicious juices to be mopped up with bread, tasty, and a fine way with squid. I washed it a bottle of West Country Ales' Shingle Bay, a light-ish and well hopped brew. A splendid way to end our trip. Browns Hotel and Restaurant, 27-29 Victoria Rd Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9RT Tel: (+44) 01803 832572 http://www.brownshoteldartmouth.co.uk/

Distant Devon delights - The Anchorstone Cafe, Dittisham

This is the story of a seafood platter. Not just any seafood platter, but the seafood platter from the Anchorstone Cafe, Dittisham. This may perhaps be the hardest seafood platter to get in the whole world...

During our visit to Dartmouth (see the previous post on Mitch Tonks' Seahorse restaurant) we had a nice lazy day exploring the area. One option is to take the little ferry up the river Dart to the village of Dittisham. Small red and yellow ferry boats - maximum capacity 12 persons - leave from the Dartmouth Town Steps jetty every half hour or so, and the roughly three miles (along the river) trip takes 20-25 minutes depending on the tide.

Arriving in Dittisham, what strikes you is firstly the beauty of the spot (Agatha Christie's Greenway mansion is just across the river, which plays host to millions of pounds worth of yacht), and second just how remote it is. I am assured that it IS possible to drive there - but the roads are utterly narrow, hedges give zero visibility and the jetty, pub and the cafe at at the bottom of a very steep hill. Boat is much the easiest option. Then you have to get a table.

I phoned the Anchorstone in advance, who do take bookings but only for 12 noon sharp! We were there bang on time and were rewarded with a very choice table overlooking the river, so it was well worth the effort. The menu features various interesting looking seafood options which change daily, often including fresh Start Bay crab salad. However, we went for their seafood platter...and what a platter it is. Ready?

Shell-on prawns, smoked salmon, fresh dressed crab, rollmop herrings, peeled salad prawns, an oyster, smoked mackerel, anchovy fillets, salad leaves, cous cous, tomato and cucumber, potato salad, red cabbage coleslaw, marie-rose sauce, brown bread and butter - and then freshly fried crispy calamari arrived a few moments later to complete the deal. £14.95, but very well spent. A nice pint of cold Peroni lager, a sunny lunchtime, wonderful scenery... ah, the essence of SeafoodShack.

The Anchorstone Cafe, Manor Street, Dittisham, Dartmouth TQ6 0EX Tel: 01803 722365 No website but try http://tinyurl.com/mbo46o.

Arresting arosto – The Seahorse, Dartmouth

Our quick summer trip in search of good UK seafood led this year to Dartmouth in Devon. With the dramatically picturesque Dart valley carrying the season’s rainfall from Dartmouth through the steep-sided landscape, this has been a seaport since time immemorial – Walter Raleigh was a visitor, and the Royal Navy still trains its officers at Britannia Naval College which overlooks the bustling town centre.

Commodore of the clams is seafood entrepreneur Mitch Tonks, formerly to be found at the helm of fish shop/restaurant chain Fish Works. Tonks has taken a back-to-basics approach with his new Seahorse restaurant, with char-grilled fish as the house speciality. We arrived to find the restaurant completely fully booked on a Wednesday, so he’s clearly doing something right. Fortunately we had a table reserved, and enjoyed a glass of champagne with smoked cod roe and butter – slightly taramasalata-ish with some nice bread while we perused the menu.

Bright young maitre-d Ed showed us the days selection of fish, including some nice-looking queen scallops which would be grilled on the shell with breadcrumbs. Six of those to share then, with shrimps on toast for me and linguini with lobster, chilli and parsley for Jen. The scallops were excellent, very hot from the grill and just perfectly done. My shrimps on toast were also lovely, the delicate flavour complemented by plenty of butter. The linguini was perhaps a touch short on chilli according to my companion, but as she like chilli sauce with everything this may or may not be am observation of general relevance. We washed it all down with a bottle of slightly upmarket Nocolas Choblet Signature Muscadet, which was very dry (of course) and also had enough flavour to go well with everything (a nice surprise).

