This is a restaurant right on the seafront, near Southsea Pier. Usually there are a few outdoor tables overlooking the sea and some window tables with sea views but because of the current sea defence construction work, no outdoor seafront tables and views are very limited from the windows. There are some outdoor tables on a deck behind the restaurant but they overlook the road.
We went to celebrate the visit of a friend from Australia. She’s vegetarian and was happy with the vegetarian options on the menu, even though it is more of a sea-forward restaurant.
We started with cocktails (mocktail for the teen) and beer-battered samphire with vinegar gel to nibble on. No photo of the samphire, which disappeared quickly.
Spicy Mango Margarita
£9.50
Cazcabel Reposado | Cointreau | Mango Purée | Chilli | Tajin & Seaweed Salt
Bourbon Basil Smash
£9.50
Bulleit Bourbon Whisky | Ginger Beer | Lime | Basil | Grilled Peach
Pineapple ‘Marg’ (mocktail)
£7.00
Pineapple | Mango Purée | Lime | Tajin & Seaweed Salt
Then starters! Described as ‘small plates’ on the menu. I had the arancini, which was only a single one (should it have been described as an arancino then!?) - very tasty but would have been nice to have at least 2 or 3 for the £9 price tag! The server was attentive and heeded our vegetarian friend’s request to have the bresaola in the burrata dish separately (my son hoovered up the bresaola). The only other dish I tried was the crab, which was great, letting the fresh crab taste shine through. Everyone was very happy with the taste of the starters.
Cured Romsey Trout
£11
Fennel Salad | Charred Orange Dressing | Mascarpone
Burrata
£14
Isle of Wight Tomato | Bresaola | Nasturtium Leaf
New Forest Pork Belly
£10
Beetroot Relish | Black Garlic Ketchup
Brixham Crab
£13
Gazpacho | Cucumber Salsa | Crab Oil
Wild Rice Arancini (VG)
£9
Samphire & Carrot Salad | Sea Herb Emulsion
Mains, or ‘large plates’ as they are termed on the menu. My husband had the fish of the day, which was roasted sea bream with broccoli and something else I couldn’t remember. My son had steak and our friend and I had the gnocchi.
8oz Beef Sirloin
£30
Lovage Salsa Verde | Jus | Fries | Green Peppercorn Mayo Add Tempura Oyster £4 each
Truffle & Dulse Gnocchi VG
20
Cauliflower Velouté | Grellots | Roasted Cauliflower | Truffle Oil
The steak (requested medium rare) came perfectly cooked and with some unadvertised fried nuggets on top which my son identified as deep fried bone marrow. The gnocchi were nice, bit the roasted cauliflower was too firm for my personal liking - I can make better roasted cauliflower at home. The advertised truffle was too faint to be noticeable, which was slightly disappointing.
No room for dessert! The bill came to around £200 excluding service. We agreed the starters were the best part of the meal. Overall, a good restaurant for a special occasion - the decor and ambience are relaxing and stylish.
