Cafe Ode has opened at the top of the car park on the high point in
Shaldon, South Devon, known as The Ness. The man responsible is Tim Bouget, chef-owner of Ode restaurant just down the road in Shaldon village. His eco-credentials are very high - he won the national award 2012 for
Sustainable Restaurant of the Year (runners up River Cottage and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons!)
and has renovated the old stable buildings in a sympathetic yet ultra-modern way.
At the moment there are loads of refectory style benches and tables outside and one table inside (very similar to the ones at Eden Project and Town Mill Bakery, Lyme Regis). Within a month there will be indoor seating and a huge sunshade over part of the terrace.
The food and drink is very high quality - wonderful ice creams (the raspberry sorbet is heavenly and so is the butterscotch ice cream) in tasty proper wafer cones but the prices are kept low to keep the customers flowing through. The food kind of 'rolls out' - there's no fixed menu (maybe there will be later?) but there's a chalkboard where specials appear throughout the day, a bacon and chilli jam bap for elevenses with a square of sticky homemade gingercake, and then a couple of hours later a platter of Devon produce or a salmon and potato salad...and proper fish and chips in the early evening.
I haven't yet tried the fish and chips, but I saw the fish guy delivering the (line caught in the Lyme Bay) fish and it looked wonderful.
This place has got to be a top priority for summer dining at any time of the day. Views, great value, lovely staff, beaches on the doorstep and great food. Simple really.
Open 10am - 7pm. Closed Tuesdays