Pleasures Pursued: Prandial Pleasure - Clapboard cuisine
Financial Times Surveys, Surveys MAG, Sec. FT WEEKEND MAGAZINE - Pleasures Pursued, p 42 - 05-14-2005 - By SHARLENE GOFF

Home-baked pies and cream teas might seem the perfect feast for a day in the English countryside. But those brave enough to venture out of the traditional pubs and tearooms for an evening on Dorset's windy shores will be rewarded with a fantastic alternative to typical west-country fare.

Tucked away on the beautiful world heritage site of Lulworth Cove is a rickety beachside cafe that transforms after dark.

At lunchtime, it is a casual eatery offering sandwiches to a band of nature-loving day-trippers; on weekend evenings it becomes a quirky, candlelit restaurant serving a dressed-up catch of the day.

Selecting a dish should have been simple - there were only three starters and main courses to pick from - but we were still spoilt for choice. I eventually plumped for scallops wrapped in bacon in a mild chilli dressing and the sea bream stuffed with feta and peppers. Both dishes were delicious.

The atmosphere in the cafe is unpretentious, and as the waves break against the clapboard sides it provides a cosy retreat. Although it is part of the neighbouring Lulworth Beach Hotel, the Beach Cafe is not licensed to sell alcohol but the owners are more than encouraging that you take along a bottle or two of your own and they do not charge corkage.

And you might be grateful of a tipple as, depending on the mood of the chef, the cafe is prone to another metamorphosis: the end of dinner can be cue to music and dancing late into the evening.

But anyone with a sweet tooth should be warned: the pudding menu is limited. However, in keeping with the more conventional British beach cafe, you can order a Mr Whippy ice-cream cone.

And if you have any energy left the next morning, a stroll around the local cliffs and beaches, which rumour says were the inspiration for J.M. Barrie's Neverland, is not a bad way to clear the head.

The Beach Cafe, Lulworth Cove, Dorset, 01929 400 648.