Blunos Bath

To celebrate my new job and imminent move to London, Mum and Dad treated us to dinner at Martin Blunos’ new fish restaurant in Bath. 

We’d been hearing good things about it since its opening in February and had been wanting to try it ourselves. Mum, a fish fiend, was particularly keen. 

Latvian born Martin Blunos opened his first restaurant, Lettonie, in nearby Bristol in 1988, earning his first Michelen star a year later, followed by a second shortly after in 1991. In 1997 he moved the restaurant to Bath where he lives with his family. 

His new restaurant, simply named blunos, is dedicated to serving fish and seafood. The fish is sourced from Looe and Plymouth, the oysters from Sussex and the smoked fish from Chew Valley Lake. 

The menu is short and decided daily depending on what fish they get in. As Blunos told The Bath Chronicle, “if we only have turbot, halibut and red mullet then that’s what we have. We’re also going to do Fruits de Mer and lobster and chips."

Blunos himself, known for his walrus moustache, is at the restaurant every night and greets every table, reappearing several times throughout your meal to check on you.  

The restaurant is in rather an odd location, in the basement of the The County Hotel on Pultney Street, but it doesn’t really matter as the food is so exceptional.  

As it was a sultry summer evening we began with drinks on the terrace. 

The boys went for beers, Mum a cooling preseco and I was adventurous with a Sorrento Martini- Grey goose citron vodka with limencello, lychee liquer, basil, sugar syrup and lemon juice. Sweet yet refreshing. 

The decor inside is modern and chic with mood lighting and a fish counter on full display...one angry little crab, perhaps aware of his fast approaching fate, even nipped one of the waiters as we watched on. 

First we were bought complimentary Hors d'oeuvre with an allotment theme.

Fish pâté in a rustic tin and crunchy red radishes that looked as though they had just been plucked from the soil. The creamy fish dipping accompanied the cool watery radishes perfectly. 

To start Jack had fried crispy whitebait with a harissa mayonnaise dipping sauce. 

Dad went for mussels cooked in Somerset Cider with herbs.

Mum had the special- stir fried crab claw with an asian noodle salad. She had a lot of trouble cracking that claw!

Dad had to step in...

I had a tomato gazpacho with garlic croutes and marinated prawns. It was delicious. The soup was cold and refreshing, the prawns were juicy and succulent and the garlic bread was drizzled in a warm garlic butter with sun dried tomatoes.  

For the main course, Dad and Jack went for beer battered fish, chips, chunky tartae sauce and a posh mushy pea accompaniment. 

I had crab tortellini in a sweet pink cream sauce. 

Mum had scallop ravioli with peas and a summer truffle. 

We shared a side of roasted vegetables in vinaigrette.

The food was superb and so beautifully presented.

After we’d finished there wasn’t a morsel left. 

Pudding consisted of not one, but two rounds, beginning with a fun little egg and soldiers dish.

Don’t be fooled. 

The egg shell was filled with a light vanilla mousse and the runny yolk hid a deceptive mango coulis.  The toasted soldiers were sweet sticks of shortbread. 

We shared two puddings from the main menu between us.

A pink, juicy, poached peach with almond whipped cream and sugar coated biscotti.

A posh Eton mess with homemade merengues as light as a feather, draped in homemade strawberry sauce, thick vanilla cream and fresh fruit. 

The food was absolutely fantastic, anyone in Bath who is a seafood lover has to pay this place a visit and for those who aren’t as keen there is a steak on the menu as well as a vegetarian option. 

It’s not often you dine out and get a meal this good at a reasonable price. 

Go to blunos to book your table now.