Mains – well, it has to be fish. I picked the arosto misto selection of char-grilled fish, the signature dish, while Jen had fritto misto (fried fish). My arosto was top-notch, the selection of fish including monkfish, squid and sea bass, cooked beautifully with herbs and olive oil. The fish was a great combination of different textures, and was very tasty indeed. The fritto misto featured gurnard alongside the other fish, and was similarly good. Sides of chips and salad went down well. Keeping on, we shared a cheese plate (including some wonderfully well-chosen tasty Gruyere, a very pleasant surprise) and a couple of glasses of port.

The Seahorse is clearly competing with John Burton Race’s New Angel which is just a couple of doors down. Tonks has priced his establishment very well indeed – quite a bargain, not much more that one might pay in an average restaurant for what is really top-quality fare. No wonder it was full. Book early – and, if you’ve any sense, book often. The Seahorse Restaurant, 5 South Embankment, Dartmouth TQ6 9BH, Tel: 01803 835147, http://www.seahorserestaurant.co.uk/.

Icelandic lobster - Rauða Húsið, Eyrarbakki

Continuing our Icelandic trip along the South Coast, Jenny and I came across the twin sea-side town of Eyrarbakki. This place was once the main trading post along the south coast of Iceland, and has a long heritage of fishing. The trading element has long since passed onwards to more modern ports, but the town itself is still clinging to the edge of the island. We were in search of local lobster and, having failed to get in at the better-known Við fjöruborðið in Stokkseyri we wound up at the Rauða Húsið.

Even though it was a busy holiday weekend we were quickly seated by one of the efficient team of young waitresses. Starters - what's it to be? I avoided an invidious choice by having the starter selection - a taste of lobster soup (very rich), tempura langoustine tails and chicken liver pate. A bottle of cold Thule beer from the northern town of Akureyri washed it down very nicely.

The lobster here seem to grow rather smaller than the ones we see from Maine - perhaps better described as large langoustine. One never sees the front part of the creature at all - it's just the tails that appear. The local Icelandic style is to split the tail shell and draw the meat over the shell - which is then grilled. It looks a little odd at first sight, but is very effective! We both opted for a large plate, served with garlic butter on chopped lettuce - this worked very well indeed, with the hot butter wilting the lettuce and making a nice yet rich background to the lobster tails. And as we had 9 or 10 each, that's plenty of meat!

Rauða Húsið, Búðarstíg 4, 820 Eyrarbakka, Iceland Tel +354 483 3330 www.raudahusid.is.

A rising star in Reykjavik - Hrefna Rósa Sætran and Fish Market

Quite a backlog of interesting seafood places to report on during the past couple of months, and I am very exciting to start with a remarkably excellent restaurant in Rejkjavik, Iceland. The Icelandic Kronor having collapsed in recent months, the country is even more accessible to tourists and we've been up there sampling the marvellous landscapes and eating the wildlife - in this case fish.

Fish Market is run by head chef Hrefna Rósa Sætran - she is just 27 years old and is definitely one to watch. The place has a very nice sophisticated atmosphere, very groovy and offering fusion cooking based around local fish and other ingredients. Normally I run a mile from 'fusion', but here it's carried off very well indeed, lots of Japanese influences. The place won an award from Condé Nast Traveler, Hot List Tables 2008, who say it's the chicest hangout in Rejkjavik.

We went for the 9-course tasting menu at Kr 8900 each (around £40) - a pretty reasonable price in this still-expensive-but-now just-about-affordable part of the world. Three starters - firstly (and deliciously) clams with caviar, soy and seaweed served with chilli. Then Chinese-style pork rib with star anise, and bread with black rice vinegar sauce. Finally wasabi salad - crisp lettuce with parmesan crunch, soy jelly (wonderfully intense) and sesame.

