Culture Restaurant — Restaurant in England

My brother and I have just returned to London after a week long holiday starting in north Devon, following the coast along Cornwall and finishing in south Devon. We ate at six restaurants for our evening meals, three of which are in the Michelin guide (one of which is Culture) and two of which have Michelin stars. Culture has a Michelin green star.

Our plan was to try and experience the best available food, with a particular emphasis on seafood and local produce.

The restaurant is in a quite unassuming location - it is down an alleyway leading to the harbour and there are a couple of industrial bins opposite the entrance. It is very much a “hidden gem” - when we mentioned it to an antiques dealer up the road who had been in the area for a good while she said she hadn’t heard of it.

Once inside, the ambience is refined, relaxed and intimate. The chef, Hylton Espey, is stationed at an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.

There is only one evening sitting - at 7pm. My brother and I were one of only three parties - the other two being couples. I was surprised that there were so few people in the restaurant, albeit it was a Thursday.

The meal consists of seven courses (although the first course consisted of three separate dishes), plus an optional cheese course for a supplemental charge.

Each course is brought to you by either Hylton or the Maître d’ (who is exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable). They explain the provenance of each dish. Some of the ingredients are sourced from Hylton’s garden.

The food was genuinely mind-blowing. My favourite dish was the brill. Each component (the fish, the crackling made from the skin of the brill and the sauce) was absolutely phenomenal and created a perfect symphony of flavour. I cannot think of a better individual dish I’ve ever tasted. The aerated potato dish and the beef dish were also exceptional (as to the latter, my brother said it was probably the best thing he’s ever eaten), but none of the other dishes were anything short of excellent. It was truly a 10/10 experience and my brother and I agreed that it was undoubtedly the best meal of all of the restaurants we went to during our holiday.

In terms of technical ability, pairing flavours perfectly and sourcing the best available produce, I challenge anyone to find anyone better than Hylton. What’s more, he is passionate, friendly and approachable, without a hint of arrogance. After the meal, when the other diners had left, Hylton was keen to show us the meat aging fridge and the wine cellar and he chatted with us generally for a good while. It was clear that he was not simply “going through the motions” and trying to get rid of us.

It was a genuine privilege to have dined in Culture. If it wasn’t a five hour trip to get there I would be there every week. Hylton deserves all the plaudits that will surely come his way. I can think of nobody that deserves a Michelin star more than him. In terms of being a master of his field, it is no exaggeration to say that he is in the same territory as Einstein, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Michelangelo.

P.S. - I told Hylton that we would be going to a Michelin star restaurant in Devon the following day and he recommended the cheese course there - he had been there earlier in the week. I preferred the Culture cheese course - especially the Kern, which I’ve not experienced before and was possibly the best cheese I’ve ever tasted. We weren’t even charged for the cheese course on the basis that one of the cheeses was unavailable and the substitute cheese was similar to another of the cheeses. I thought each cheese was absolutely fantastic, though, and that each one was sufficiently different.

What an experience. Thank...

Down in Falmouth to celebrate our son’s Degree Show. A budding foodie, he was very keen to be taken to what he had heard to be one of Cornwall’s best restaurants. We trusted his research and we weren’t disappointed.

Hylton (chef and proprietor) and Bobby (maître d and sommelier) were the most charming hosts and incredibly knowledgeable about the provenance of all they serve - and that’s the point of the restaurant. Culture is all about sustainable produce most of which has been sourced within a few miles of the restaurant. The wine has come from further afield but it’s mostly from carefully researched smaller producers.

But, for me, the mark of a great restaurant is whether the simplest of things can be prepared in such a way that they are elevated to being a memorable culinary experience. That was certainly the case with Culture and “Williams Grains”. What could you possibly do with bread and butter which would set you apart from the crowd? Well, make it from ancient grains, serve with a pat of smoked local butter pressed with an honeycomb pattern to retain a drizzle of Falmouth honey. Extraordinary - just bread and butter but I could honestly say that if that was the last thing ever to pass my lips I would die a happy man!

Undoubtedly a special treat - but if you are looking for something unforgettable with dazzling culinary delights - I...

I won't upload pictures because I think Hylton Espey's cooking is best experienced for yourself. Plus the menu will likely be different by the time you attend. This is a blink and you'll miss it door in a wall between pub bins and a taco bar. You'll need to book well in advance of the date to allow proper prep of your dinner. Lunch may be be different, but I don't know, nor care.

There were three members of staff total, including the chef. All were exceptionally friendly and kind. The fear in this sort of place is "snootiness". There was none, and trust me I looked.

The small cavern where you sit and eat surrounds a small kitchen, built for one chef. The joys of watching a professional cook each of your courses are not to be understated; games emerged of 'puff riced or dried mushroom?' and 'what is he about to do with that loaf of bread'

The food itself was comforting and exceptional. Snootiness absent, flavour present. All the dishes came from a place of familiarity, cooked with local (seriously local) ingredients and touches of ingenuity. My favourite, a small sourdough crumpet topped with a mackerel butter and pickled capers. Delicious, exciting, but most of all comfortingly familiar.

If I lived locally I would want to come again and...