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THE JOURNEYMAN, MELLINGEY MILL, ST ISSEY, NR PADSTOW. ‘East is East, and West is West, and
never the twain shall meet’, wrote Rudyard Kipling. Well,
they do at The Journeyman in the small Cornish village of St. Issey in the form
of an innovative and interestingly balanced menu. The Journeyman is
not an Indian restaurant, and sensibly makes no pretence to be (although it is
mentioned in the Good Curry Guide - a rare accolade for a non-Indian
restaurant). However, it does offer a
wide range of curries, both Indian and Thai/Oriental, on the menu. Therefore, although I don’t usually report
on non-Indian restaurants I’m
happy to make an exception in this case as it is well worth visiting. The restaurant is
situated in a picturesque 17th century mill house cocooned in the
countryside up a narrow lane in the hamlet of Mellingey near the village
of St Issey. The chances of attracting casual passing trade are therefore
marginally less than zero, so it must attract custom by reputation, repeat business
and advertising in order to survive. Steve Lloyd
originates from Birmingham, and although not a professionally trained chef, he has travelled and worked extensively in the Far East, and lived for
a while in Hong Kong and India, where he developed his love of their cuisine and
cooking. He tells me he has cooked (although I guess not professionally) in the
Far East, as well as cooking ‘Balti Nights’ in Birmingham (again I
presume for family and friends rather than professionally). He also has the
benefit of Indian relatives, from whom he has studied Indian cuisine and
practised. Therefore, although not previously running a professional kitchen, he
has some good experience, plus the essential ingredients of enthusiasm and dedication to make
it the success that he has. The dining area is
fairly small, seating about 20 in an intimate atmosphere. It used to have the rather twee
'cottagey' ambience of the old English country ‘tea-shoppe’ that
it originally was, complete with chintzy blue and white china and ornaments in
the window, although in early 2008 it underwent a refurbishment and much of the
blue china has gone, although I am delighted to say that it hasn't lost its
'olde-worlde' charm (sometimes a refurbishment can diminish some of
the original character, but in this case the refurbishment has been done very
well). I understand that there is further
seating downstairs which can accommodate private functions. Children under
fourteen are not encouraged. It is closed on Sunday. The menu should
satisfy all tastes, as in addition to quality English dishes (superb Steaks,
Beef Wellington, Lamb Shank, Salmon, Duck etc.), there are some Thai dishes (Thai
Red Curry, Thai Lemon Chicken, Thai Duck), Chinese (Peking King Prawns,
Szechuan-style Sweet & Sour Chicken) and even
a Vietnamese dish (Vietnamese Cari Ga – a Vietnamese
family-style chicken curry with potatoes, carrots in a coconut, lemon grass and
herbed sauce). And, of course, there is the Indian selection, which is the
reason for this
report. There are a number of
the chef's specialist Indian
dishes that reflect different facets of Indian-style cooking, as well as a
selection of the curries more common to standard Indian restaurants. The menu
indicates the level of spicy hotness for each dish by chilli symbols: 1 = very
mild to 4 = very hot (and 5 = ‘make the chef’s day!). I first visited in 2005, almost a year after they opened. Over the years my wife and I have experimented with various starters, the first being Tandoori Yuk Sung (marinated ground lamb sautéed with garlic, ginger and tandoori spices, and the chef’s own invention, although no longer on the menu). On more recent visits I've started with home made Thai Fishcakes (served with a sweet chilli sauce), Chicken Tikka (served kebab style with raita and salad), Lamb Kebabs, and on my latest visit the King Prawns with Ginger and Coriander and served on a wholemeal puri. All have been very tasty indeed, particularly the King Prawns and Ginger which I went for twice this year. Over the years we've ordered Chicken Karahi (no longer on the menu, but the chef will oblige if you ask), Balti Chicken Dhansak, Achari Chicken, Nepalese Lamb, Minted Lamb Mirsch Pathia and Lamb Tikka Methi as main curry dishes. I won't go into detail of each one, but suffice to say that all have been excellent. My only comment would be that, for my taste I now usually ask for dishes that are marked with two chillis to be upped to three-chilli hotness. (I noted that the Minted Lamb Mirsch Pathia listed at two-chilli strength when it was first introduced on the menu, but is now three, which I think is an improvement). While some of these speciality curries, particularly the Dhansak and Achari, can be found on most Indian restaurant menus (although not the same, and not usually as good), the others are very much the chef's creation or slant on the dish. In particular the Nepalese Lamb is described as 'a fusion of the spices of North India and China with the Southern Indian influences of coconut and fresh herbs' . It is marked at a two-chilli strength, but again I prefer it upped to three chillis, which for me is just right, with the hotness being sufficient to set the tongue tingling but not so fiery as to mask the flavours. And flavoursome it is, with chunks of splendidly tender lamb in a rich, mellow aromatic sauce with the flavour of coconut redolent of the dishes of Sri Lanka and Southern India. I was told that it is one of their most popular dishes, and I'm not surprised as it was delicious. Both I and my wife have had this a number of times as it is really very good. On each visit I've accompanied the
