The Shore Restaurant — Restaurant in Great Britain

My favourite restaurant in the world! I came here twice two years ago and think about it all the time. Can’t wait for the next visit. Bruce only uses the absolute freshest ingredients and it shows - the taste of dishes here is so tender on the tastebuds and exploding with umami you want to pinch yourself to see if it’s real.

Posting below a review I wrote in August 2022 after my first visit:

‘One of the absolute highlights of our Cornwall trip was a beautiful little gem of a restaurant in Penzance called the Shore. The chef, Bruce, greets you enthusiastically, barefoot, at the door, introduces every course to the 12 guests in the space, and does everything from nabbing the freshest fish from local fishmongers before they even go to the public to washing the dishes to renovating the space. Bruce is adamant on freshness and bringing out the fullness of the flavour in everything - sea and garden ingredients served with a Japanese-inspired twist. I think a good indication of his sophisticated and delicate but unpretentious style of cooking is how he intentionally never uses an ingredient that's only pretty as garnish but can't be eaten. His food is truly food as art, and in a way it reminded me of really good therapy in the sense that you can taste within each slice and sliver of food the kind of immense skill, rich trove of knowledge, and keen insight that take decades to build. It reminded me of the intimacy of certain works of immersive theatre which offers an intimate experience in a space tailored to the production for the audience, but I have to say, seeing shows are much more tiring because you have to concentrate the entire time, without getting divine food! (Another way in which the night reminded me of theatre is how you can never get the same experience again, and how the realisation makes you savour the preciousness of every moment.)

Bruce’s blend of down-to-earthness and high level of skill, craft, and understanding is such a marvel to me. It's easy for mastery in cooking to be touted at high prices, dressed up in fluff and frills, or for it to be surrounded by an air of exclusivity and elitism, but here the intimacy of the setting is because of practicality (one person can only cook for so many!) and also because of a real emotional attentiveness. In a world where "intimacy" or "homey vibes" can be sold as commodities, it was refreshing to just return to the basics and be in a situation where intimacy is the natural result of the setting and the person's philosophy. It also reminds me of the Japanese concept of shokunin, referring to artisans, craftspeople, et al who are singularly devoted to their craft over long periods of time (as long as a lifetime or beyond) and with a deep sense of humility.

The grilled bass was absorbently juicy, and having pickles before hake and mussels is a genius stroke because the sourness of the former fully brought out the sweetness of the latter. The memory of the courgette, tomato, and squid soup still makes my mouth tingle with umami. The skinned tomatoes were tender, the diced courgette as freshly flavoured as green mangos, the squid impeccable, served with a side of chilled broth which you can feed into the bowl on your own. What I also appreciated about Bruce's food was how attuned he was to the outside world and how his guests were feeling - he served a chill soup because of the hot weather, which shows a connectedness with one's surroundings, the antithesis of the hubristic belief that you can get anything by air freight as long as you're willing to pay more.

I have to say: Bruce makes me understand why things get put on the Michelin Guide, and I want to give him all the recs...

Very interesting food, yet service and atmosphere not worth the price.

I booked dinner and got the wine pairing. You are not told what the pairing is beforehand and you don’t get the printed card with the wine pairing unless you ask for it.

It is a small room with a low ceiling, very little ventilation, and people from outside keep coming in and asking if there are any open tables.

Unfortunately, during my visit, there was a couple with a small child who was very bored, expressed their need for attention loudly, and enjoyed banging metal chopsticks on the table for the duration of the whole 6-course meal. Therefore, I would not recommend this place for a romantic dinner. You could barely hear the chef’s explanations of each course while the child was talking, interrupting, and playing.

In terms of food: loved it! Couple of comments: the smoked fish custard would be great with a nice slice of sourdough bread on the side; the bun served with the cod was cold, plus there was not really that much extra sauce to dip it in; I liked the red mullet with courgette, yet there is a contrast of the cold courgette cooling the warm fish, not sure I liked that contrast.

In terms of service: it felt rushed - some plates were served in a hurry, also spilling sauce on the table while picking the dishes (in an hurry) and not noticing it. You are given chopsticks for sashimi and a wooden spoon and fork for everything else, and they are quite impossible to eat with. If you ask, you can get a standard knife and fork that you have to re-use during your multiple courses.

It is casual dining; however, it’s also quite expensive so one should be able to use the utensils, know what they are drinking, and be able to relax without the noise of the...

This is what a dining experience is all about. A chef who is passionate about cooking great food for people in a small and relaxed environment. As a meat fan coming to a fish restaurant with a set menu I could not see before we arrived filled me with slight anxiousness about what I would enjoy. On entry it was obvious The Shore was something different being greeted by owner, chef and bottle washer Bruce Rennie who's enthusiasm was clear from the offset. Inside there were just 5 tables ranging from 2 to 4 places. The tables were a work of art with wood and blue inset reminding us straight away of the nearby sea. As the menu changes daily based on what is fresh I won't spend to long on that but let's just say it was a delight to read. Before we started Bruce came out and explained what he is doing, why he cooks what he does and why the wines were chosen. For each of the 4 courses he gave a passionate overview of the ingredients included, what the inspiration was for the dish and the palletes of the wine and how they worked with the flavours of the dish. The food was amazing as was the wines but what makes this place so special is Bruce. After the meal he spent time ensuring everyone had enjoyed the meal and looked for any feedback. We were lucky to be the last table to leave and got to know why he is doing this rather than working in large top end resraunts as he has during his career.

Book early to...