Then a sushi plate arrived - excellent quality, featuring scallop, eel, salmon and squid. The basement sushi bar is very upmarket Tokyo, not a conveyor belt in sight. Delicious.
Mains started with lightly salted cod (rather like bacalao) with jerusalem artichoke (a flavour you don't get very often, and very nice), celery, raisins and black cherry sauce. Next up Atlantic catfish with brown rice, pineapple and chilli/satay sauce. Finally lamb chops (another icelandic favourite, they have lots of sheep) with blueberry sauce, pickled onions and potato foam (works better than it sounds!).

A selection of deserts concluded our meal - creme brulee, Snickers tart (excellent and peanutty, obviously), white chocolate mousse, mango sorbet, vanilla icecream, meringue and fruit including watermelon, kiwi, strawberries, melon and blueberries. All washed down with a couple of bottles of pinot grigio, very nice and clean.

This was by some way the most imaginative food we have had during our visits to Iceland, and would be a must-try for any seafood enthusiast in the area. And as for Hrefna Rósa Sætran, keep an eye open...

Fish Market (Fiskmaradurinn), Adalstraeti 12, Rejkjavik, Iceland, Tel +354 578 8877, www.fiskmarkadurinn.is.

Freshly smoked sole – a tradition in Texel, the Netherlands

I was at the SOLWorld 2009 conference on the Dutch island of Texel last week. Texel is the largest of the Fresian Islands on the North Sea coast, has 28km of wonderfully sandy beach and is a popular holiday destination for the Dutch.

As part of the event, the organisers had put on an evening dinner featuring freshly cooked specialities from the island – spit-roasted Texel lamb, freshly fried whole plaice, oysters on the half shell (rock oysters – delicious!) and smoked sole.

Now I hear you wondering – just a minute! Sole meuniere, yes, Grilled Dover sole, perfection. Pan-fried lemon sole, lovely. But smoked.....What's all that about? This was a rare treat, and absolutely delicious.

Cooking the sole were local fishermen Ron Buijsman and Robert Schulze – normally to be found aboard the fishing boat Biem Jan (TX3, if you're boat spotting in the North Sea). They are out every week, fishing for plaice, sole and turbot. Even though this was a local delicacy, it was the first time they had actually done smoked sole for a public group (even though they looked like old hands to me!).

The baby sole are slotted onto metal skewers and hot smoked over a wood fire. They are then simply taken out, skinned and eaten! What could be simpler? There is a definite knack to the skinning; first break off the head, then pull back towards the tail, taking the top skin off in one piece. Loosen the edge bones around the fish, then turn it over and, starting from the tail, remove the bottom skin and outer bones with another good pull. This leaves the main body of the fish around the central main bones – you simply pull the fish away from the bones and munch!

The smoked sole has quite a delicate taste – in this case the flesh was very soft and easy to eat, and the flavour, while well-defined, was not overpowering. A real outdoor eating treat. I have no idea how to get any more of this, but you might look out for it at your local smokery. Details about trips to Texel can be found at http://www.holland.com/global/discover/coast/resorts/texel.jsp.

Rick Stein's squid and lemon sole - my skills in action

You may remember that I visited Rick Stein's seafood school in January for a one-day course (read about it at http://seafoodshack.blogspot.com/2009/01/learning-about-fish-rick-stein-way.html). My sister, a professional chef, suggested I repeat some of the recipes to reinforce the learning - an excellent idea! So I went down to her place near Chepstow and off we went...

SALAD OF SQUID WITH NOODLES, MUSHROOMS, GINGER AND TRUFFLE OIL

1 medium sized squid, approx 250g, cleaned (by me!) and cut into 4/6 pieces.
120ml olive oil
5cm piece of cinnamon stick
2 star anise
Dried rice vermicelli noodles, one section of noodles.
50g enoki mushrooms
50g chestnut or shitake mushrooms
4 thin slices of peeled ginger, cut into fine julienne.
2 spring onions, halved and finely shredded
10ml dark soy sauce
20ml truffle oil.
Seves 4
Source: Rick Stein Padstow Seafood School

METHOD
Oven 110C/225F/Gas Mark 1/4.

