by Laura Barnes
Well, readers, it’s been a while. In among Covid, costs of living and some significant personal challenges your gal here has been away and reduced to cereal three times a day, pyjama-clad working from home. Managing near-constant overwhelm, I’ve become addicted to Uber Eats and could (and will) list all the amazing ramen I’ve eaten in the months since I tasted something that reframed food (again). I’ve recently been diagnosed AuDHD, meaning going out for meals is more or less a thing of the past. So, when Culture opened its doors I heard through friends that it was a must-try. So, after saving some significant pennies, I booked a table and took my autistic ass down there.
Cuisine
Cornish provenance, all sourced within 1.5 hours of Cornwall
In a word
Cornwall
Appeals to
Anyone who likes to know exactly where their food has come from, and prioritises slow food over fast, and provenance over price point. The price tag does mean Culture is somewhere to save for special occasions or as an experience. With a menu that is described as a story, culture’s opening lines were enough to lure me in.
The place
Less than a year old, Culture is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Falmouth. Run by partners and married couple Petronella and Hylton, there is an intimate feel to Culture. The sommelier Bobby seems a little nervous, though to me it looked as though there may have been another reviewer in on the same night. Years ago, when I went to the now-closed bizarre Fawlty Towers hotel in Torquay, with a Michelin star restaurant inside, I met John the waiter. He was incredibly good at his job and impressed me with an accessory I’d never seen before: the crumber. I could tell Bobby was a pro because he, too, had one in his shirt pocket. The whole team was knowledgeable and welcoming, giving us the full description of
the food and drink.
The space
Culture in Falmouth is set right on Custom House Quay, in the heart of the food and drink part of town. On a busy August evening, outside there is chatter from two of the town’s quayside pubs – the Quayside and the Chain Locker. It’s a lovely summer evening and people are enjoying different gins Some of the fish used in the menu is caught right in the bay, just beyond the harbour. However, it being an underground space had its drawbacks, as there are not really views of the harbour, and it is quite compact. The take home for me was that the acoustic in there made having a conversation quite competitive and, frankly, for two autistic people, quite hard work! However, with planning, forewarning and a set of loops, this doesn’t seem like a dealbreaker – it’s just good to be aware.
The pace
Having an entirely designed menu, from start to finish, kind of means that your journey starts as you arrive. The restaurant set the pace for all diners, and this felt like a weight off. See the same for decision making! As someone who always gets chronic FOMO when it comes to food, I like that we all; had exactly the same experience. There was never a time when we were sitting and waiting, the food arrived promptly, and the drinks were flowing on the wine flight.
The trace
Everything we eat and drink, for that matter, had an entirely traceable provenance. From the opening Cava (cave aged from Barcelona, with grapes cooled underground in the morning to save on electricity use, and lower the carbon footprint) to the grains used in the bread, the provenance is the menu for Culture.
The menu at Culture is an experience. It provokes questions about the sustainability of all of our food and brings this into conversation for people who can afford to think about it. Given the terrifying impact of climate change, the La Macha winery looked for more sustainable grapes and methods. And frankly, we have to. I enjoyed knowing the stories behind everything that was on the menu, and believe local, traceable food to
be an impactful way to change our food systems.
The food
We start off with a flurry of snacks, which comprise of locally foraged seaweed on a cracker with smoked mackerel and scallop roe, which sets a tone for the evening. The mackerel having been caught just outside in the Bay. We also have a mini crumpet with venison Biltong and a cheese and onion churro made with cheese from Lynher Dairies, just five miles away. Having lived in Spain, I’d never had a savoury churro and I think I could eat a bowl of these and be happy with that as the meal!
The very first time I wrote anything for Tasting Britain, I had a seven-course meal at The Rummer in Bristol. The bread and butter were a course in themselves because of the attention to detail. Despite being served a seeming stream of delicious food, the bread was exceptional because of the story it told. The butter is enhanced with Cornish sea salt and local honey. Local to the point of being a 10-minute walk from the restaurant, on Woodlane. William – the grain grower grows ancient varieties of grain, using historic methods and they are grown in organic soil. This retains the nutritious element and offers up a dialogue about soil health. For nature to fully recover, we need to give more attention to soil health.
As the journey continues, we have an incredible duck egg course, with Hylton’s own miso and a reduction of orange wine sitting atop a savoury crème caramel. Years ago, when I first moved to Falmouth (allegedly for six weeks – 24 years later), I worked in Jasmine Garden Cantonese restaurant. Our boss would make a savoury custard there, and being vegetarian, I would often have this as the star of the show. For me, this was the standout dish for evoking those memories of 19-year-old Laura, and the wine pairing was a fresh-tasting orange wine, with the skin left on. This dish was topped with puffed wheat grains giving it a crunch, so good for those with a penchant for ASMR, and balancing the creaminess of the duck egg custard.
The humble potato was the star of the next course; again local and grown in Cornish soil. A potato and beurre noisette with a creamy potato foam and tiny, salty crunchy cubes of rosemary potato; these were truly wonderful. It was paired with an earthy Austrian white wine, which almost added an almond flavour.
As the courses went on, there was line-caught mackerel, locally reared venison cooked over local charcoal and delicious smoked tomato sauce and black garlic. A collaboration with Falmouth’s own bean-to-bar chocolatier Chocolarder was a delicious Asheninka chocolate cheesecake. The Ashenika is a Peruvian cacao- growing tribe, whose beans are sailed to Falmouth sustainably.
We ordered a cheese board (because: why not? at this point) Leftover crusts from the bread course were formed into the lightest, crunchiest crackers I’ve ever had, and the cheeses selected to feature where all local.
The Verdict
Overall, for a return to fine dining, Culture felt like an A1 connection to Cornwall and I loved everything about it. The only snag is saving up to go there as the seasons change might mean getting a second job!
The Details
£75 per head for 7 courses, £50 per head for wine flight. Drinks extra. Cheeseboard extra. Dessert wine extra.