When looking for restaurants in Devon of the more ‘fine dining’ ilk, the name The Seahorse popped up a few times. Located in prime position on the South Embankment of the River Dart in Dartmouth they pride themselves on their fish.
We found the restaurant itself not quite what we expected – small and some might say a little cramped, it did however ooze of old school charm.
The menu is simple, several choices for starter and main, mostly fish with the odd meat or veggie option thrown in, with emphasis on classic cooking and flavor.
We were seated by a lovely waitress and given our menus, there was flatbread on the table already, served with a fish paté that we nibbled on whilst we chose what to eat. We also were brought a little taster of calamari as an amuse bouche which I loved. Lee, who its fair to say is not a calamari fan, however well cooked it is did not! All the more for me!
Over the last few years Lee has turned into a huge oyster fan so for his starter chose Six Fine de Claire oysters, served natural. I went for the Scallops roasted in the shell with white port & garlic, which were stunning. The scallops were so well cooked and tender and the hot breadcrumbs, garlic and port just a magical combination alongside.
For our mains, Lee was excited by the sound of the Grilled Veal chop with verdina beans & garlic. It was a knockout of a dish. Veal isn’t something you see much now on menus but this version was a perfect main.
I went for the Dover Sole, a Venetian preparation with onion, vinegar & pine nut which was recommended by the waitress and we shared some Courgette fritti on the side. My sole was served on the bone, but cooked so perfectly that it just slipped off. An unusual main for me to choose maybe but one that I would eat over and over again.
We thoroughly enjoyed our food at the Seahorse, although our experience was slightly dampened by the table next door to us which housed a couple of people who were really loud and obnoxious in a kind of ‘we’re going to let people know just how much money we have’ kind of way. Not the restaurants fault obviously, but when the tables are that close its hard to ignore.
That being said, the food at the Seahorse is NOT cheap. But if the food above looks like the kind you enjoy, its well worth splashing out.
Disclosure: Paid in Full by our own fair hands
