Serious fish in a super-Lyme setting - Hix Oyster and Fish House

We chose to visit Lyme Regis in August for several reasons. The Jurassic coast crammed with fossils and geology. The ancient Cobb harbour, redolent of Meryl Streep looking out to sea in the movie adaptation of John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The splendid museum, where Fowles was curator for many years. The historic links with the Civil War and James Earl of Monmouth’s doomed landing and invasion which culminated in the Bloody Assizes of Judge Jefferies. But the main reason was a more modern one – the opening of Mark Hix’s new Oyster and Fish House (http://www.hixoysterandfishhouse.co.uk/) .

After many years as executive head chef at Caprice Holdings, overseeing both Le Caprice and The Ivy in London, Hix has now set out to run his own show. That should be ‘shows’ really – this is his second establishment. The first, Hix Oyster and Chop House in Smithfield, opened earlier in 2008. The Fish House has a fantastic setting above the Cobb, in what appears to be a newly constructed affair of wood and glass. The views over Lyme harbour and towards the dramatic cliffs to the east are unrivalled and certainly provide an epic setting for dinner. There is even an outside terrace for lunches – there’s a thought which should get the fish-lover walking up the rather steep Cobb Road to the restaurant.

The menu is not too long and changes regularly. We started with oysters – Portland Royals (from the sea off Portland, in sight on a clear day some 20 miles to the East) and Devon Yealms (estuary oysters from the South Devon river of the same name) were very much to our liking – not too big and served with great care to include all the delicious liquor held within the deep shells. They were presented, unusually, with the top shell replaced and shucked in the French style, without severing the tissue connecting the oyster and the shell. Shuckers in France always do it like this, to prevent any accusations that they are using tinned oysters rather than fresh ones, whereas the norm in the UK and USA is to sever the oyster completely so that it’s ready to gulp down. Nice fresh bread and butter went along very well.

We went to to Lyme Bay fish soup with Julian Temperley's (not very noticeable) cider brandy and Fowey mussels with Burrow Hill cider. The soup was rich and delicious, even though served without the (somewhat traditional) grated gruyere and croutons – fine for a starter. The mussels were excellent, the sauce creamy and plentiful. I washed the mussels down with a bottle of Harviestoun’s excellent Schiehallion lager (http://www.harviestoun.com/) which has a bit more body than your average lager and went well with the food. I am delighted to report that Hix has quite a substantial selection of bottled beers and ciders along with a well chosen wine list – even including Rick Stein’s Chalky’s Bite beer (a confident move if every I saw one).

Main course was grilled fish for two. And pretty serious fish it is – the selection of the day included gurnard and john dory alongside Torbay sole and lobster. All this arrived on a wooden board, well cooked (after a longer pause than might be expected). All the fish fell off the bone – just as well in the case of the dory and gurnard, which arrived whole. The sole (also known as witch) was delicate and generously thick, and the half a grilled lobster added a little garlic into the proceedings. We had side orders of tomato and lovage salad (featuring three different kinds of tomatoes – very nice indeed) and chips.

Usually Jenny and I miss out on the desert course – but the offerings looked so tempting we pressed on. Jenny had cheese (of course) – Dorset Blue Vinney in this case, being the only one on offer. FOH manager Jonathan Jeffrey recommended another Temperley apple drink, Somerset Pomona to go along with it (http://www.ciderbrandy.co.uk/) . Apple juice and cider brandy are aged for two years in oak, producing a nice and not-too-sweet digestif that reminded us a little of Pineau des Charentes. He also had us trying Shipwreck, a 10 year old cider brandy finished in French oak casks salvaged from the Napoli, the container ship which spectacularly went aground off the coast of Devon in January 2007. Delicious!

Hix Oyster and Fish House, Cobb Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3JP, Tel: 01297 446 910

The world's crispiest batter? The Old Passage at Arlingham

One of our favourite local seafood restaurants is the Old Passage at Arlingham, a few miles south of Gloucester. Set in wonderful surroundings on the banks of the Severn, the restaurant is housed in the former ferry-house where for hundred of years people set out to cross the wide river. On a nice evening, a walk along the riverbank is an ideal prelude to some serious shellfish.

Sadly, the weather let us down. Arriving early, we had plenty of time to sip a drink and peruse the menu. The establishment has changed hands in the past year, and is now run by Sally Pearce and her son David. However, the welcome and feel of the place is very much the same as ever, and I was delighted to find that they now sell Cotswold Lager on draft, an ideal prelude to some oysters.

The menu offers the bet selection of seafood and shellfish for many miles around. We started with a plate of Fowey No 2 oysters from Cornwall (nice, cold and not too large, just as I prefer them – there is a choice of Bigbury and Fin de Claire oysters too). Choosing a starter was much more of a problem – scallops thermidor, Scottish langoustine, a mini-fruits-de-mer plate…? However, you just can’t beat proper dark French-style fish soup with gruyere cheese and croutons, so that’s what I had. As an alternative, the pan-fried foie gras with scallops and poached rhubarb was richly delicious.

Choice of main courses presented another difficulty. A lobster from the tank? Not today – we tried a range of fish including line caught sea bream from Cornwall served (deliciously) with cockle, clam and samphire risotto, and fish stew (clearly a cousin of the soup I’d had earlier, and none the worse for that). I personally went with the beer battered fish and chips, served with proper marrow-fat peas. The fish was wonderful – the batter was the crispiest I have ever experienced with extra crispy parts having (I think) been drizzled on during the cooking in tempura style. It was still crisp at the last mouthful. Inside, the fish was moist and perfectly cooked. The business.

The Old Passage has been with us for some 7 years now, and continues to hold its place as the top seafood destination in the area. The place also has rooms, so you could consider staying over. Long may it continue. More details at http://www.fishattheoldpassageinn.co.uk/.