As a family, we don’t eat nearly enough fish. It’s not because of taste but because of the cost of having it weekly. Therefore, whenever we can, especially on holiday, we choose fish and other seafood. NHS UK advises that a healthy diet should have at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 oily fish. During pregnancy, the advice may differ. Health benefits include heart health, brain function, and overall well-being. But I digress; this blog is about the yummy seafood we ate while on staycation! Untill now, my favourite place to have seafood was on the Isle of Wight. Since visiting the English Riviera, Isle of Wight is now second place, in our opinion. Rockfish restaurants in the English Riviera have changed my perception of how seafood can be enjoyed. We ate at two Rockfish restaurants, and the flavours were undeniably first-class.
About Rockfish
Rockfish restaurant was established in 2010 by Mitch Tonks, a seasoned fishmonger with a simple mission: ‘to do seafood better in the UK.’ For Tonks, ‘better means more people enjoying British seafood in the UK, reducing exports, reducing imports, reducing waste and showing people how great our island’s seafood is.
Mitch is now one of the country’s leading voices in seafood; an acclaimed chef, author and ambassador for sustainable fishing.
The seafood restaurant group Rockfish is in a unique position; it processes and serves local seafood at 9 coastal locations in the South-West. He also founded and runs the award-winning Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth and has written 7 cookbooks.
What We Ate At Rockfish
Meals from Rockfish are divine. Our first meal was at Rockfish Dartmouth, which I believe was the first branch to open. It’s located on South Embankment; it faces the harbour.
We dined there for lunch and started with Starter: Crisp-fried tempura vegetables with ponzu sauce £8.95, and Spider crab croquettes with lemon mayonnaise £10.95. Our main was The Quayside Grill for two £77.00. The four of us shared and used the unlimited chips offer.
The Quayside Grill is described as a platter with ‘Scallops, cuttlefish, hake and the kitchen’s selection from today’s landings. Chargrilled and served with garlic butter, house salad and unlimited chips.’ I’m telling you, when this dish comes to your table, be quiet and admire it before digging in.
Flagship Brixham
Dinner at Rockfish’s flagship branch in Brixham, above the world-famous Brixham Fish Market. Rockfish Brixham offer the same level of fresh fish with a side of harbour views. On this occasion, since it was our pre-anniversary dinner, we were not sure what to have. We accepted the hostess’ offer to talk us through what’s available on the day, as caught by boats known to Rockfish. In the end we went for the simpler option, starting with the tempura again, then we tried the Crisp-fried salt and pepper wild prawns and Brixham calamari served with Singapore chilli sauce £13.95
Then for main, we each had the Large line-caught haddock £26.95, 12oz fillet caught by the “Hrefna Is” in the ice-cold waters of Iceland. I have to say, it was by far the best haddock we’ve ever eaten, to date. It was fried in Rockfish batter, served with tartare sauce and unlimited chips.
Get Social
Since leaving the English Riviera for home and our bathroom renovation, we can’t help but reminisce about those tasty meals.
Hopefully, I’ve tickled your taste buds too. Although we all adore seafood, we also enjoy trying different cuisines. Be sure to check out our other food reviews.
If you want a quieter staycation, why not try Isle of Wight in the autumn. Finally, remember, you can also find me on Instagram @msxpat and @xpatathome
Do you enjjoy seafood? What is your favourite dish? Tell me in the comments.
