A bistro only by name !
Around the corner from the National Maritime Museum lies a cracking seafood restaurant that is something of an institution in Falmouth.
Acquired by Tony and Alison Ward in May 2004, they are endeavouring to turn the Bistro into a national treasure. Award winning chef Tony uses his extensive international cooking experience to tempt with dishes such as fillets of sea bass with a champagne, caviar and crème fraiche sauce, lobster and tiger prawn linguine, roast duck breast with glazed beetroot, star anise and cabernet sauvignon reduction.
There is also a fantastic array of starters and various home-made desserts which can all be found on the a la carte menu. These currently run alongside daily specials such as seared Falmouth bay scallops, cauliflower puree and sauce lie de vin.
Lobster is a speciality of the house, available all year round and cooked to your liking.
To complement the menu, Alison has sourced and compiled a fantastic wine list and a speciality champagne selection. House champagne is sold by the glass and the various vintages from the different champagne houses are all very competitively priced, Veuve Clicquot at under £45, Dom Perignon at £99.95 and Louis Roederer Cristal at £149.95
Decorated in Med-blue and white there is intimate and relaxed dining on two floors. Downstairs there is seating for 26 in a newly refurbished cellar dining room. On the ground floor there is room for 10 or so in a bright and Med-feel café that is great for dropping in for Moules Mariniere.
Most of everything is made on the premises and all the fish and meat are sourced locally with organic foods featuring widely.

NOW RECOMMENDED IN THE 2008 MICHELIN GUIDE ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* AS RECOMMENDED IN THE 2008 HARDENS GUIDE ******************************************************************************* *******************************************************************************

About us:
LOCATION: Main shopping street
OPENING HOURS: Winter(Oct-May) Lunch from 12 noon and evening from 7pm (Tue-Sat).Booking advisable.
..................................:Summer(June-Sept) 7 days, closed Sun & Mon lunch. ..................................Booking essential
CAPACITY: 36 -- 10 upstairs and 26 in the newly refurbished cellar dining room.
CHILDREN:Limited space, please call ahead.
PARKING: Large public car park 50 yards away.
NON-SMOKING AREA: All.
WINE LIST: 23 well-chosen wines with house by the glass and Carafe, ever-growing champagne list, house champagne by the glass.
FUNCTIONS: Yes, up to 20.
BEST SEATS: All
VEGETARIAN: Yes, please call to discuss any specific dietary requirements.
GRATUITIES: Service is not included, all gratuities are shared amongst front of house and kitchen staff at the end of each service, without any deductions.



NOW RECOMMENDED IN THE 2008 MICHELIN GUIDE *******************************************************************************
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AS RECOMMENDED IN THE 2008 HARDENS GUIDE *******************************************************************************
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What people say about us:
A modest bistro with a subtle Mediterranean feel, set over two floors and decorated in sunny seaside colours of yellow and blue. Extensive seafood orientated menu; honest cooking
Michelin guide Great Britain and Ireland 2008.

How refreshing it was to read a menu that made no mention of sweet chilli dipping sauce, coconut lime and coriander and the ubiquitous fried squid, with garlic, chilli and ginger. Do all these places shop at the same Asian warehouse?
What we had here was honest, intelligent cooking. Top quality, fresh food cooked with care and empathy, the flavour additions there to enhance the main ingredient not mask it.
I must also mention the linen napery, cutlery and crockery all top quality and spotless and then the crowning glory, Riedel glassware, different glasses for red, white, and water. These are the touches you expect in establishments with serious credentials, Hardens, Michelin etc etc.
A wonderful experience and thank you to you all. Recommended by: Pablo D'Agostini. 08/08/2006

The service was excellent, ... the meal was unhurried and perfectly cooked, the trio of Cornish fish was incredible. Three different fish, cooked three different ways with exceptional presentation. ... a creme brulee of passion fruit and mango served with a passion fruit and mango sorbet and blood orange shortbread was an explosion of flavour like i have never tasted and the chocolate and lavender cheesecake, served in a martini glass was heavenly.
i cannot express how good this place is but if you get food and service like we did you could only give them 10 out of 10. Recommended by: martin samuels 07/08/2006

I get very excited about the prospect of eating here. The food always surprises, Tony the chef is confident and accomplished, he's not afraid to play around with ideas and experiment with dishes.
I went for lunch and had a de-constructed gazpachio with a centre piece of a tian of crab with avacado ice cream---fabulous straight out of the Heston school of thought. I should have stopped there but couldn’t help myself and followed this with two large fillets of line caught Bass which were dusted with Spice of Angels (fennel pollen) on a bed of fennel and orange. I was in heaven and didn’t need the trio of homemade sorbets and ice creams, what gluttony! Recommended by: the gastro tourist 23/06/2006

c'est magnifique. Recommended by: saul 17/11/2005

Tony and Alison have got something very right, attitude, passion, effortless zeal. Just dont tell everyone. Recommended by: trab 07/11/2005

If you are ever in Falmouth, Cornwall even, pay this place a visit. A bistro only by name, it is by far the best restaurant to eat at in Falmouth.
The food is incredible, Excellent value all round even if it does look a tad expensive on arrival. Recommended by: anonymous 01/11/2005

The best fillet steak I have ever tasted and as a rep travelling the length and breadth of the country, that's some going. I'll definitely be going back. Recommended by: daniel

The Cornish Fish soup here is a masterpiece. . Places like this restore your faith in British cooking. Thank you and well done. Mike and Annette Hackney London Recommended by: Mike 20/08/2005

Excellent Dover sole, perfectly cooked trio of Cornish fish, and two-creme brulee. Bottle of crisp house sauvignon and two liquers £70 including service (which was very good). Rick Stein food without the price tag. Recommended by: simon 10/07/2005

The food is outstanding, the wines superb and the service just gets better and better. If this place doesn't put Falmouth on the ''foodie'' map, I don't know what will. 10/10. Recommended by: adam hertzog 06/06/2005

Fantastic menu, superb wines, amazing cooking and relaxed and unobtrusive service. The best dining experience I’ve had this year. S. Tregenna Recommended by: Anonymous By Request 10/04/2005

I took my Team here for the Christmas Party and were extremely well looked after. All the food arrived at the same time and was excellently prepared. Great night. Recommended by: richard@tradingpages.co.uk 15/12/2004

A proper chef cooking food properly. Although it sounds as though that's how it should be done, Tony has many imitators. After working in some of Cornwall's finest hotel and restaurants this chef has finally got a place of his own. The welcome is warm as is the dining room. A great place for a group of friends or a romantic couple, the pace is slow and nobody's rushing you out the door. The board changes frequently and always contains prime local seafood and meat with lots of luxury trimmings like fois gras, champagne and wild mushrooms. The bill would probably be higher elsewhere and the food not nearly as well cooked.

read all these reviews in full at sugarvine.com

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