Scarlet fever is sweeping Cornwall. Have you visited? Have you eaten? We were keen to try Ben Tunnicliffe’s new restaurant venture at The Scarlet and to avoid further arguments about who drinks and who drives (which I invariably lose) decided to splash out on a night’s stay as well. At our first attempt at booking we were told that the minimum length of stay (either side of a weekend) was two nights. This immediately points to a target audience outside Cornwall. Nevertheless persistence prevailed and the week before our planned visit, we were allowed our one night’s booking.
The first glimpse of what is billed as possibly ‘the greenest hotel in Britain’ is rather marred by the array of gas guzzling V8-engined Porsches, Mercedes, Audis and the like lined up in the car park. Still you do need expensive tastes and a wallet to match to make the most of what The Scarlet has to offer. Despite (according to our host who showed us around) an eighty page snagging list, the jaw dropping architecture, design and art work alone make a visit worthwhile and that was before we got to see the spa and sample the restaurant.
The hotel and particularly the spa were reminiscent of a Thai-style hotel or retreat, reinforced by the staff uniform of Thai fishermen’s trousers and t-shirts (suiting some shapes better than others). The spa was all booked up but a friendly receptionist allowed us a sneaky look round. There are some clever points of difference. The hanging pods in the relaxation area are possibly a bit claustrophobic in reality but enticing and impactful at first sight, as are the red outdoor hot tubs. Heated by an attached wood-burning boiler, the tubs are actually not situated on the beach (see the publicity shot) but perched in an almost as impressive situation on the cliffs above the beach. Sadly they were closed down for the evening by the time we arrived.
Ben Tunnicliffe certainly did not let us down when it came to the food. Whilst the staff may still be finding their feet – no-one could tell us what aravancini actually are (deep fried risotto balls), Ben has hit the ground running. The menu, drawn predictably from local Cornish suppliers is small and changes daily. We stuck to fish throughout. Our starters – scallop & lobster ravioli and red mullet with salt cod brandade were probably the particular stars of the evening and the freshly made bread was a real bonus (unfortunately not served at breakfast). A few miles up the coast from The Hotel, Watergate Bay and Fifteen Cornwall The Scarlet is a welcome addition to Cornwall’s North Coast and can only build Cornwall’s profile as the UK’s number one food destination outside London.
The Olympics, architecture, sunshine, food and football – I’ve been meaning to visit Barcelona for too many years. But this year I finally booked a ticket and arrived in this vibrant city.
I bumped into an old friend last week and she invited me to a screening of the Oscar winning The Red Shoes (1948). The film was restored this year, which was made possible by Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation and partners the Hollywood Foreign Press Association along with the UCLA Film and Television Archive. I hadn’t heard of the shoe designers shop that it was being held in, nor had I heard of the film but it sounded like a good evening (champagne, canapés and popcorn).
When the invitation to join a group of friends over the bank holiday for an energetic few days in Wales was presented, I was very excited. I haven’t been to Wales before and the thought of biking, surfing and walking, together with campfire cooking was very appealing. Onward bound to Llanmadoc, South Wales, with bags packed and equipment galore.
