Seafood restaurant review: Westpoint, Westcliff, Bournemouth

Open just two months ago, Westpoint is fast gaining a reputation as one of the must-visit restaurants in town.

This may have something to do with the man in the kitchen, renowned seafood chef John Sanderson, who is committed to putting the restaurant on the map.

Former head chef at the Carlton, Dormy, Ship In Distress and more recently Henleys at the Montague Hotel, John has created a menu that’s got everything for the fish lover, but with plenty of other meat choices.

Situated opposite the Hop Inn on the corner of St Michael’s Road at the hub of bustling Westcliff, Westpoint is clean, smart and unfussy and the staff are friendly and attentive.

With so many fish choices – bream, halibut, plaice, cod and whole roasted seabass included – it would have been rude not to dive in. My homemade salmon and dill fishcakes were real winners and the white wine sauce with shallots, baby capers and tomato worked perfectly with them.

My wife was similarly impressed by her hefty starters of sizeable and very tasty mussels cooked in garlic, shallots and cream.

Of course, the done thing in these circumstances is to choose two different main courses so I can tell you how they both fared.

But chef John Sanderson was so persuasive about the seabass fillets that weren’t on the menu that we both had to succumb… and how right he was.

Sitting on a bed of mash and asparagus and surrounded by melt-in-your-mouth scallops, the light and tasty fish was a perfect choice.

The dessert menu may be small, but according to my wife, the sticky toffee pudding is the best she’s ever tasted, although it did come without the customary accompanying custard (which meant my own dessert of delicious ice cream ended up a blob short!).

Westpoint may be in its infancy as a restaurant, but John’s presence in the kitchen will soon start tongues wagging… and tastebuds tingling.

Our three-course meal, without drinks, came to £56.70.

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