St. Petroc's Bistro, Cornwall

Rick Steins St Petroc's Bistro - Cornwall

Rick Stein and Padstow in Cornwall are synonymous with one another. He has four restaurants in the small harbour town and is probably responsible for there being many other excellent places to eat there. At the top of the tree is Stein's flagship: The Seafood Restaurant. Opened in 1975 this restaurant is the heart of the Stein empire. Next up is St. Petroc's Bistro, more accessibly priced with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. He also has Rick Stein's Café and Stein's Fish and Chips. If you enjoy eating out in good restaurants, and are in Cornwall, a trip to Padstow is a must. In addition to the restaurants, Stein also has a well stocked gift shop / deli on the habourside.

St Petroc's Bistro is sited in an unpretentious building on New Street, a short walk from the harbour front. The white fronted building looks like an old fashioned guest house, (there are also a small number of rooms available), with minimal signage to indicate the restaurant inside. Going into the restaurant there are a number of dining and reception areas, as well as an outdoor dining area. As you would expect from such an old building the individual areas are not large in comparison to modern restaurants but this creates a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere that is light and fresh. The décor is predominately white, with many vibrant pictures on the walls. The furniture largely plain wood with lots of blue and white linens sprinkled around.

Details~
St Petroc's Bistro
New Street
Padstow
01841 532700

Lunch:- 12:00 - 2:00pm
Dinner:- 7:00 - 9:30pm

Booking~
The Bistro is very popular and booking in advance is a must in high season. Like most of Cornwall the opening times are relatively brief and even if you are staying locally for a few days you'll do well to book before you arrive. Bookings are easily made over the phone and the reception staff are friendly and knowledgeable and were able to answer all our questions about the menu and the restaurants suitability for small children.

On Arrival~
Arriving promptly at 12:00 we were quickly shown to our table by the pleasant waiting staff. Despite being only a party of two adults and a toddler we were given a table that could have sat six in a very good spot near the front windows. Our early apprehension at taking a toddler to what could have been quite a snooty restaurant were soon allayed when the room began to fill as more than half the parties had children under five. Of course this may have the converse effect if you are expecting to find somewhere where no children are present. The restaurant seems to be geared up for young children given the number of highchairs they were able to supply. The clientele was predominantly made up of small parties of two or four with only one large group in sight, there also appeared to be a good mix of locals and visitors.

Menu~
On the menu there is a choice of half a dozen or so dishes per course plus a couple of specials. The starters cost around £7.00, the main courses range from £12 -£16.00 and desserts are a uniform £6.00. Being a Rick Stein place the dishes are predominantly fish based although there are vegetarian and meat options. Each dish is clearly named and there is no need to have a degree from catering college to understand what is on offer. A children's menu is also available.
There is a good wine list available with a healthy choice for all budgets and plenty to choose from by the glass or half bottle.

Service~
The reception and waiting staff were welcoming and friendly. Our waiter was helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and when he couldn't answer a question happily went off to the kitchen to obtain an answer.
The lunch time sitting lasts for two hours and they seemed determined to keep us there for the whole time, the wait between courses stretched up to 30 minutes at times which is far too long. While it is nice to not be rushed it is equally desirable to be able to eat at your own pace and not be sitting around waiting for the next course. Our daughter is fine in restaurants as long as the food and entertainment keeps coming but two hours is too long to expect a two year old to sit still and in the long wait for our dessert she become understandably restless.

Food~
I went for the plaice goujons to start, followed by the lemon sole main. My wife had the soup to start with the roast cod as her main dish. The food was simply presented on plain white plates with none of the fussiness that can afflict more pretentious places and was uniformly excellent. I could go into paroxysms about the freshness of the fish and the delicacy of the accompaniments but I'm no expert about food and I would just be rehashing things I had read in other reviews. All I can say is that each dish was packed with flavour and not dominated by sauces or seasoning.

Conclusion~
St Petroc's Bistro is a great place to enjoy some fine dining in a relaxed, welcoming environment. A three course meal for the two of us plus a half bottle of wine and soft drinks came to around £100 which, while not cheap, certainly reflects fair value for the quality of food on offer. The experience was only soured by the waiting we had to endure between courses. As a slightly cheaper alternative to The Seafood Restaurant, the Bistro is certainly worth a visit.