Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant
The last time I ate at The Seafood Restaurant I ordered a martini and was given a glass of vermouth. What a difference 21 years makes. From my vantage point at the handsome pewter bar I have a ringside seat for a show of pure cocktail theatre. The snazzily turned-out sommelier stirs Tanqueray 10 into an ice-filled shaker before pouring the contents through a mist of lemon spritz into a vermouth-rinsed martini glass. What’s left of the lemon peel is scored and spun into a twirl of garnish. Now that’s what I call a twist.
If anything symbolises the sea change in provincial restaurant culture in the 21