Tonight we were dining at the Mussel Box by the harbourside in Padstow. We had found a recommendation and menu in our AirBNB guide at the cottage and as it was only just around the corner from us close to the harbour we figured it was worth checking out

The website welcomed us with the offer of ‘Fresh Fish, Shellfish & of Course local mussels, from Padstow Estuary served with crusty sourdough bread or skinny fries’

I do like a bowl of mussels and frites so I already knew this was in my scoffing wheelhouse!

There was also mention of ‘Local wines or a Pint o f Cornish Ale‘ but as we had eyes on a visit to the nearby Padstow Tasting rooms afterwards I was sticking to a diet coke 😋

There was very little perusal of the menu as we focussed our attention on the Mussels, we already kind of knew what we were after even before we walked into the restaurant! 😜 The only real decision was going to be on which flavour to choose from

Today’s options were Mariniere, Provencal, South Indian, or Chilli, each quite different flavour profiles to consider. We decided to pick two different ones in case we wanted to share, of course the likelihood of that happening was small unless one of us picked wrong.

I didn’t fancy the Provencal as it had olives in it, purely my issue as I know everyone else seems to love them, and then we didn’t really want anything too spicy so the Chilli lost out of the selection battle leaving us with a choice of the Mariniere and the South Indian and to be honest we probably had made our minds up on that 30 minutes before we left the cottage after reading the menu we found there lol

MUSSELS WITH CURRY

I had chosen a pot of mussels with the 🥘SOUTH INDIAN (CURRY) – the paper menu on the table described this as a ‘Coconut based curry sauce by Reggie made from his own curated spice mix. Rich and layered with subtle heat‘

The one on the website and on the menu in the cottage listed it more simply as CURRY – “Curry leaf, Coconut Cream, Cumin & Coriander”

Whichever one described it best it was essentially a ‘coconut based sauce‘ I could pick out the distinctive notes of the curry leaf, you can smell it a mile away and it certainly had perfumed my big juicy mussels and the broth.

The mussels were excellent, really large, meaty and quite plump. I was pleased with amount that I got for the 500g and I am not sure if I could have eaten a kilo. Obviously I would have given it a go as I really did want more!

I did find that the broths on it’s own were a bit too salty as I really wanted to slurp it up with some gusto, but yes I know that really to are just supposed to be eating the mussels and that the broth is the cooking liquid not a soup! A man can be hopeful though surely not? lol

MUSSELS WITH MARINERE

The second bowl of mussels we chose was the much more familiar MARINERE described as being cooked with “Sautéed Onions, Garlic, White Wine, Chopped Parsley finished with a touch of cream”

This was so recognisable flavour wise and just how I usually enjoy my steamed mussels in a pot, there is just something so classic about that mixture of onion, garlic and wine that brings back evocative memories of dinners on the patio when abroad by the beach.

Flavour wise it was far more subtle in the mussels than the Curry bowl, more gentle on the palate and nicely restrained

Again the mussels were excellent and all of good size, I may be overusing the word ‘plump’ in this post but it is the most apt description

Along with the mussels we also had a slice of focacia bread which was most enjoyable it was that or chips and I wanted more of both

FRIES OR FRITES

OK so I know that it is just a bowl of fries or frites but the ones here at the Mussel Box were really good, perfectly crisp and well seasoned. All too often this particular side dish is a throw away item on the table and almost left to be a mere plate filler but happily here it was a welcomed addition and full participant in the meal

I was slightly sad that we had chosen to share just one bowl as these fries were seriously good! I recommend getting your own if you come here! At places where you get unlimited fries with your mussels these would be a dream.

The Mussel Box is now definitely added to the list of places that we will be dining at in Padstow.

Over the years we have found many firm favourites that we keep coming back to and this place was right up our street and somewhere I really want to try again next visit

This time we stuck to the mussels or moules frites as some may say but a quick glance at the menu showed that there was much more on offer and more importantly much more that I wanted to eat

I saw that they do a cooked breakfast offering a Full Cornish of ‘Sausage, Bacon, Hogs Sausage, Mushrooms, Basement Beans, Slow Roast Tomato, Free Range Egg, and Toast‘ for £10 (that’s on the list)

They also do a Sunday Roast offering up ‘West Country Sirloin or Pork belly, accompanied by crispy Duchy potatoes and farmed vegetables, all smothere’d in our delicious ‘proper’ gravy. Not forgetting fluffy Yorkshire puddings too!’ (also on the list)

I could go on but maybe you just check out the menu online yourself and get a little tempted

Just come and try them

The Mussel Box is located not far from the harbourside at 11 Broad St, The Drang, Padstow, Cornwall, PL288BS.

You can check them out on their website and also on their Facebook Page and Instagram Feed