IF YOU like to see food and eat it, you’ll love dining at the aptly-named Mackerel Sky in Newlyn, Cornwall.
This seafood bar next to the road bridge in the middle of town, and set beside the Newlyn Coombe River, offers small but cheerful premises which, on our visit, were packed to the rafters with people enjoying a wealth of local produce.
Taking the advice of our Airbnb host, we got there early (there’s no booking) and got in the holiday mood with glasses of wine while perusing the menu.
This really is a seafood restaurant, so vegetarians aren’t catered for, unless they want to dine on a selection of starters. But for fish lovers it’s heaven, with a selection of 12 sharing plates to choose from (two per person is recommended) plus daily specials – on our visit these included sardines with heritage tomato and basil sauce, crispy sole fillet with red pepper puree and chorizo, and lobster salad with balsamic glazed peaches.
I plumped for mackerel fillets with fresh beetroot, while my partner had salt & pepper squid with wasabi aioli, and we shared beer-battered monkfish with tartare sauce. Sides of chips, house salad and jalapeno coleslaw completed the main, and we followed up with raspberry fool and crushed amaretti, plus a chocolate brownie with rum & raisin ice-cream.
Despite being packed out the service was efficient and friendly, and the weather and the setting combined to make this a memorable meal. The bill totalled £54 which is a bit more than we normally spend but for cracking fresh produce, well presented and beautifully cooked, it was a bargain.
The eaterie’s only open during the holiday season, which means you still have this month and October to enjoy it before it closes until March. But f you’re in Cornwall in the holiday months, I recommend you head for Newlyn and sample the delights of this small but perfect seafood bar: just make sure you get there early enough to taste perfection.