main curry with an Aloo Gobi - a pleasantly, if
mildly, spiced
combination of cauliflower and potatoes that that had been lightly cooked, or a
Vegetable Curry, again excellently prepared and in keeping with the overall
standard of the food. Pillau
Rice was fragrant with cinnamon and clove flavours. The curries are
generally served sizzling in an iron karahi, and the service is
excellent – welcoming, friendly and attentive without being pushy. Mrs
Old looks after the restaurant, but
Steve appears from his kitchen from time to time to serve a sizzling dish, and have a chat
with customers if
time permits, which is a nice touch. As one might expect for the
type of restaurant and location, at first sight prices of the Asian dishes might
appear slightly above
your average high-street Indian or Chinese restaurant across the country, although broadly
comparable with the more up-market Indian restaurants in Cornwall. Having said that,
however, it is not your average high street Indian or Chinese restaurant, as it
is much more comfortable and serves a better standard food. On top of that the portions are extremely generous – those
karahis hold much more than meet the eye - and the quality of ingredients first rate. The prices for the English food
are very competitive, even on par with some of the more pricey pubs in the area
(some of which I think are ambitiously above their station in prices for a pub
meal!), which is very good value bearing in mind the style of restaurant,
comfort and quality of food. And the prices
include complimentary tea or coffee, which is another nice touch. Taking everything
into account, therefore, it represents excellent value for money. On my fist visit I managed to have a chat to Steve after the meal, and he kindly invited me to his kitchen to show me a little of his work. All the ingredients are fresh, top quality and locally sourced - even the chillis are grown in Padstow. Only the more unusual items (such as paneer and certain spices, for which Steve goes to Birmingham) are obtained further afield. Steve makes his own base curry sauce of the usual onions, garlic, ginger, tomato, plus his ‘secret ingredient’ (yes, I do know what it is, but I’m not telling) and roasts/grinds his own spices to create his masallas. Curry
aficionados, which is who this report is aimed at, will certainly not be disappointed,
although my advice to enthusiasts would be up the chilli heat as shown against
the dish by one notch (or at least to three chillis), as my feeling is that the spiciness of the Indian food is
aimed more at the local population and holidaymakers rather than, perhaps, more hardened curryholics. Having said that,
however, for those whose palate prefers more delicate spicing then it is
ideal as is is, and Steve will even adjust the spicing downwards as well as
upwards if requested. As a final comment on the food, I repeat that the menu covers a much wider range than simply curries, which makes it an ideal place to visit if your wife/partner or someone in a group does not like curry or spicy foods. Each time we are in the area my wife, and now myself as well, order a fillet steak (we now visit more than once when we are in Cornwall, which illustrates our appreciation of the food). Although I don't usually comment on non-Indian foods on this website, I have to say that the matured fillet steak (Simply Steak on the menu) was superb, as was the Fillet Napoleon (fillet steak cooked in a thick, creamy sauce with garlic and brandy, and served on a thick bed of wholegrain mustard mash, although a little rich) and Fillet with grain mustard (and I was gratified that the mustard mash had a good flavour of the mustard rather than just a faint tincture often found in the mustard mash in pubs/restaurants!) All
in all an excellent restaurant with an imaginative and wide
ranging menu that should satisfy all tastes. In addition, although most dishes
are meat or fish, Steve will make any of them with quorn or paneer (or even
vegetables) to satisfy vegetarians, thus offering a far better than average selection for
veggies. In my first report in 2005 I commented that "I was sure the restaurant will continue to thrive, and I looked forward to eating there again when next in the area". Well, I have enjoyed eating there on a number of subsequent visits - I wouldn't miss it now - and it has continued to thrive, which is not surprising given the quality of the food and ambience in which it is served. Indeed, I always listen to the observations of other diners for pointers, and on each of my visits, every comment I overheard was of praise and approval, whether it be for the Indian or English food. In fact, unlike most restaurants, virtually all customers do express their approval and praise in some form. For
anyone thinking of going, they now have an excellent and comprehensive website -
www.journeymanrestaurant.co.uk
- that includes details of the restaurant, the menu, and directions how to get there.
Believe me, both restaurant and website are well worth a visit. Malcolm Wilkins – September 2009
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