Penzance offers an eclectic mix of places to eat though surprisingly not so many promote mainly piscine pleasures given that the town is but a heaving line's distance from Newlyn fish market which offers the widest variety of species in the UK landed on a regular basis...but things are beginning to change...
Lost & Found is a totally new venture for three young guys with strong local connections...
Maitre d' Ben Hearn's father is already well known in Chapel Street for his hugely interesting book, prints and original local artworks shop just up the road from Trevelyan House...
where the restaurant trades during the evening sitting right in the heart of a town bristling with opportunities for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the plethora of creative efforts from others in the area ...
the house itself sports an additional front eating room which can be brought into service on busy nights or when catering for large parties...
to the left, an extensive collection of cooking and other local interest books.
Lost & Found Fish is at Trevelyan House on Chapel Street, open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the summer. They are a pop-up restaurant of sorts, sharing the space with the already established Lost & Found cafe, taking over the kitchen in the evenings to run a restaurant specialising in fish, locally foraged ingredients and Cornish produce.
However, what makes this new venture even more interesting is three young men and their passion for contemporary dining with a Celtic twist based on locally sourced fish and ingredients - topped off by their impeccable Cornish fishing links!
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| Chef duo Richard Adams and Jay Liddicoat have sea-salt in their blood! |
The three friends from Penzance, until recently lived away in London, Bristol and Lisbon for the past 5 years, have now come back to Penzance to start their first foodie venture....
the backgrounds of Richard Adams and Jay Liddicoat are firmly rooted in all things fishy, Jay having grown up in Newlyn in a family of fishermen, with Richard the son of a fish merchant having occupied a variety of roles within the industry...
Maitre d' Ben Hearn, whose family already run two local businesses on Chapel Street, follows their lead and runs front of house, completing the Lost & Found team...
"Having worked in a handful of London restaurants at a high level for the past 2 years, returning to Penzance to start something of our own, and hopefully bring something to the town in the process, is a very personal goal. Penzance has a fantastic community of small businesses, especially those surrounding the food industry, and the response from suppliers has already been overwhelmingly supportive. We're very excited about being part of this community and hope that we can contribute to the growing foodie scene in Cornwall"...
"We will be sourcing our fish from Trelawney Fish in Newlyn, and John at Lovell's also in Newlyn has been a great help in keeping us informed on what's good in vegetables week by week...
Meat will feature on our menus too, and we will be sourcing from Lentern's in Penzance and some more specialist producers such as Cornish Chicken. The availability of this produce on our doorstep means we have access to some of Britain's best ingredients without having to ship them half way across the country before they arrive on someones plate. Anyone who has eaten allotment fresh peas or had the pleasure of harvesting their own tomatoes will attest to the fact that local food, trends and buzzwords aside, simply tastes better!"...
"Sourcing our ingredients as close to home as possible is something we will continually strive to do, and with the wealth of produce in Cornwall, it promises to be a very rewarding practice. Hoping do our ingredients justice, our appreciation for quality produce is reflected in the simplicity of the food we cook"...
"We have also been hugely influenced by food that we have encountered on recent travels to Spain and Portugal, where pared back cooking reigns, and raw ingredients, especially fish, are given the attention they deserve. Following this, our menus, while acknowledging a strong and undervalued culinary tradition in Britain, have echoes of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian cooking...
Lesser appreciated fish which are often highly sustainable options, such as hake, sardines and pollock will feature heavily on our menus, and so too will under-used parts of each fish: pollock collars, cod cheeks and hake necks are fantastic hidden treats, often prized as delicacies abroad, but largely forgotten or wasted at home"...
"A key part of the organisation and one of the driving forces behind only opening for service three times a week is our commitment to making the process of bringing food to the plate as hands on as possible. Many ingredients seen on our menus are foraged by ourselves on the cliff tops and hedgerows of Penwith, forging a strong connection between the local area and the food we serve. By deviating from the traditional restaurant format and adopting something of a pop-up schedule, we allow ourselves time to engage in activities such as these, taking time to select the produce we use, and keeping the menu fresh by completely changing it each week"...
"Customers can expect to see the likes of rock samphire, wild cabbage and sea beet collected off the coastal path that runs west from Prussia cove; wood sorrel, beautifully tangy and found in abundance sprouting between the rock of old Cornish walls; three cornered leeks, practically a weed but nonetheless delicious and an alternative to the cultivated spring onion"...
"In addition to foraged ingredients we will be harvesting what we can from our own allotment plot, and some time over the course of the summer will be devoted to learning more about food growing and hopefully reaping the benefits of our efforts!"...
"Being a small business and meeting the demands of the day to day running between a small team - in addition to hands on extras like allotments and foraging - will certainly be a challenge, but one whose efforts we hope will be reflected in the outcome of the project. We hope that Lost & Found Fish will give us a chance to share our love for and enjoyment of food, and Cornwall, and bring people an experience that is apt to match the powerful allure of the county."
On the evening Through the Gaps was treated to a meal at Lost & Found the menu...
there were already three tables busy ordering...
in truly cozy and comfortable surroundings...
with nice touches like fresh flowers in the classic Georgian town house...
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| Menu for the day - ever-changing according to the availability of so much locally sourced produce |
with the buzz of conversation punctuated by queries over the fish on the menu - turbot at £12 - as are all the main dishes - seemed a deal not to be missed...
while the baked mussels starter - all at £6 - with a crunchy top seemed worth a try...
the smoked pollack was a revelation and a first - a definite must-have-again dish...
the huge turbot steak was a melt-in-the-mouth treat sitting comfortable on top of the fresh veg bed...
the service is truly with a smile and front of house Ben says he is keen to keep to a single sitting of an evening so there is no chance of being hustled from the comfort of your seat in order to make way for the next customer which gives you plenty of time to savour the properly home made bread, pasta, ice cream and preserves...
so that desserts can be enjoyed ...
with a dollop of clotted cream...
as they should be without having to think about when to order the coffee or after dinner brandy!
All-in-all the evening proved to be a breath of fresh air considering the team had been open for only a few days and are still experimenting with the menu - given the quality and availability of so many locally sourced menu items, a building to die for in terms of architecture and ambiance and a passionate team working to live out their dream eating-out experience expect to see Lost & Found at the top of people's minds when it comes to eating out - like when you get those visiting friends from up-country who treat you to a meal out after putting them up for a week - when you want quality food, great service and a warm and friendly atmosphere at a price that doesn't make you feel too guilty!
Lost & Found ticks all the boxes for quality, service and surroundings, for fish eating fans it's a definite must along with Ben Tunnicliffe at the Tolcarne in Newlyn.
PHONE - 07532050228
EMAIL - lostandfoundfish@gmail.com
TWITTER - @lostnfoundfish
FACEBOOK - facebook.com/lostandfoundfish
Lost & Found Fish
Trevelyan House
Chapel Street
Penzance TR18 4AW
Opens Thursday - Saturday 7-11