Nestled in the picturesque St Ives, The Ugly Butterfly Bar at Carbis Bay Hotel is worth visiting. Initially drawn in for cocktails, our experience extended to a fabulous afternoon tea and more drinks the following day. The service exuded warmth, complimenting the breathtaking panoramic views of the sea. Perfect for those seeking a taste of Ugly Butterfly without committing to the full tasting menu (around £130pp), the bar offers inventive cocktails and delectable bar snacks.
Why Waste?
The bar uses trims and offcuts from the ingredients used in the restaurant to create delicious drinks and bar snacks. I do love a good garnish on my cocktail but at the same time they involve food waste (esp those lemon and lime wedges) and the Ugly Butterfly is all about no food waste and using the whole ingredient.
The Ugly Butterfly menu is called ‘why waste?’ menu. The flavours found in food waste ingredients are used to create their cocktails.
An example the staff member gave us was lemons. Instead of squeezing lemon for the juice, they infuse the whole lemon with a couple more ingredients then blend all of it to create their version of lemon which they call fake lemon.
Sustainable Sips:
Kev had the St Ives cider on both our visits which he enjoyed. I had these cocktails.
Bitter You Than Me £18: Casamigos blanco, Mr Black coffee liqueur, Cazcabel coffee, spent cold brew, Fee Brothers Aztec chocolate bitters. Instead of tea or champagne with my afternoon tea I opted for this cocktail. The cold brew is made with coffee granules the deli has used. The taste of this cocktail was moreish and not sweet like many other espresso martini versions I have had.
Weeds to riches £16: Cazcabel coconut Tequila, pineapple weed infused Everleaf forest, Melonade, New London Light ‘Aegean sky’, London Essence roasted pineapple soda. This came in a tall glass with a rectangle block of ice. It was so easy to sip and the cocktail has refreshing tropical notes.
Bar Snacks:
Cornish Crab & Kimchi sandwich served with chips (£15) : I can confirm this was the best crab sandwich we have ever had (or we were both very hungry). The bun was soft, crab and kimchi perfectly combined and each mouthful packed with flavour. The chips are crisp yet fluffy and perfectly fried.
Fresh oysters (£5 each): The oysters were fresh and perfect with a dash of Tabasco.
Cornish Fish & Chips (£15): The fish used depends on what they kitchen has on the day. The batter was light and the fish flaky and perfectly fried and seasoned. Their tartare sauce was amazing too. This gave us our seaside fish and chips fix.
Afternoon Tea £45
They allowed us to have one afternoon tea. I always find one per person is too much. I prefer having one afternoon tea and then buying something additional from the menu.
What I love about the Ugly Butterfly afternoon tea is as well as sandwiches they have a savoury addition too.
With a standard afternoon tea you get sandwiches, savoury items, sweet treats, scones and selection of Tregothnan tea.
Our savoury treats included four items, sandwiches included 3 different ones as well as a sausage roll and sweets included 4 treats, each delicately made. Two warm scones were delivered once we finished the savouries and sandwiches and were served with a rhubarb mocktail, rhubarb jam and clotted cream.
Surroundings
The environment is relaxing yet has a luxury feel. It is not pretentious which is something many high end places have.
Ugly butterfly is located in Carbis Bay Hotel (which you may have heard of from the G7 Summit). The restaurant and bar area has fabulous panoramic views of the sea with floor to ceiling glass windows. The decor inside is well thought out with ceiling flower decorations, hanging light bulbs , scalloped seating & mini vases. We went at lunch and the dress code was smart to casual.
Ugly Butterfly is run my Adam Handley, an award winning chef passionate about sustainability. Majority of the menu is locally sourced and the menu tells you where items are from.
The service is fantastic and the staff are friendly. They took their time to explain the menu and took pride in their job and the environment.
Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handley at Carbos Bay Estate and is somewhere I would recommend.
Want more food recommendations by the seaside? Here are some for Padstow.
