Sam's Bistro, Fowey

Every so often, an escape to the countryside is essential. Big skies, clean air, good views and a different pace of life soothe the soul and loosen those scrunched up shoulders. Last weekend, a few of my mates and I went to Fowey in Cornwall. Aided by a friend who hails from there, we got all those typical seaside activities in there; ice creams, cream teas, eating pasties, driving boats, long walks, pubs, crabbing. That kind of thing. As soon as we arrived we craved seafood.

Sam's Bistro doesn't take bookings and we waited at the bar until a table became free. There's something very American diner about the place, right down to the gaudy laminated menu. We squeezed into a booth and armed with bloody Marys, we set about the mammoth task of choosing our lunches from the seafood-driven menu.

A seafood platter comprising of prawns, mussels and calamari cost £15 each, with a salad and bread which the waitress kindly swapped for fries. It was a monster portion - the prawns are hiding on the other side, obscured from view by the mountains of mussels.

The mussels hid a bowl of white wine sauce that was perfect for dipping chips into. Two sardines each was plenty, and the skin had a lovely charcoal flavour to it, cooked perfectly.

I had enormous food envy when my friend's special of skate wing in a caper butter sauce turned up. Two meaty wings - two! - with a rich buttery salty dressing was easy to get stuck in to as the flesh slid off the cartilege easily. Morsels of meat around the edges of the wing were nice and crunchy. My friend couldn't finish it to our glee and we gladly helped ourselves to it.

With a couple of drinks, our bill came to about £23 each with service - really very bargainous.

Sam's Bistro

24 Fore Street,
Fowey,
PL23 1AQ

Tel: 01726 832273

Not all our meals were good. Our potential brush with death (ok, horrible sickness) is blogged here.