The story
The Elephant by Simon Hulstone anchors a quiet stretch of Torquay harbour, establishing itself as a cornerstone of modern British dining. Regional cooking here depends on ingredients harvested daily from a dedicated South Devon farm. Simon Hulstone has guided this kitchen since 2006, securing a streak of twenty-one consecutive Michelin stars that recent critics praise for its unwavering integrity. His competitive pedigree includes World Junior titles and a Roux Scholarship, yet the daily rhythm revolves entirely around tracking regional harvests. The kitchen recently shifted to a prix fixe format that raised base prices but preserved the cooking’s class.
Flavor counterpoint defines this regional kitchen, pairing delicate textures with rich foundations. Poached scallops share the plate with a chicken wing coated in bone marrow dressing and brightened by sea buckthorn. Spring arrivals feature Wye Valley asparagus matched with barbecued pineapple, a crisp hash brown, and macadamia nuts. Savory-leaning desserts complete the meal, offering apricot parfait with toasted rice and chai foam or gariguette strawberries accompanied by bay leaf flan.
Double frontage windows flood the dining area with daylight, framing marina views without sacrificing warmth. Simon Hulstone and his wife Katy manage the floor with an unhurried pace that suits both weekday lunches and weekend dinners. The layout prioritizes easy conversation over rigid service rituals, allowing locals to settle in for extended visits. Recent guide recognitions confirm that coastal hospitality thrives without stiff architecture. The space demonstrates how serious cooking operates comfortably in relaxed surroundings.
Recognition
Details
History
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Torquay's finest is barely more than a rope-throw from the Marina, a double-fronted, expansive space run with serene efficiency. Simon Hulstone oversees a long-established, venturesome kitchen that reliably brims with good ideas, against a backbone of mainstay classic dishes that ensure the locals keep coming back. The base price shifted sharply upwards with the transition to a prix-fixe format, but there is no doubting the integrity and class of the cooking. A favoured pairing of gently poached scallop and savoury chicken wing in bone-marrow dressing with sea buckthorn is a masterful exercise in counterpointing flavours and textures. In its spring season, Wye Valley asparagus might be smartly accoutred with barbecued pineapple, a hash brown and macadamias, while the same imaginative energy is on dazzling display in a main dish of poached cod with pink grapefruit and carrot in a coconut curry sauce. That said, confirmed traditionalists will find nothing lacking in a serving of heritage pork with its glazed cheek and black pudding, alongside grelot onion and pearl barley. The voguish savoury approach to desserts sees apricot parfait served with toasted rice and chai foam or gariguette strawberries fragranced with bay leaf flan and peppered caramel. The wine offering doesn't change much with the passing years, other than for the initial offering headed 'seasonal wines we like', which are always worth a flutter – perhaps a Sardinian Vermentino or Rhône-style red from Cucugnan in the Aude.
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