St Petrocs Bistro - PADSTOW

Visited the restaurant when we were down in Cornwall in Sept. The meal was very good and service was excellent. It's a relatively expensive meal though. Service: 5 Location: 4

A friend and I booked here as a treat for my birthday earlier in the year. We'd had 2 nights at fistral beach prior to staying at Rick's Cafe in Padstow. We were really looking forward to experiencing Rick's renowned menu. Our table was booked for 7.30pm. We ordered starters after 8pm and I know scallops are a special treat but £19.95 for 3 felt expensive but as we were at St Petrocs I thought it will be worth it. My friend order the fish soup for her main, which we eventually received well after 9pm after asking where they were. We didn't order desserts. We asked for the bill which also took a while and then the restaurant had emptied and no-one came to let us pay. We walked to the reception and asked kitchen staff if we could pay. All the waiting staff were in the office. The manager/concierge took our payment without acknowledgement of our wait. The waitress had removed the soup from the bill as my friend had gone past wanting it after ordering nearly 2 hours previously. Not the standard of service or experience expected. Disappointing took the shine off, although food was nice but not as outstanding as expected.

Padstow might be dubbed a Ric Stein Wonderland, but my recent experience at At Petrocs was underwhelming to say the least. The pricing was exorbitant for what was offered—£19 for three rather uninspiring scallops. Wait times stretched to over an hour for main courses, and during this lengthy period, the staff didn 't bother to update us or offer apologies. My partner eventually had a word with the manager, who did waive the service charge and offer complimentary drinks. However, it was too little, too late; we should have considered leaving well before that point. As for Ric Stein 's famed fish and chips, they also left much to be desired, given the cost. I 'd caution against being lured by the Ric Stein brand; it seems more like a tourist trap than a culinary destination.

I visited St Petroc's three years ago and came away disappointed. Three years on and not much has changed. Unfortunately, drenching everything in butter does not completely mask the taste of this distinctly average food. Expect slow service and inflated prices. If you enjoy throwing money away, this is the place for you.

Had a lovely evening meal, perfect Service: 5 Location: 5