The Stackpole Inn, Pembrokeshire pub review

With the imminent arrival of Storm Arwen, I didn't hold out much hope for our weekend in Pembrokeshire.

Thankfully, we managed beautiful yet blustery walks along Broad Haven South and Barafundle Bay and sought shelter by the fireplace of The Stackpole Inn, a restaurant with rooms which has previously been named the best pub in England and Wales by Alasdair Sawday.

Heading up the kitchen is Matt Waldron, a chef with a seriously impressive CV. He’s been sous chef at Restaurant James Sommerin and Ynyshir and also worked as a chef de partie at Helene Darroze in London.

Matt has channeled his classical technique into a menu of hearty fish-focused cooking. Multiple dishes on the menu grabbed my attention including black tiger prawns roasted in garlic butter, Pembrokeshire duck leg with mash and Llandeilo venison haunch with pappardelle.

To start, a round of coarse meat-packed ham hock terrine (£6.50) was served with crisp and mustardy celeriac remoulade, toasted focaccia and the richness balancing tang of a savoury mushroom ketchup. It went down a treat with a half of smooth Tenby Harbour Brewing MV Enterprise pale ale.

I love sardines and they're an essential order whenever I see them. At £6 they were pretty much being given away. Here they were treated with the respect they deserve with lightly charred skin and tender oily flesh. A smoky paprika mayo and well dressed leaves completed the dish.

Smoked salmon (£7.50), so often disappointingly slimy and thinly sliced. was served in excellent thick meaty tranches. Sweet white Solva crab, rich avocado puree and clean apple slices were all bang on too.

Onto mains and an absolute monster of a soft-fleshed skate wing (£25) was loaded with sweet shrimp, briny capers and salty samphire. It probably would have fed a small family.

Beer battered fish and chips (£17) hit the mark on all fronts with its golden grease-free coating, flaky flesh, sweet and salty mushy peas and ridiculously crisp and fluffy double cooked chips.

A Fred Flinstone-esque pork chop (£20) was coated in a compellingly sweet and savoury honey paprika honey glaze and was impressively juicy of flesh. Silky butternut squash puree with toasted seeds and zingy aniseed-twanged pickled fennel brought together this refined yet hearty plate.

Triple cooked chips were golden and crisp but curiously lacked the extreme crunch of the double cooked ones across the table.

Onto dessert and the only average element of the meal was a slightly soft-crusted salted caramel tart (£7) which lacked intensity and a hit of salt.

A fine example of an affogato (£5) hit the spot with its hot roasty espresso and cold smooth milk ice cream. Plus the mini coffee pot was too cute.

We had an excellent lunch at the Stackpole Inn. With his hearty technique packed cooking, it's fair to say Matt Waldron is cooking up a storm in Pembrokeshire. 

The Details:

Address -  The Stackpole Inn, Jasons Corner, Stackpole, Pembroke SA71 5DF

Web - https://www.stackpoleinn.co.uk/

Telephone - 01646 672324

Outlaw's Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac

The most common piece of feedback I receive when I write about Michelin-starred restaurants is that the commenter would require a kebab after the meal due to the poxy portion sizes.

It's most certainly not an accusation which could be levelled at Nathan Outlaw's Fish Kitchen.

Located on the Port Isaac harbourside in a teeny higgledy-piggledy fisherman’s cottage which dates back to the 15th Century, the restaurant serves a no choice tasting menu for £80 a head.  

It's of a similar ilk to its sibling restaurant, Outlaw’s New Road, which is located up the road. But, there were seemingly more global influences on the menu at the Fish Kitchen.

Excellent deep fried stuff started off the meal. A breadcrumbed oily Cornish sardine and a plump piece of pepper-dusted and batter-coated ling were both lush dredged through a piquant smoked paprika mayo.

A pair of cold dishes were up next.

Meaty cured monkfish slices were bathed in a dressing with a big thrum of ginger, assertive acidity and crisp slices of fennel and spring onion.

A neighbouring cured brill dish was a bigger triumph, bathed in a fresh sweet tomato dressing, and accompanied by blobs of creme fraiche and crunchy sweet cherry tomatoes.

A fillet of crisp skinned, meaty John Dory was cannily spiced with earthy curry masala. Coriander twanged creamy yoghurt and a super fresh and slightly sweet salad of spiralised courgette, pickled red onions and cashews were an absolutely belting combination.

The nicest piece of line caught bass I've ever eaten followed. We overheard that the restaurant buys the entire catch from a Newquay fisherman. 

Juicy of flesh and well-basted in green herbs, it was accompanied by fluffy herb buttered spuds and a silky, buttery and citrusy smoked hollandaise which brought an addictive chargrilled note to everything it touched.

A light vanilla-fragranced baked cheesecake with sweet and delicately acidic strawberries and raspberries was a really tasty yet understated pudding.

Finally, a piece of super creamy milk chocolate fudge with a crucial dusting of sea salt ensured we stayed full on our mammoth drive back to Cardiff.

With its flavour-packed, generous and confident fish cooking and first class service, Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen is one hell of a restaurant.

The Details: 

Address - Outlaw's Fish Kitchen, 1 Middle St, Port Isaac PL29 3RH

Web - https://outlaws.co.uk/restaurants/fish-kitchen/

Telephone - 01208 881 183