3 Courses at Oliver’s in Falmouth

I actually don’t know if it’s possible for me to only have 2 courses when I’m out for a meal…

I mean I start out with good intentions and say to myself ‘ahh I’m really in a savoury mood today, I’d much rather have a starter than a dessert’, but by the end of the meal (even though I’m usually already pretty full), I can’t help myself crave something sweet!

Maybe my future tactic should be main course and dessert… skipping the starter to save money AND my jeans.

Alas, we didn’t think of this when we visited Oliver’s last week. We went for all three courses in the end thanks to our combined love of food and lack of will power!

Oliver’s is a Falmouth-based restaurant, tucked away just off the main street in a quirky cafe-style dining room. It’s well known for being in the Top 3 restaurants in Falmouth on Tripadvisor, and in the Top 5 in Cornwall too! Featuring in the Michelin Guide, Oliver’s uses seasonal, locally sourced ingredients to create delicious, modern dishes.

We arrived around 7pm and were welcomed in by front of house who let us pick a table and served us our drinks. I have to say I was so impressed with how friendly and lovely the staff were all evening – they made us feel right at home!

For starters, I chose the smoked salmon, crab and avocado tartlet topped with caviar, sweet peppers and tangerine. It was an amazing combination and included everything I love (I’m a bit obsessed with salmon, crab and avocado, so it took me approximately 0.32579 seconds to choose this option for my first course!).

Meanwhile Alex went for the Fisherman’s bisque with quail egg fishcakes and aleoli. I tried some (of course) and loved it – it was super peppery and warming and the perfect option for a first course.

I love my fish and risotto, so had to opt for the grilled hake with seafood risotto for mains. It was amazing but so so filling and rich; I could totally eat that again right now… *drools*

^ Alex’s duck with potato confit main course was apparently super good today!

My main critique about Oliver’s would be the initial atmosphere when we arrived. The dining area was quite well-lit – which was fantastic for taking nice photos but could have been a little more atmospheric – but the main issue was the lack of music. I think there was some very very faintly in the background but I couldn’t hear it at all.

^ The delicious citrus tart with raspberry sorbet

The lack of music and sound wasn’t an issue by 8pm when the restaurant had filled up and everyone was chatting away, but when we first came in (as the second couple in the whole place), it felt very quiet and our voices were very easily overheard. I would just have preferred to have some louder music playing over the top to mask our words and create more of an atmosphere!

I also feel in general that Oliver’s branding is a little confused. This may just be me being a picky brand designer (it is my job afterall!), but there was not much consistency in things such as the decor, signage, menus and even down to the website. It all feels a bit muddled together, and they don’t even use the same logo all the time.

^ My favourite meal of the evening – the chocolate orange mousse! This was so rich but completely scrummy and I would 100% recommend

Again, this probably sounds very fussy but I’m of the belief that consistent branding is so important for the memorability and professionalism of a business, and I couldn’t help but notice it. That being said, Oliver’s have clearly built a fantastic name for themselves without all this, and seem to be full most nights without worry – so maybe all that doesn’t matter!

^ Just take a look at that mousse 😍

Overall, although I would have loved a bit of music and atmosphere at the start, the food was great and we had a wonderful evening. I’d certainly recommend it for a special meal and would be interested in trying it out for lunch, where the atmosphere and light thing is slightly less important, and you can just sit in the window and watch the world go by whilst eating delicious food.

Read more and book a table on the Oliver’s website.