Shorecrest Restaurant at St Moritz Hotel

Like a magnificent cruise liner gleaming in the sun, St Moritz is a flash of white against the north Cornish skyline – the epitome of glamour, relaxation and style-on-sea. Rosanna Rothery boards the art deco hotel for a first class dinner

North Cornwall’s laid-back vibe is reflected in the hotel’s cool Shorecrest Restaurant where new head chef Max Savage takes a refreshingly simple approach to fresh-from-the-ocean seafood and the local bounty.

VISIT for Max’s pared back but skillful cooking. Take his dish ‘Bertha fired roots’: on the face of it a plate of smoky vegetables sounds pretty bland but every nuance of flavour and natural texture is so brilliantly heightened it’s like eating veg for the very first time. The crackling kale, creamy sweet potatoes, juicy beetroot and tender asparagus are all offset by fresh coconut yogurt and the crunch of toasted hazelnuts.

Similarly, a pudding of wood-fired stone fruit could be decidedly dull yet turns out to be a symphony of delicious flavours. Sweet fleshy pear and plum absorb the fragrant notes of the barbecue brilliantly and are sublime with a hazelnut crème fraîche and glass of royal tokaji.

Don’t be put off if you’re a committed carnivore or a passionate pescatarian; there are plenty of meaty alternatives like sirloin of beef judiciously paired with a toulouse sausage cassoulet while Porthilly mussels and oysters are a menu stalwart.

DON’T VISIT if you don’t like to be beside the seaside. Enjoying a cocktail on the St Moritz balcony with a salty breeze and the last rays of the day’s sun on your face is bliss – unless, of course, you really are the ultimate urbanite.

WE LIKED playing our own version of MasterChef while watching the plating up in the open plan kitchen – Gregg Wallace would be all over it.

Staying the night? Book yourself into the bathed-in-light Wisteria Room in the garden and wake up to the sound of birds and the scent of flowers. And make sure you stay for breakfast as Andy’s malt loaf, homemade cereals and beetroot hash with poached egg make for a truly exceptional start to the day.