I had the displeasure of going to a chef who I am long aquainted with the cleberity TV Chef, who i keep seeing with his local food heros, British products, about he was so passionate about British food, and British ingrediants, How Bitish was best, and how it made him so mad about the loss of traditonal Britishness, to be greeted by Garam Masala, Cummin Seeds, Chilie, Garlic and Coriander. As soon as I walled in I as a Indian Male was shown the worst table, and met wtih a frosty reception. I saw the Indian female with a a English Male get a whole differnt level of service.

Padstow

What a lovely little village! Lots of little streets full of tourists all looking for the elusive outside seat in the sun where a nice glass of wine could be enjoyed. Great place for a day trip, maybe 2.

Rick Steins - St Edmunds Apartments

Very nicely appointed rooms with parking, although no reception area so all booking in & out must be done at the reception for the restaurant which can be a little awkward with diners arriving at the same time. A short trundle around the corner & up the hill (a very Cornish theme), open the door and first impressions are a room that has been finished to Rick’s very own high standard. Bed a little hard but this can be put down to individual taste, bathroom large and very nicely done with a large powerful shower. Varnished floorboards throughout which, much to our chagrin, turned out to be a very large minus point as even a cat walking across the room above sounded like the Chinese State Circus acrobatic troupe! For a five star apartment the lack of sound proofing marred my stay to the point of wanting to leave early or at the very least move to an upper floor room. We did suggest this to the front desk but they were fully booked - we were also advised that we'd have to pay in full for any unused nights.

Food

As you might expect, the food was excellent at all of the Steins food outlets although this is reflected in the pricing with a premium being paid over & above a comparable local restaurant

Service

Most of the service we received in the restaurants was of a good level as you should expect but on occasions due to staffing levels versus volume of customers it was not consistent. This was very evident in the St Petroc Bistro (the Steins Bistro) where we were left waiting for nearly an hour before being shown to our table, placed in an alcove with no room to breathe let alone move our arms. We ordered a nice bottle of red wine and had to ask for red wine glasses only to be told that they didn’t think they had any! Eventually the correct glasses arrived, then the food which was very good…..luckily! After 45 minutes of trying to ask for the bill we decided to make our way to the front door where we did finally find someone who wanted to provide us with a bill to sign albeit slightly bemused. This sad state of affairs was reported to the main front desk and we were given a glass of fizz the next evening from St Petrocs manageress as a token to apologise. If you are part of a large group wanting a raucous evening then this may be for you but definitely not for a romantic evening for two! To compare, the café was lovely! Pleasant atmosphere prompt service, and super food, well done Café! The seafood restaurant was great too.

Seafood School

Excellent! but beware…….do not eat before the 8.45 start as everything you cook you eat and the food keeps on coming along with copious amounts of white wine! Well done to everyone at the school, we loved every minute of it!

Can't speak highly enough of this place - top notch, tasteful accomodation in a really fabulous setting, away from all the tourists and hustle and bustle of busy Padstow (we visited at the height of the summer season and Padstow was absolutley HEAVING with people - best to avoid August if you can possibly visit at another time).

Prior to arriving we had booked (an absolute must during the summer season) a table and a room at The Seafood Restaurant and were surprisingly upgraded to a room at St Edmund's House (a short stroll up the lane from the restaurant) - it was a wonderful gesture and at no extra cost - we were really delighted - thank you to the member of staff who kindly arranged this! It happened to be our wedding anniversary (although we hadn't mentioned this at all - so the room upgrade made our stay even more special).

The room really couldn't be faulted - spotlessly clean, a fantastic view across the estuary, an enormous super-comfortable bed with high quality linens, a split level room with lots of space, a beautiful spacious bathroom, fresh milk in the fridge for our tea (in my book this is the mark of a very good hotel!), a sofa and desk area, lovely comfy easy chairs in the bay window, in which to sit to admire the view, all in all a very peaceful spot.

The restaurant was also very good - we had a superb evening meal and the breakfast was excellent.

This was a very expensive stay (just shy of £400 for one night's dinner, bed and breakfast for 2) but we justified the spending because it was a special occasion. I think the prices are a litlle on the steep side (but I guess the celebrity chef thing generates sufficient curiousity and a very large number of people are clearly prepared to pay - the restaurant was chock-a-block the evening that we were there). The mini-bar in the room was also very expensive - this does annoy me when room rates are so high - but it always seems to be case in so many 'high end' hotels these days - just that bit too greedy in my book. But I guess you don't have to purchase anything from them.

Overall though - a really excellent stay. Highly recommended - for that special occasion perhaps?

Restaurant and room of course is fantastic. But the breakfast is the best we have ever had!