Put the squid pieces into a small ovenproof dish with the olive oil, cinnamon and star anise. Cover and bake for 25-40 mins. The squid needs to be opaque and soft. The squid is cooked in the oil 'confit' style. Leave to cool. After cooking in this slow way the squid looks like this.

Cook the rice vermicelli noodles by dropping into boiling water in a large pan. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 2 mins. Move the noodles around with tongs or a large fork to ensure even cooking. Drain the noodles and refresh under cold water to remove excess starch.
If preparing in advance add a little light vegetable oil to keep the noodles separate.
This will prepare too many noodles, this is unavoidable. There is no need to use all the noodles in the dish.

Prepare the squid by slicing into the thinnest slices possible.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients and place in little bowls ready for assembly.
Slice the enoki mushrooms away from their base.
Slice the chestnut or shitake caps into thin slices.

To Assemble.
Build up the layers on 4 plates into mounds about the size of a cricket ball.
Start with noodles, then add squid,mushrooms, ginger and spring onions. Repeat at least twice.
Drizzle with soy sauce and truffle oil and serve. And the final product looks like this: A yummy starter.

FILLETS OF LEMON SOLE WITH OLIVES, CAPERS AND ROSEMARY

Lemon sole per person or 4 fillets - I filleted them myself!
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 medium sized tomatoes
4 pieces marinated sun dried tomatoes
4-6 black olives (pitted if possible)
A small bunch flat leaf parsley
12 capers, preferably the tiny non pareil
10 rosemary needles (approx.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Serves: 4
Source: Rick Stein Padstow Seafood School

METHOD.
If you have whole lemon sole, fillet each fish to give 4 small fillets.
Line a baking tray or large grill pan with olive oil.
Place the fillets on the foil and brush again with oil.
Cover and place in the fridge to keep cool until needed.

Remove the skin from the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into quaters, remove seeds. Slice each quarter into three. Place in a bowl.
Slice the sun-dried tomates into long thin strips, add to the tomato pieces.
Slice the olives, add to the tomato mix.
Add the rosemary needles and capers.
Take the stalks off the parsley and cut up roughly, large pieces are best.
Chop the anchovy if using.

When ready to serve, preheat grill to high.
Season the fish fillets and grill until just cooked.
Put the extra virgin olive oil in a small pan and add the tomato mix and anchovy.
Warm through but do not overheat, just to infuse the flavours.
Add the parsely just before serving, check seasoning.

To serve:
Put a little of the tomato mix on 4 warmed dinner plates.
Arrange the fish fillets over the tomato mix.
Divide the remaining tomato mix over the fish.

Seafood in the Stroud valleys – William’s Fish Market and Foodhall

The little town of Nailsworth just south of Stroud is a bustling place, known these days as the home of conference football team Forest Green Rovers. This area, close to Tetbury and Cirencester, also has Royal connections – Prince Charles’ Highgrove estate is not many miles away and his estate shop opened in Tetbury last year.

William’s Fish Market and Foodhall is right in the centre of town next to the pretty clock tower. As the name suggests, it’s mostly a food shop which specialises in wet fish and seafood as well as lots of other lovely produce including fresh chorizo from Spain, a great selection of cheeses and a range of locally sourced goodies. At the back is a collection of café-style tables and the blackboard outside promised ‘oyster bar – brunch till 3pm’. So, I couldn’t resist.

The shop offers both Fowey and Loch Fyne oysters, and I started with three Fowey beautifully served with crusty bread and French butter. The menu offered a good range of lunchtime dishes including fish soup, scallop chunks in garlic butter, whole baked sand sole, mussel chowder, warm kipper with melted butter and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs. There were meat and veggie options too, including seared calved liver with sage & lemon butter, and gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce.

Our cheery waitress told me that the mussels were particularly good at the moment, so I went for the moules frites (£8.50). The mussels were from Shetland, deliciously plump and with a very rich colour. Some nice thin chips made up an excellent dish. My companion couldn’t resist the fresh grilled chorizo sausage and mash (£9.50). You don’t often see fresh chorizo like this, it’s more normally found as a salami-type dried sausage, but these were wonderfully tasty and spicy and served with garlicky mash and a tomato sauce.

