Relentless, Southsea
Scott Matthews is a chef in a hurry. After working as head chef of one of the area's better fish restaurants, the 23-year-old decided to open his own place.
His fish, steak and lobster house is now part of Southsea's varied eating out choices.
Naming it Relentless after his father's fishing boat, his aim is simple: to cook fish caught by his dad and to use other local produce.
Scott has transformed the premises into a two-tier restaurant which leaves a smile on your lips. The walls are mauve, the tablecloths white, the dcor simple and charming. A fish tank contains lobsters and crabs.
'Our restaurant is like no other in town: our food is cooked in our open kitchen in front of your eyes', says a card. Well, it's not exactly novel. Restaurants have been doing this for decades, if not since man started cooking over fire.
The menu is eclectic: frogs' legs; lemon sole fillets with tartare sauce; 'classic' fish stew; home smoked tempura chicken and goose rillettes might tempt as starters.
Fish and chips; whole local dover sole with lemon parsley butter; 28-day Birchstead 8oz rump, fillet or 10oz sirloin steak; Buckwells rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and a goat's cheese tart join whole local lobster, the latter at 23.50, most mains around the 15-16 mark, starters around 6. You might find a brownie or ice cream for afters.
The service is appealing, the young team delightful, very solicitous and efficient. Some of the edges need a tad more polish though: they didn't know what Birchstead was.
And restaurants shouldn't offer an appetiser without telling customers there's a charge. Some snails which came across as being gratis landed an extra 3.50 on my bill. Niggles apart, youthful exuberance is written all over Relentless.
My meat starter, smoked duck salad with rocket and red onions tasted and looked like smoked ham, the smoking far too strong.
Fish next. Local cracked crab with lemon mayo, baby potatoes, mixed salad leaves and a half a pint of prawns (14.50) was a knockout. Pure theatre. The huge crab, emptied of its dark meat, was presented whole, the gigantic cracked claws a source of sweet white meat.
The salad turned out to be yet more rocket – three vast platefuls so far including the one with the snails – and was left. But not the totally moreish, well-sourced boiled then sauteed new potatoes, the lemon mayo a perfect foil for the exquisite crab.
Relentless is definitely one of the better restaurants to open recently in Southsea. But a little more attention to detail wouldn't come amiss. My bill came to 26.45, with a good glass of Chilean white but not including a tip.
Relentless, 85 Elm Grove, Southsea PO5 1JF
(023) 9282 2888
Open: Seven days a week from 6.30pm–late
Food: ****
Service: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Disabled access: Wheelchair access downstairs is fine.
How to get there: Elm Grove is off Victoria Road North. The restaurant is on the right. Parking is on-street.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -4 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
