Rockfish is situated directly above the fish market in the pretty fishing town of Brixham in Torbay. We were lured in by its tagline that “tomorrows fish are still in the sea”, a promising prospect given just how unfresh we are used to seafood being back in Birmingham. The interior is a gentle mixture of distressed wooden flooring, dark brown seating and cream walls. The view from the windows is either to the town or out to sea, both are which are pleasant on the eye.
We start with scallops, served in their shell with a crumb so heavy on garlic that it nearly ruined our romantic weekend away. The cooking of the molluscs was erratic; one just right, two overdone. The roe was still intact, which is a pet hate of mine considering it has a different cooking time to the flesh. There was bread to soak up the garlicky bits which remained on the side. It wasn’t the greatest of openings.
And then it improved. Cod taco’s were big on flavour, though never too much to overpower the breaded fish goujons that sat central in them. There was crisp onions and hot sauce for freshness and piquancy, whilst a smattering of white crab meat on top reinforced the smack of the sea. They were a delight. Also impressive was monkfish, fresh in that morning, in a crisp and greaseless batter and served with chips. I may not have been sure about battered fish being served bone-in, but there was no doubting the quality of the produce which was meaty and huge in flavour. Chips were decent but not good enough to test the unlimited offer that they claim.
We decided not to take dessert despite a good selection being offered and settle up on a sixty quid bill that included a bottle of a nice gentle Spanish white. Despite being full on an otherwise quiet Brixham evening, service was attentive, in particular from a young chap named Chris. Rockfish is well regarded locally but we found it a little too inconsistent to warrant a return on our next trip to the coast.
7/10
Meat and One Veg 