The Ugly Butterfly review

When I was younger and playing guitar was at the centre of my youthful focus, I remember my friend Alan, having the most amazing home. A large Tudor style monster, in the grounds of one of England's most desirable locations. Winding through the, seemingly never ending hallways, eventually we found ourselves standing in Alan's bedroom, his Mesa Boogie guitar amp stacked atop his speakers, stacked atop mine. There may even have been an old Marshall amp of mine amongst them. We had never had eight, 12-inch Celestion speakers, all linked together before... We had never heard the full capacity of our amplifiers... So we turned it up. We kept turning it up until we couldn't even hear our own voices as we spoke. It was awesome...like the guitar scene in 'Back to Future', where Marty is blasted across the room by an impossibly large speaker... Our stadium gigs suddenly became real (in our heads)! Now, 20+ years later, I have just one speaker... Volume no longer provides the punchiness we once craved, form and subtlety has taken over. Getting it "right" is an endless search, but the drive to find it... the new 8x12 inch speaker with the volume to 11... has evolved.

The 'Ugly Butterfly' is a bit like us as teenagers, stood in Alan's bedroom with guitars saddled across our torsos, turning everything up to eleven... OK, maybe not quite, there's some serious talent here... but Adam Handling, the patron and executive chef, definitely knows how to deliver the loud, unadulterated punch, though... it's just depends how tough your chin is, as to whether or not you consider it a knock out blow.

Let's not get off on the wrong foot, the level of skill that goes into these dishes is mind blowing. For the visual eaters among us, it's akin to a trip to MoMA in New York. It's faultless in its delivery.

Set on banks of Carbis Bay, the one thing that cannot be disputed, however, is the view. From every area of the restaurant or bar, the floor-to-ceiling windows make it impossible to ignore the golden sand of the beach and the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic ocean. It's an enviable site to have secured, providing both the glorious light of the summer sun, and a sense of cosmic relaxation... To work here must feel like a treat.

You would be forgiven for being wowed by the view before you'd even sat down in, what is a very understated dining room. Two large sky lights, surrounded in bouquets of dried flowers light the centre, on a dull day, and the open kitchen provides some great insights into the calm control of service, but otherwise, it's nothing more than three white walls and unremarkable furniture. In a similar trait to that of the world famous, Mugaritz in the Basque region of Spain, it's quite clear that aesthetics do not form a part of the adventure... your eyes are not drawn to the detail of the decor, favouring only that of the outdoors... and the food holds almost every acknowledgeable detail, which will be questioned and mulled over for weeks to come.

Starting the meal with a selection of "snacks" is the only way to get a real feel for the theatre of Ugly Butterfly. A porcelain egg, starts the journey, filled with a deep, rich sauce, with potato and caviar adding texture and saltiness... A quick splash of water, added to its bowl, elevates your perceptions as smoke from dry ice fills the table, making everyone turn and stare with wonder. An old trick, perhaps, but definitely not one that fails to ignite imagination. As the smoke dies down, the waiter suggests eating all five dishes in a specific order, which you inevitably forget... but the truth is, I didn't think each offering complimented the next, particularly. That's not to say that they weren't individually great, though, because they were. However, the last on the list, a beef and kimchi roll, topped with an edible flower, did prove to show where the story was leading.

A theme of sourness, on hostile flavours, fighting in opposition to the salty caviar, the richness of a mushroom or the sweetness of a tomato, was, in some cases, the story's protagonist AND antagonist... Beef tar tar, with a tang so intense that pickled onion Monster Munch would be envious, is not the kind of sensation you forget in a hurry. Perhaps thats the point. But I cannot help but feel that, for me, it was a step too far to be both meaningful and enjoyable. Memorable, absolutely. These tangy themes were continued in a number of dishes, some more subtle than others, but this direction did risk our overall satisfaction.

However, when subtlety was added... Ooh la laa... Those bubbling eggs were outrageously good... Cod with carrot puree and grilled bok choi, perfectly balanced... I could have just had these on their own with the tarragon sorbet, a palate cleanser, as a dessert.

It's hard to sum up a restaurant of this quality and contrast. It will no doubt have its critics, its flavours are not to everyone's taste. But you cannot deny its ability to make you question how you look at cooking. Perhaps, if you're an avid cook at home, you will even implement some new ideas into your own dishes... only time will tell.

But as the misquotation of Marilyn Monroe goes: "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring".