Chef/fisherman couple aim to put a new Port Isaac restaurant on the map.

The husband and wife owners of a new restaurant on the North Cornwall coast are hoping to fill a gap in the market for good quality, affordable dining in the area.

Emily Brown, chef and co-owner of The Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac, creates daily changing menus which combine her French culinary training with the best locally-produced ingredients - including fish and shellfish landed daily in the village.

Emily’s husband, John, is a Port Isaac fisherman, and provides The Harbour with a steady supply of freshly-caught sea bass, mackerel, crab and lobster. When he’s not out in his boat, John can also be found running the front of house at The Harbour, or singing sea shanties on the harbourside with his group The Fishermen’s Friends on summer evenings.

“At The Harbour Restaurant, we wanted to provide a place where people could be spontaneous and go out for a relaxed supper, have some really good food and wine, without having to break the bank,” said Emily.

“Our whole ethos is about serving good food and good wine at good prices. Finding somewhere in the area to go out for a relaxing meal with a decent bottle of wine at under £30 a head was quite difficult, and so the idea for The Harbour was born.”

After purchasing the 15th century property in July last year, The Harbour underwent a whirlwind six week £50,000 refurbishment to open in mid-August. The premises, which were formerly operated as ‘The Harbour Café’, have been tastefully transformed into a relaxing, informal venue.

Emily and her team went from a standing start to running a fledgling business flat-out in the height of the summer season, sometimes working double shifts and managing to balance her role as a mother to three young children, as well as running Sea Pinks, her vintage style accessories shop.

“Last summer was incredibly hectic, we had to put together a new team of staff in the kitchen and front of house. We’ve had a couple of months to get used to things, and devised a great menu which uses John’s catch wherever possible,” said Emily, who previously ran Browns in Port Isaac. “It has been a real challenge to get back in the kitchen after a few years, and we’re all looking forward to a great year in 2008.”

The Harbour has the feel of a wonderful French bistro, with a friendly, cosy, seaside atmosphere and informal feel. The restaurant’s location at the top of the slipway gives constantly changing views of the busy harbour from each table across the rocky coastline and out to sea.

Emily’s cooking is characterised by a fresh, seasonal menu based on excellent local produce, matched with a wine list featuring great vintages from smaller vineyards at very affordable prices.

With ingredients sourced from trusted local producers, almost everything she uses has been grown, caught or reared in Cornwall. Seafood is landed, literally, on the doorstep. Cornish cheeses, the best of the season’s vegetables, and meat from nearby farms are all transformed into a contemporary menu with French, British and Italian influences.

There are choices for everyone, including vegetarians, and everything is freshly cooked from scratch, from the homemade cakes and pastries to the dressings and sauces.

The wine list features interesting vintages from small, well-respected vineyards. With an emphasis on French varieties, the wine list is chosen specifically to complement the menu; the wines available change often so there is always something new and exciting to try.

As with the food, the wine list is priced very fairly, enabling diners to enjoy a great meal at a very reasonable price.

“We want to offer real good value in our wine list. Our house wines are under £13 a bottle, and the mid-range wines are very reasonably priced,” said Emily. “We don’t believe in putting a huge markup on our wine; we think it’s much more important that our customers enjoy the wines, and we’d much rather they were drunk than sitting in the cellar collecting dust.”

The restaurant reopens on February 7th 2008, and throughout half term is open every day from 10am for coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (no dinner on Sundays). Between half term and Easter The Harbour will open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday).

The Harbour’s cosy and intimate ambiance makes the restaurant the perfect place to celebrate St Valentine’s Day on Thursday 14th February. A limited number of tables are still available - for reservations phone Emily on 01208 880237.