Hooked
Ellerthwaite Square Windermere LA23 1BU
Australia is full of gregarious Aussies, and now Windermere has one of its own, in the shape of Michael Gould, a man who knows his fish. His mission – "to bring a little bit of Melbourne to the Lakes" – means a daily changing menu of fresh fish, straight off the Fleetwood boats, cooked with fresh Mediterranean or Asian flavours. These can be gutsy when the fish warrants it (like grilled mackerel with chilli and cherry tomatoes), or suitably delicate (say a transluscent sea trout on a bed of peas and shards of bacon). When the day's catch (hake to monfish, lemon sole to king scallops) is gone it's gone, though menu mainstays are starters of mussels, grilled prawns or whitebait with a smoked paprika mayo. There's not another restaurant in the Lakes like it, since there's fish and only fish – and nothing comes with chips. Wine too is well judged, with some good choices by the glass from an interesting array of mostly New World producers. It's only a small restaurant, with eight or nine tables, so reservations are advised.
