After a really lovely September evening walk along the cliffs above the Bude beaches, my partner and I, hungry and getting a touch chilly, thought we’d wander into Life’s A Beach Restaurant (just above Summerleaze Beach) to enquire as to whether they had any tables free for an evening meal.

We certainly knew we’d made the right choice for dinner as soon as walked through the door – the delicious aromas made the decision for us immediately! Although the restaurant was busy, we noticed a few free tables. We were courteously shown to a corner table by the very well-mannered front-of-house. The table was already laid out and gently lit by a single candle.

After being presented with a menu and informed of the specials, I settled for the potted local crab for starters, which came with gently toasted hunks of bread, a zesty aioli and a fresh rocket salad (it had been a tough choice – my partner had the Chicken Liver Parfait with Red Onion Marmalade – it looked equally as good). My crab made for a delicious and ample starter – with enough crabmeat to lavish the bread with deep spoonfuls!

The restaurant itself is very nice – it has a functional and yet comfortable, sociable feel about it. The kitchen is semi-visible, so you can see and hear all manner of magic as it happens, and to the West, through the large windows, you have a wonderful view of the beach and (if you time it right) the sun setting over the Atlantic as you eat. The restaurant staff are all extremely friendly and polite, and visibly treats every customer with the utmost respect and courtesy.

For my main course I plumped for the locally produced steak which, I must say, was enormous and cooked exactly as I’d specified (basically waved at the pan from afar!) It came with a bed of crunchy roasted root vegetables, some meaty potato wedges and garnished with some delicious, crisp fried onions and a rich, delicious black pepper sauce. My partner had the oh-so-tender Chicken Breast wrapped in Smokey Proscuitto bacon, stuffed with a Sun-Dried Pesto and served with grilled vegetables and a creamy Potato Boulangeire. Flavours? Just a few! Delicious!

We narrowly avoided dessert, being simply too full to continue, although the Summer Fruits Eaton Mess almost swayed us, as did the cheeseboard!

Instead we rounded off with a lovely fair-trade coffee each, and were then on our way with another smile and thank you from the very gracious front-of-house. I would highly, highly recommend this restaurant to anyone – although neither of us had fish as the main course (there were several fish options on the menu) we’ve since heard that it’s one of their specialties. It’s already pencilled in for the next time we’re in Bude!