8:00am Sunday 1st November 2009
By Maria Court
EVERYONE is familiar with the old adage ‘less is more’, and seldom do you find such a perfect example of this than at Westpoint in Bournemouth.
It’s a more informal cafe by day, and turns into a restaurant at night.
On our visit every table was taken on a Monday evening, reflecting the popularity of a place which only opened a few weeks ago.
Don’t expect starched linens and overblown elegance, athough the simplicity in its is décor and ethos is very deliberate. It’s a contemporary, relaxed place and somewhere you’d be happy to take just about anybody.
The menu follows the same theme. Acclaimed chef John Sanderson has worked at many prestigious restaurants in the UK and abroad but admits he ‘got tired of doing all the fancy stuff’ and turned his attentions to good, honest cuisine generous in both proportion and value for money.
For seafood lovers, this is the new place to try. The menu specialises in fresh catch, and typically includes the likes of Poole oysters, pints of prawns and whole Poole plaice.
I nearly chose the latter as a main course, which was offered simply grilled with cracked black pepper, sea salt and lemon, but instead went for the ragout of seafood (£14.50) from the specials menu. The ragout included plump and fresh scallops, salmon, haddock, king prawns and mussels arranged in a shallow bowl with saffron potato and baby vegetables in a beautiful white wine and chive sauce.
For starters, I went for the salmon and dill fishcakes, again from the specials menu. The tasty parcels were served on a white wine sauce with shallots, baby capers, tomato and chives – a great mix of textures and tastes. Go for a starter priced £5.95, or a main course priced £11.50.
My friend, however, chose dishes from the main menu, starting with the king prawns wrapped in bacon (£6.95) which she raved about. The huge prawns were rolled in ‘proper, old-fashioned bacon’, cooked in garlic butter and served with garlic mayonnaise. Simple but delicious.
To follow, she needed no convincing to order the Westpoint fish and chips (£10.95). The large piece of fresh tasting cod was cooked in a crisp beer batter and came with all the accompaniments you would expect: Mushy peas, lemon, tartare sauce and perfect chunky golden handcut chips.
To finish a delightful meal we were torn between the Eton mess and the hot apple fritters. In the end the apples won, and we shared a plate of hot fruit which remained thick and crunchy in its batter. The fritters were ideal for mopping up the sweet caramel sauce and cool vanilla ice cream. A good choice.
Being situated on the West Cliff area of Bournemouth, on the corner of West Cliff Road and St Michael’s Road, Westpoint is an ideal place to stop and watch the world go by from its large windows or outdoor seating area.
On lunchtimes between Monday to Friday, a two-course meal is available priced £9.95.
Visit on a Thursday evening and you can take advantage of the special offer of two main meals and a bottle of wine for just £25.
Westpoint, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth is open seven days a week except Sunday evenings. Telephone 01202 556605.
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