IT was a warm and sunny summer’s evening when the Other Half and checked out Tom Sellers’ MOR restaurant at the Carbis Bay Hotel. We were teen-free, and what better way to maximise the opportunity than to dine with a Michelin-starred chef in one of Cornwall’s most picturesque resorts?

Best known as chef-patron of Restaurant Story in London, Tom Sellers opened in the capital in 2013 at just 26 years old, earning his first Michelin star within five months and a second in 2021. His cooking is defined by seasonality, storytelling and a deep respect for provenance, so it figures that his Cornish outpost should be shaped by its coastal surroundings.

Taking its name from the Cornish word for sea, MOR has been designed as a reflection of Cornwall and its seasons, with a menu celebrating ingredients from trusted local fishermen and growers. There’s even some Kernewek (Cornish language) on the menu.

Sellers promises “a visionary approach and signature storytelling, working with world-class produce” – but would MOR deliver?

We arrived early and headed to the beach to soak up the atmosphere. With its impossibly pale sand and azure waters, it really was looking its best and things were busy beachside: families, paddleboarders, even a wedding party posing for pictures. It was hard to believe life could get any better.

Then we walked through the doors, past Mor’s open-plan kitchen and its centrepiece Cornish granite fireplace, to our table by the panoramic windows. With Godrevy in the distance and sunset in the offing, it was easy to see why this place was chosen to host world leaders for the G7 summit in 2021.

It’s hard to tear your gaze from this spectacular view, but needs must. Maitre d’ Darren was on hand to take us through the menu, advising us to choose two or three small plates each and a sharing main. We made our choices over a punchy appetiser of chilled tomato and honeymoon melon broth.

Being invited to choose funky chopstick holders – mine a plump pussycat, his an origami bird – was a fun touch indicative of MOR’s relaxed vibe. With its breezy service and modern music, MOR may be super-cool, but it isn’t overly pretentious, something reflected in head of wine Tara’s wine guidance; her top tip for something a little different was a chilled red with the irreverent named Pour Ma Gueule (For My Gob), which was the perfect complement for the dishes that were starting to arrive thick and fast.

As with all good Cornish seafood restaurants, fish is determined by the morning’s catch, displayed on the MOR counter for guests to choose. All the talk that day was of the 70kg blue-fin tuna that had come into the kitchen at around 5.30am. We opted for the warm taster dish served with grilled peaches, PX vinegar and jalapeno (tartare was also available).

This was joined by melt-in-the-mouth wagyu beef with horseradish dip; a succulent Porthilly oyster for OH (I’m not a fan, but he swore it was perfection); and an eye-popping dish of fritto misto, a lucky dip of tempura-battered courgette, beans, squid and anchovies.

The trick was to leave enough room for our shared main: oven-baked crisp seafood rice. Think a superior paella topped with a smorgasbord from Cornish waters: mackerel, clams, langoustines. It was stunning to behold and utterly delicious, washed down with a white albarino on Tara’s advice. Alternatives include whole fish – including sea bass, red mullet and plaice when we visited - served grilled or steamed with garden salad, potatoes and house condiments; Cornish crab tableside; and meats from the Cornwall Project (lamb) and Launceston’s Philip Warren (T-bone steak, a splurge at £170 but tempting).

By now, we were staving off a food coma, but we’re never beaten enough to deny dessert. OH opted for Trevaskis Farm strawberries with Jasmine rice soft serve - described as “a posh Mr Whippy” (OH is a big fan of the airy ice cream treat), while I was gently persuaded to go for the medjool date and custard tart inspired by Australian chef Neil Perry. God, it was good – light as a feather, sweet and smooth, with a shade of fig roll taking me back to my gran’s living room (nostalgia being the ultimate compliment).

I’m a sucker for dessert wine, and just loved the Japanese Yamada Juno plum sake, described as “quaffable” by Tara and who am I to argue?

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at MOR. The service was attentive and informative, the view was fabulous and the food – well, chef’s kiss. Cornwall deserves a restaurant like this, and the fact that it’s delivered in a location as stunning as Carbis Bay is the icing on the cake.

We’re certainly hoping to be back for MOR.