William’s is a great find, a lovely place for lunch and stocking up. Their website is under reconstruction as I write, and it seems as if there may be plans to open in the evenings too. At the moment it’s only open during the day. William’s Fish Market and Foodhall, 3 Fountain Street, Nailsworth, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 0BL, Tel: 01453 835 507, http://www.williamsfoodhall.co.uk/

Michael Ward from the Highwayman wins Pub Chef of the Year!

You may remember I was lucky enough to meet Michael Ward at the Highwayman near Kirkby Lonsdale last December (http://tinyurl.com/cyfjqb). Michael showed me his very impressive recipe for potted shrimps, which were absolutely delicious. Well, I just had news that he has been awarded two titles - Pub Chef of the Year and also Game Chef of the Year - at a national awards ceremony in London. Congratulations to Michael! The full story from Ribble Valley Inns (RVI) runs as follows:

RVI yet again seems to have found the recipe for success as two of its chefs dominated the awards at this year's Pub Chef Food Excellence Ceremony in London.

These “Oscars” for the industry attract hundreds of entries from some of the most talented chefs in the country and taking home these top accolades involves a lengthy judging process including “national cook offs”

This year Michael Ward, Head Chef of the Highwayman at Burrow, won the award as Game Chef of the Year for his partridge dish of Partridge with Black Pudding Croquette, Creamed mash, Foragers Bacon and Juniper Sauce.

And in a double header for RVI, his counterpart at Mitton's Three Fishes, Thomas Pickering, was named Poultry Chef of the Year for his Devilled Breast of Goosnargh Chicken.

But the best was yet to come as Michael picked up the night's top honours as UK Pub Chef of The Year. Michael, a quiet but extremely talented chef, was stunned on the night when he was presented with the main award and we are enormously proud that all Michael's hard work has now been recognised nationally.

You can read more about it, and see a lovely picture of Michael's potted shrimps, at

http://www.highwaymaninn.co.uk/popup/Michael-Ward.pdf .

Superb smoked fish on the banks of the Severn - the Severn & Wye Smokery

Many people don’t know that the county of Gloucestershire is almost split into two parts by the river Severn. The larger eastern part is home to the Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Prince Charles and much of the country’s polo scene. In the west, however, a small sliver of the county extends down the bank of the Severn. This area is best known for the Forest of Dean, but there is also a verdant band of farming territory close to the river.

And there, about 5 miles down the A48 Gloucester – Chepstow road, lies the Severn & Wye Smokery. I must have driven this road a number of times and yet never noticed this particular establishment – its modest façade gives little clue of either the smokehouse or the café that lies within. Severn & Wye smoke fish on the premises, and specialise in locally caught wild salmon. They offer a whole range of smoked fish, meat and other products, all smoked over a blend of oak chips and chipped whisky and calvados barrels for a unique taste. The finished product ends up in Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges amongst other places – they also supply the Reservoir, another of our favourite spots. And you can even shop online at http://www.severnandwye.co.uk/.

Even more excitingly for the seafood lover, Severn & Wye have a café and shop on the premises. I went for lunch this week, and was absolutely stunned by the scope and range of what was on offer. I had expected a modest place serving up smoked fish. What I found was pretty much a full-on yet informal fish restaurant, the finest array of fresh fish for at least 20 miles in all directions, cheeses and meats and other products from artisan suppliers and a welcoming café with wonderful cakes and pastries. What a find!

Our party of three went for a full range of lunchtime food. I had the smoked fish platter (well, you have to check out the core product, surely…). Smoked mackerel, salmon, eel and halibut slices with some salad, lemony mayo (quite sharp, very nice) and bread and (locally churned) butter. It’s not often I find smoked halibut on my plate, and this was very delicious, white and meatily textured.

