The Shore: Fabulous seafood restaurant in Cornwall

We had dinner at The Shore in Penzance, Cornwall (right at the lower left tip of England, if you don’t know) last week. Just a wonderful place, worth the trip IMO. It’s small, maybe ten tables, with a very pleasant interior–white and light brown, relaxing–that makes a difference, I find (BTW the picture on their website doesn’t do it justice). The menu is all seafood, which they source fresh daily, and prepare with great care, precision and imagination, but without pretension. I say “they,” but the young chef/owner (Bruce Rennie) seems to do all or almost all the prep. It’s been open less than a year, let’s hope it prospers. The service (only one young waiter the night we were there–during the week) was careful, attentive and friendly.

While waiting for our order, we asked for bread. The waiter assured us that it was in the oven at that moment, and sure enough a moment later a warm loaf of deliciously light but slightly grainy bread appeared, accompanied by some lovely local butter.

As starter, I had a soup with crab and lobster, with a creamy Bouillabaisse inspired “sauce,” slightly spicy but beautifully prepared and balanced. With that, a glass of 2015 Domaine du Haut Perron Touraine Sauvignon Blanc (the TN is on CellarTracker, but I don’t want to post the whole thing here) that complemented it very well.

The main was steamed lemon sole, in four square pieces around the edge, with linguini in squid ink in the center. Small fava beans were sprinkled in the pasta, and there were a few bits of sauce something like the soup. This was a masterpiece of balanced flavors, somehow the mild sole was not overpowered at all by the much stronger linguini in ink and sauce, but rather they complemented each other. With this, a glass of 2015 Barone Montalto Organic Catarratto Terre Siciliane IGT (see CT for the TN).

Didn’t want dessert, so I finished with a glass of 2013 Château de Stony Muscat de Frontignan Vin Doux Naturel Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (see CT), which was light, smooth, only slightly sweet and very pleasant.

At the end of the meal, Bruce appeared and chatted with all the remaining diners. Very nice, sincere guy.

Couldn’t recommend this place more highly. The best seafood meal I’ve had, by a good shot.

(edited to add a few more details that came to mind)

Pro tip - if attacked by pirates claim to be an orphan.

Good idea! But there is also another strategy: recite this

I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
I’m very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

Doesn’t work. They’ll still want to marry your daughters after you sing it.

Well, there’s only one who’s already taken…and not by a pirate!