THE FISHERMAN’S REST
Quay St, Cardigan. 01239 612359 / facebook.com/fishermansrest
Food **** Atmosphere *****
Cardigan is probably one of this writer’s favourite places in the UK. It’s small but full of life cultural and culinary, and with much of the town’s architecture loaded with character, situated in the heart of some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. It lacks the touristy-ness of Tenby, and the lack of a university means it’s a little bit slower-going than Aberystwyth, but that makes it perfect for a bore like me.
A place like The Fisherman’s Rest, then, is a perfect place to enjoy some of Cardigan’s pleasures, especially on a fine spring day, sitting alongside the Teifi River with fine views of the estuary and the town itself, helpfully provided by the restaurant’s sizeable outside area. I imagine it might not be as fun in the winter, though inside is pleasant enough.
The menu is generally small in variety but superb in value for money: I don’t recall anything being priced over £10. Our collective party had a mix of seafood chowder and a seafood platter, whilst I stubbornly refused to acknowledge the restaurant’s name and ordered a steak and ale pie. Nevertheless, mine was a fine choice – it’s a simple dish that’s easy enough to balls up if your balance of pastry-crunch to baking-hot innards is ill-thought-through, and your choice of sauce is bland.
The seafood meals were great and loaded with freshness: we visited on a baking hot day, so the chance to have something refreshing, easy on the stomach and relatively light was grabbed with both hands. The chowder, leavened with potatoes, mussels and carrots, was a pleasure, and the platter – a smorgasbord of fresh prawns, smoked salmon, and peppered mackerel – was filling and varied – not too much of anything to bore, but always leaving you wanting more of it. And the seasonal tomatoes must be commended – the UK has a tendency to produce flavourless tomatoes (sorry not sorry) whereas these were gorgeously sweet and moreish. Why can’t we procure nice tomatoes with regularity?
words Fedor Tot