My companions went for the seafood stew (quite tomato oriented, with excellent salmon amongst the other fish) and scallops with pancetta (a huge slice of pancetta flying high like a sail above the scallops – see the picture alongside). We could have chosen from a great variety of fish dishes, and the menu is chalked on the wall and clearly changes frequently. Another party were tucking into huge portions of fish and chips. We ended our visit with a major round of shopping, picking up fishcakes, smoked salmon and lovely bread. This is a crucial spot for anyone in Gloucestershire or South Wales to come and try. Note that it’s only open during the day, lunch menu from 12 – 2.30.

Severn & Wye Smokery, Chaxhill, Westbury-On-Severn, Gloucestershire GL14 1QW, 01452 760190, http://www.severnandwye.co.uk/.

Aha...Ahi! Japanese style seafood in Hawaii – Sansei

Visiting Hawaii is a great opportunity to eat great fish. Although a lot of the classic seafood about which I usually write comes from cold waters (and so lobster, crab and oysters are not very present on the menu) there is always fantastically fresh 'ahi' – Yellowfin Tuna. The flesh of the ahi is wonderfully delicious served as raw as sashimi or seared, and is a regular feature on Hawaiian menus. And it's not endangered either – rated as 'least conern' by the World Conservation Union.

Having arrived on the big island of Hawaii (also called Hawaii, confusingly – the capital Honolulu is on the small island of Oahu) for a conference, we've had a little time to explore and found a great spot for Japanese oriented seafood at reasonable prices. The Sansei Restaurant and Sushi Bar is located in the Queens Market Place at Waikoloa Beach Resort, about 45 minutes north of the town of Kona and close to many of the top resorts. The atmosphere is very nice – a combination of Japanese and American family style diner with a sushi bar at one end (lots of top-grade raw fish on display) and a very well-stocked bar to one side.

Jenny and I went for the tasting menu at $80 for two – very reasonable in Hawaii terms, where the fact that most food is imported means that prices are high at best and exorbitant at worst. Miso soup comes with the meal – and a choice of whether to have it western-style (at the start) or Japanese-style (and finish with it). We went Japanese. First up was a bowl of edamame beans (soy beans) in their shells, a tradition Japanese nibble, along with out drinks. Jenny went for their new 'sake flight' – three different cold sakes to sample, which was very interesting indeed. The Masuni 'Okuden Kantsukeri' was smooth and tasty, the Dewazakura 'Dewesansan' delicate and feminine and the Tedorigawa 'Iki na Onno' (my favourite) tasty and long. I was driving and so limited myself (tiny sips of sake aside) to one beer, a local Kona Red Ale (served very cold in a 20 oz pint as opposed to the usual US 16 oz abomination).

The main food items commenced with Sansei's Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll (best eaten with the fingers to pick up the chilli dipping sauce) and Sansei Special Roll (crab, cucumber and avocado) eaten sushi-style with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce). The best of the sushi came next – delicious panko-encrusted ahi sashimi sushi roll – basically a top-quality cylindier of ahi coated in spinach, arugula (rocket) and light Japanese breadcrumbs, served with a mild soy wasabi butter sauce – wow! The ahi just melts in the mouth. Mmmmm. In the picture we had already eaten some of it, hence the messy plate!

On with the seafood! Next up was Japanese calamari salad – fried in Kochujang vinaigrette over local greens in a won ton basket (delicious sauce, slightly tangy, pictured), and Asian shrimp cake crusted with crispy chinese noodles (very thin) with ginger-lime chilli butter and cilantro (coriander) pesto (also pictured). The crispy noodles added some very nice crunch to this dish.

We finished with two fish dishes, Matsuhisa style miso butterfish (black cod) marinated and smeared in sake and sweet miso was very rich, the fish cooked just to perfection so it was soft and melting, and (just in case you were still not quite satisfied) lobster and blue crab ravioli with truffled shiitake mushroom and maderia cream sauce (perhaps the richest thing I have eaten in the last 12 months, and that's saying something!). And then, of course, the Miso soup as a palate cleanser and digestif. Ending with the soup seemed to make good sense to me – back to reality after the exceptional and tasty dishes we had enjoyed. Service was exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Sansei, under the direction of owner and chef DK Kodama, also has restaurants at Kapalua and Kihei on Maui and Waikiki Beach on Oahu. Well worth tracking down. Maholo and Aloha! Sansei Seafood Restaurnant and Sushi Bar, Waikoloa Beach Resort, Queen's Marketplace, 201 Waikoloa Beach Drive Suite 801, Waikoloa, HI 96738, (808) 886-6286, dinner only 5.30 – 10.00pm. www.dkrestaurants.com.

Top of the class at The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

Rick Stein has become the face of British fish and seafood over the past ten years or so. He seems to be continuously on our TVs, seeking out producers of all kinds and showing his own compelling (to me anyway) cuisine, stressing simplicity, quality and attention to detail over elaborate and bizarre combinations. Actually, he’s been in the fish game a very long time – the building housing the restaurant was originally bought by Stein in 1972 as a nightclub (which failed) and The Seafood Restaurant opened its doors in 1975. His big break came when Keith Floyd, making his Floyd On Fish series for BBC TV, suggested to his producer that they go and see when Stein was doing. The producer agreed, and the rest is history.

As seafood geek I have obviously wanted to visit his own Seafood Restaurant for some time. The current downturn means that the Steins (Rick and his ex-wife Jill who now actually runs the restaurant) are offering some excellent bargain deals. We took advantage of a two-night break for £190 per person, including meals in the St Petrocs Bistro (more next time) and the Seafood Restaurant itself. The Almora room was very nice indeed, funky bathroom with TV, modern and light.

After a warm-up pint at the Old Customs House pub along the quay, we were shown to our table in the busy and buzzing Saturday night atmosphere. Even though this was the first weekend after New Year, the place was almost full. The menu is (of course) dominated by all manner of fish and seafood, though there is a veggie starter (pumpkin open ravioli) and a meat main (char-grilled cotes de boeuf). What a tremendously difficult choice… The starters were particularly hard to choose between – oysters from various places including native flats from Clarinbridge in Ireland, fruits-de-mer platters, proper provencal fish soup with rouille, sashimi of sea bass, scallop, brill and salmon, mussels, lobster and fennel risotto… Aaargh!

In the end I was toying with hot shellfish with parsley, chilli, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice but plumped in the end for Cornish crab with wakame salad and wasabi mayonnaise. The crab meat was delicious and delicate, the wakame (green seaweed) salad a perfect foil and the wasabi mayo had a nice spiciness about it. My companions were all well pleased with their sashimi, ragout of turbot and scallops and grilled scallops with pumpkin seeds, Serrano chilli and coriander sauce. A bottle of one of the extensive wine list’s more outlandish options, a Brazilian Ovaja Negra pinot grigio-riesling washed it all down very well – the wine was very crisp, just the job.

The main course choice was somewhat easier, even though there were many tempting options including whole dover sole (a classic), monkfish vindaloo, Singapore chilli crab and a full fruits-de-mer platter (one of which arrived at the next table looking amazing, uncompromising and fully monster-of-the-deep laden). Padstow lobster had my name on it – it’s not something one sees very often, and I had to try it here. I went for the grilled with fines herbes option as opposed to boiled with salad leaves and mayo, and it was sensational. Beautifully buttery, herby, tasty, cooked to perfection, with some work to do to get the meat from the claws and legs but totally manageable. Fantastic. A little dish of buttered and peppery neeps (swede or turnip?) was a nice accompanying touch.

Again my companions were well pleased – the troncon of turbot (does anything else over come in troncons??) with hollandaise sauce was particularly good, and the two plates of brill with pancetta and beurre noisette appeared to have been fashioned to look identical – an example of the attention to detail visible here. Bottles of Allende Blanco 2005 white rioja went very will with all this butter and richness – the wine definitely oaky and yet with a good edge, not something I would have at home but a splendid treat.

