Carbis Bay: Tom Sellers' Story By the Sea
Imagine the combination of bold and flavoursome British cuisine, impeccable service, stylish interior and a world class view across Cornwall’s blue flag beach, Carbis Bay. That’s exactly what Michelin starred chef, Tom Sellers had in mind when he set up Story by the Sea, the outstanding pop up restaurant located in the luxurious Carbis Bay Hotel and Estate.
If you haven’t been to the Carbis Bay Hotel and Estate before then you need to understand that it’s a super trendy place! Relax in the outside pool with views over the Atlantic, sip champagne on the patio of the beach club or catch the rays on the white sands of Carbis Bay beach. There’s no wonder why London Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers decided to pack up both himself and his London team (Restaurant Story on Tooley St) to embark on a summer venture in Cornwall. With a residency from August until September, Tom Sellers’ decided to call the Carbis Bay Hotel the home to his brand new pop up restaurant, Story by the Sea.
““The ocean and all that surrounds it will shape our vision for the menu, creative process and cooking style. The project will not only give myself and my team the opportunity to cook within such a special location, we will throughout the 6 weeks along with our guests support remove 50 metric tonnes of plastic from our oceans working in partnership with one of our valued brand partners Parley.””
I was extremely excited to have been invited along to see what all of the fuss was about. Funnily enough, I had only ever been to one Michelin star restaurant before (in London) so it was a pretty new experience for me. Considering the special occasion, I decided to invite Mumma T along because she ALWAYS shows appreciation for fine dining.
We arrived to a warm welcome and were then shown to our sea-view table. It was a glorious day so the view across the beach was outstanding, possibly one of the best restaurant views I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. On the side of the table was an envelope sealed with a wax stamp. Slightly confused, I opened the envelope to find a simple menu containing 8 courses. We were later told that the menu given to us was created with few words to enhance the surprise.
To begin with we received three small plates of ‘treats,’ Tom’s take on the Oreo (Storeo!), crab tarts and fish cakes. Each treat was crafted to perfection and was far too pretty to eat! The crab tart was by far my favourite, and my mum also agreed - it was delicious!
At every dish the waiter/s explains what the concept of the dish is and what and where the ingredients are from. The second course was Isle of White tomatoes, peeled and purified to perfection. The dish was complemented with Coomeshead Farm bread and Isle of White butter.
The third plate was lobster and crab decorated with leek condiment. As you are probably all aware, I adore seafood so this was by far my favourite dish. Again, it was so artistically presented I felt like I should have been painting a picture.
Pretty food sure can be deceiving! It’s amazing how filling such small dishes can actually be! I’d also just like to point out that the service throughout our visit was absolutely outstanding. The attention to detail was second to none and our waiter even noticed that I eat with my knife in my left hand (bad I know) so bought a suitable knife for me to use.
Onto the main. Cooked to complete perfection the Cornish lamb was placed alongside thin slices of potato, aubergine and courgette.
Now the desserts, not one…but two! First we tucked into lemon sorbet, my Mumma’s absolute favourite. Afterwards we enjoyed Tom Sellers take on the Cornish afternoon tea which was a combination of strawberries, clotted cream and biscuit.
Talk about feeling FULL. Just when we though that it was all over, out came some coffees, chocolate and toffees with edible wrappers (yes, you heard correctly!)
My mum and I were both completely blown away by Tom Sellers, Story by the Sea. Tom and his team are clearly such incredible creators of such stunning and flavoursome foods. Originally Tom was finishing his residency at Carbis Bay Hotel on the 14th but it has recently been announced that it’s been extended to the 28th, leaving a little more time to experience the summer pop up. We had such an incredible afternoon and would recommend Story by the Sea to anyone!
Enjoy a 3 or 5 course lunch, or alternatively a 6 course dinner - for more info click here. The Story by the Sea lounge bar is open daily serving a selection of tasting snacks to allow guests to sample some of the Story classics. Signature Story by the Sea cocktail + three signature tasting snacks for just £20 per person (no booking required).
*We were kindly gifted the experience but all views are my own. Mum and I had such an amazing time and the food was outstanding.