Expect excellent fish and chips as well as plenty of seafood delights - and some surprises - on a visit to a Rockfish restaurant, writes Catherine Courtenay
It’s a first for me. Sardines as a choice of starter – and they’re still in their tin!
But my goodness, this novel dish from the restaurant Rockfish was a delight. Sardines from Mounts Bay in Cornwall, beautifully presented (tin opened!) with a side helping of wild fennel crackers, a red onion salad and gherkin and dill relish.
These are not just any old sardines, Rockfish has its own tinned fish selection, using fresh British seafood which is processed at an artisan canning factory in Spain where, over the course of generations, they have mastered the fine art of canning. As well as creating a unique seafood product, it’s also highly sustainable, making best use of large seasonal catches that might otherwise go to waste.
Sustainability is a big deal at Rockfish and finds its way into everything they do. This small chain of South West seafood restaurants, founded in Dartmouth by Mitch Tonks, makes the most of the catch landed at Brixham, where it’s prepared and packed and sent to its restaurants daily.
The restaurants are all situated on the coast or by the water. The Exeter venue makes the most of its watery quayside setting, with a very open and light-filled feel to the modern building. Floor to ceiling glass windows mean you can watch the activity on the quay and, what’s more, there’s plenty of outside seating too.
The front of house team is well geared up to explaining the various ‘fish of the day’ selections. It’s fun to sit down and have someone highlight the options with a marker pen on the large paper menus that cover the tabletops.
Rockfish has the liveliness, the buzz, of your favourite chippy, but it’s also a speciality seafood restaurant. Yes, you can enjoy a perfectly battered Brixham hake fillet with tartare sauce, peas and unlimited chips, but you can also try one of that day’s specials. The choices really do vary according to what’s been caught, as do the prices - so you may find a £30 turbot dish or £20 for gurnard fillets. All these Market Fish options come with a sauce or butter – the gurnard arrived with a spicy pepper salsa on the side.
There are some true Rockfish classics, like the crispy tacos with mojo verde, salsa and garlic yoghurt or the divine, impossible to resist, roasted, garlicky, half-shell scallops.
It’s very easy to slip into ordering ‘fish and chips’, or one of your favourites, but the changing Market Fish options are well worth exploring, particularly as Mitch and the team behind Rockfish really know how to bring out the best in their seafood, with dishes that use punchy, Mediterranean flavours, herby sauces and pickles.
An endless supply of chips may leave you feeling too full for a dessert, but maybe leave room for the popular sticky toffee pudding. Or, a few scoops of artisan Italian gelato adds a refreshing finale – and involves tempting flavours like fennel and orange or, my favourite, hazelnut.
A visit can be for a special treat, or there is the Locals Menu, offering two courses for £22.50 or three for £25, which is a great value way to enjoy the Rockfish experience.
If you enjoy seafood and want to try dishes that celebrate what our South West coastline has to offer, then Rockfish is the place to go. And, joy of joys, you can buy a selection pack of tinned seafood to take home with you too!
therockfish.co.uk