After all that the desserts might have been something of a come-down, but the Stein simplicity and attention to detail saw us through to the end. My blackberry and quince cobbler (cooked to order) with clotted cream ice cream was delicious, piping hot from the oven. Very strong coffees brought the evening to a close. The Seafood Restaurant seems to be a real beacon for British seafood well cooked and exquisitely served – a must for any serious seafood enthusiast or indeed anyone who likes their fish. The Seafood Restaurant, Riverside, Padstow, Cornwall, Reservations: 01841 532700, www.rickstein.com.

Learning about fish the Rick Stein way – Padstow Seafood School

I’m keen on eating fish and seafood – and, from time to time, cooking it. So when news came through that TV food hero and fish guru Rick Stein was offering credit-crunch beating deals at his Padstow establishments, I was on the phone like a shot. The Stein name runs through Padstow like the word Padstow through a piece of, well, Padstow rock, and the family Stein now have a multitude of eating and accommodation options. Our weekend trip took in several eateries (of which more later in the week), as well as the Padstow Seafood School.

I managed to book a place on the School’s most popular course, the one-day Original Fish and Shellfish course. And so at just before 9am on a chilly Sunday morning, still enjoying the memory of the previous evening’s grilled lobster at the Seafood Restaurant, I found myself donning a smart chef’s jacket and apron and sitting down for a coffee with fifteen other cooks-in-the-making. The school is in a relatively new building just a hundred yards or so along the front from the Seafood Restaurant itself – the building also houses Stein’s Fish & Chips (report coming), Stein’s Deli (lots of yummy things) and other seafaring outlets. The school is on the first floor, and commands a cracking view of the estuary from the long refectory table at one end.

Chief instructor Mark took us through a few words about safety and then took us to the demonstration station at the other end of the kitchen. We sat on stools and looked on while he tackled one of the day’s knottier problems – despatching a large stone crab. Ceiling-mounted video cameras helped everyone see the drama on the chopping board. That done, we went back to the cooking stations (two people to a stove), crabs and screwdrivers were produced and off we went! My partner-in-fish for the day John from Truro got us off the mark, and we put the crab on to boil – just 10 minutes is enough. Once the crab was out and cooling we were back with Mark learning about preparing a squid from scratch (including pulling out the amazingly transparent and flexible bone). Back to the kitchens to put everything into practice, this time cooking the squid in a very interesting slow way in a pan inside the oven set to a low 120C with star anise and cinnamon for about 25 minutes.

Now to disembowel the crab! Again, full guidance from Mark, then back to our places where more ingredients had appeared as if by magic (actually down to Bill and the other helpers) where we went from boiled crab to crab cakes in just a few moments. (Crushed cream crackers are the key ingredient, rather to my surprise!). Into the fridge and then back to the squid which was now cooked, so prepare a salad with vermicelli noodles, mushrooms, ginger and other things. And at last – time to eat something! We sat round the table to eat the salad and enjoy the first of what would be (if you wanted) several glasses of sauvignon.

The day was very impressive in the way it all fitted together, with alternating demonstration and practice sessions keeping the variety and allowing the various ingredients time to reach the optimum conditions. We went on to fillet fish (red mullet as a round fish, and plaice as a flat fish) and prepare the fillets en papillotte (in a bag) and grilled with various accompaniments. Now it was getting on for 2.30pm, and we all sat back around for a well-earned lunch of plaice and another glass or two. Cheers!

The final part of the day was watching Mark and Bill prepare another kind of dish – a prawn and monkfish caldine (wet curry) with flatbreads and pilao rice. The guys worked splendidly as a double act, inviting people to help with various aspects and chatting away answering whatever questions came up, as well as sharing their thoughts on many aspects of the life of the chef. For some reason we ended up talking a lot about salt (Mark says to use plenty of it – the food tastes of more!). Then finally the curry, rice and everything was served all at once, with enough for some of each all round. Certificates, handshakes, a chance to buy an apron or a knife at the school’s shop and we were done. It’s a grand day out, and you certainly don’t go home hungry. I bought a filleting knife and will definitely be starting to buy whole fish from time to time now – I have enough confidence to give it a try. Well done to Mark, Bill and the boys. Padstow Seafood School,Riverside, Padstow
PL28 8BY, Tel: 01841 532700.