Paul Ainsworth at No. 6

Our Inspector's view

Padstow is undeniably a shining beacon on the UK’s gastronomic map, and Paul Ainsworth's townhouse restaurant, tucked down one of the narrow streets, just back from the harbour, has been a major player here since 2005. Paul has built a reputation for creating contemporary food focused on the regional produce that makes Cornwall such a culinary destination these days, while a healthy run of TV exposure via the BBC's The Great British Menu and Royal Recipes has certainly helped boost his public profile. The restaurant occupies a whitewashed Georgian townhouse split into three diminutive spaces on the ground floor and another upstairs, with the period charm of the spaces intact and bold artworks peppering the walls with visual entertainment. Ainsworth’s cooking, interpreted here by Chris McClurg (also a winner on The Great British Menu), has always tended towards the creatively sharp end of the modern British spectrum, with technical pizzazz galore and eye-catching presentation. Prime ingredients of the finest and freshest to be found in Cornwall’s seasonal larder are helped along by global goodies in dishes that deliver muscular layers of flavour and texture. Local scallops are hard to ignore at the best of times, and here they might be served warm and raw with Camel Valley velouté and acorn-fed ham, or go for crapaudine beetroot, pommes Anna and aged Kaluga caviar. Next to consider might be the deceptively understated dish of wild turbot, mashed potato and onion gravy or for the meat lover, tallow aged fillet of short rib savarin with a morel farcie. Ingenious desserts can be expected of course and are equally hard to overlook – expect the likes of 75% chocolate ‘vol au vent’ with cep caramel; the showpiece ‘Fairground Tale’, a true extravaganza built around a bitter chocolate soufflé; or compañero baba, manille strawberries and lapsang cremè.

Awards, accolades and Welcome Schemes

4 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence

AA Notable Wine List