Rockfish, Exeter fish restaurant review

 

There's nothing more dispiriting than a service station lunch. From a rogues' gallery of fridge cold Cornish pasties, price-inflated burgers, and lackluster noodle boxes, it's hard to say what the least appealing is (of course it's the pasty).

So, whenever we go on a long journey, I often try and find somewhere a bit more exciting to eat. 

On a recent trip back from Cornwall for Verdant's Little Summer Beer Bash, we made a short detour to Exeter to stop for lunch at Rockfish.

 

With nine branches in coastal locations across the south of the UK, Mitch Tonks’ Rockfish chain is one of the first names to crop up when discussing the country’s most highly regarded fish restaurants.

And their ethos of buying the best British seafood and cooking it simply is most certainly an admirable one too.

Set on Exeter’s quayside, the restaurant is located in a glass-surrounded building with boat-like wood-panelled banquettes. The shipping forecast playing in the loo also very much emphasises the nautical theme.

With vast paper menus acting as place settings, there’s a small selection of mainstays such as rockfish fillets, roast turbot and charred Brixham calamari as well as changeable daily specials which appear depending on what’s available. On our visit this included gurnard, lemon sole, lobster and whole mackerel. The menu also highlights which dishes are caught locally and which are MSC certified.

As I was nursing a *slight* hangover, I lasered in on the deep fried stuff.

A crispy can of Bru Lo’s Coba Maya (£4.25) was an excellent example of an alcohol free lager.

Slices of fairly pedestrian sourdough (£4.95), which lacked a crisp crust, were accompanied by a genius anchovy mayonnaise. With a big salty, savoury and ever so fishy hit of anchovy, it’s a condiment which I’d happily slather on anything.

Strips of salt and pepper calamari (£9.95) were pleasingly tender and well-flavoured with its headline seasoning as well as slices of spring onion and red chilli. But, I’d have liked a more assertive crunch from the slightly anaemic looking batter.

There were no such pitfalls with the main courses, which were universally delicious.

A generously proportioned regular portion of haddock and chips (£16.95) was golden and crisp with a juicy and flaky interior. Crisp chips and herby and zingy tartare sauce hit the mark too.

A pot of curried mushy peas (£2.95) was an excellent idea. The thick sweet peas and fruity and spicy curry sauce were delicious mixed together and it saved me having to order them both separately.

Dense, meaty and oily gurnard fillets (£19.95) had lovely golden edges and crisped skin. Not seen on restaurant menus very often, it’s certainly a fish that I’d like to eat a lot more regularly.

A side of salty and buttery samphire (£3.95) was a lovely accompaniment.

So too was a pot of thick, sweet, nutty and piquant romesco sauce (£2.95).

A green salad (£3.50) was well-dressed and vibrant - it’s all you can hope for from such a simple dish.

We had an delicious lunch at Rockfish. Despite having nearly ten restaurants, it’s a restaurant group which still clearly very much has its eye on quality. With Cardiff still lacking a dedicated fish restaurant, it’s exactly the type of place you could see doing well here.

The Details:

Address - Rockfish, 9 Piazza Terracina, Haven Rd, Exeter EX2 8GT

Web - https://therockfish.co.uk/pages/exeter-seafood-restaurant

Telephone - 01392 491664