The ideal way to reach Ugly Butterfly is through a muddy-booted stroll along the coastal path that connects St Ives with Carbis Bay. Elevated above the railway line, it provides stunning views across St Ives Bay and certain parts of the walk are steep enough to work up an appetite.
However, it didn’t seem like many of our fellow diners at Ugly Butterfly had embarked on such a long walk for their meal. Judging by the number of Teslas and Range Rovers with tinted windows in the nearby car park, most guests had either driven directly there or were guests at the plush Carbis Bay Hotel itself – a brief walk away but golf buggies are available for a more door-to-door arrival.
Ugly Butterfly, which opened its doors in the summer of 2021, is a standalone restaurant at the hotel’s exclusive Ocean Venue. It’s owned by the renowned London-based Michelin star chef Adam Handling and while it’s located on the Carbis Bay estate, it operates as a separate business.
The restaurant’s unique name mirrors its commitment to sustainability and zero waste. The guiding principle is that there is no such thing as an ugly butterfly and chefs can still create exquisite dishes using off-cuts, trimmings and peelings.
And there’s certainly nothing ugly about the view either. OK, on the day we visited, the sky was more slate grey than electric blue, but tables face huge windows overlooking the beach below and just miles of sea.
The restaurant is large, spacious, airy and has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at close quarters. There are dried flowers hanging from the ceiling and pendant lights illuminated the tables.
It all sets the scene for a tasting menu that’s fiercely seasonal and proudly uses hyper-local produce from Cornish growers, farmers, fishermen and suppliers. I couldn’t see anything on the menu that wasn’t local, which is quite an undertaking for any kitchen but it’s worth the effort. Even the lemons are local – they’re grown by Cornish Citrus on a farm near Portscatho.
Each dish is delivered by two members of staff – one carrying the large tray as the other explains each plate of food in granular detail. As somebody who could never be described as the Amazing Memory Man, most of the lengthy descriptions of what the chefs did to each ingredient are a little hazy but it essentially involved using every single thing they could, from tomato skins to leftover chicken fat.
And if that triggers alarm bells that the food might be the sort of dreary, beige dishes you find in some trendy ‘no waste’ places, you couldn’t be more wrong. The vibrant food is beautifully presented, twinned with luxurious ingredients and packed with layers of flavour.
There was a silky, foamy pea soup with an intensely ‘pea-y’ flavour topped with a crunchy rubble of chopped smoked almonds. And then there was a dish described simply as ‘Cornish golden grains, chicken butter’ that was a sort of deconstructed Sunday roast chicken with a skewer of indecently tender thigh meat, a soft bun made using Cornish grain, velvety chicken liver mousse and butter anointed with rich chicken gravy and skin. I’m still thinking about that dish.
Next, skinless heritage cherry tomatoes were teamed with the freshest white crab meat and basil, the tomato skins turned into an intense consommé. This was followed by a piece of perfectly cooked Cornish lobster with a sweet but sharp foam of carrot and citrus to be mopped up with a brioche-like roll in the shape of a scallop shell. Ingenious.
A succulent piece of lamb from nearby Tregullas turned up with a varnish-like sauce, and a dainty tartlet of braised lamb topped with finely sliced courgette.
After a bracing palate cleanser of cucumber, apple and ‘waste’ wine sorbet, there was a rich and decadent dessert of bite-size chocolates brought together with caramel and salted clotted cream sorbet. There was also a pannacotta-like puck of Cornish honey, lemon and verbena with delicate tuilles the shape of small butterflies.
At £135 per person before you even get stuck into the brilliant and serious wine list, Ugly Butterfly may not be for everybody but it was fully booked when we visited and tables are hard to secure all year round.
The food is inventive, interesting and beautifully executed, the concept inspired. The restaurant also has one of the most stunning views of any in the South West, what’s not to like? I certainly won’t forget the meal in a hurry, that’s for sure.