Welcome To Samphire Restaurant Bar

Here at Samphire we pride ourselves on using the finest, locally farmed, produce available in the UK. And it doesn't stop there. We feel that the same level of care should be taken to prepare and cook this food for your pleasure - so that's what we do.
We use organic and traditionally produced foods from our network of suppliers, people who share our passion for quality and for taste. Many of the ingredients are organically certified and we are always adding to our ever growing list. We sell Fair Trade coffees, juices and sugars and all the seafood we buy is fished within eco-friendly guidelines.

We take a real interest in where our ingredients have come from, we work with our suppliers to ensure traceability for all our foods. Come along and taste the difference - even our ice cream is so fresh, it doesn't even melt on the way to us!

Large, Heated, Outdoor Courtyard!!!

Fish, Fish, Fish at Samphire

New fish menu at Samphire, mezes and fish plates being served in our heated Al fresco dining area. We also still have all the favourites in the meat section of the menu so there is something for everyone at Samphire.

press article from"Lifestyle", october 2007

Scaling the culinary heights

Lynsey Roberts visits Samphire restaurant in Hale

First it was a café then it turned its attention to organic fare and now it is trying its hand at 6sh and so far with resounding success. Samphire - formerly known as Nectar and before that Station Café Bar - may only have been open in its current guise for a matter of months but it is already taking Hale by storm.

Positioned just off the beaten track on Victoria Road its high calibre cuisine and inviting premises have guaranteed packed tables both at weekends and through the week. And according to owner Jeremy Al- Radhi the secret to this instant success is quite simple. "It's all about quality. We buy quality and we have quality people both cooking and greeting. It's all about not buying something cheap and then selling it as something cheap. It's buying quality and making it into quality."

With head chef Ashley Clarke at the helm, Samphire - named after the green food plant found on Britain's coastline - prides itself on its wide selection of fresh and wherever possible locally sourced produce. The dishes that come out of the kitchen are widely varied in terms of both the fish used and the influences they reflect, incorporating styles from the far east, Europe and closer to home. At the same time though, the dishes demonstrate an understanding of the importance of utilising the fresh flavours of the main product and plates often bring together just a handful of ingredients with tasty results.

Lunch menus and speciality nights including the very popular fortnightly fish and chips night also provide an opportunity to sample the Samphire magic in different forms.

And it is not just the menu that has seen a significant overhaul with the rebranding. Since Jeremy took over the building three and a half years ago there have been substantial alterations. As Station Cafe Bar it was half the establishment's current size and as Nectar it had, as Jeremy himself admits a "quite dark" decor style.

This has now gone and the pale interior is bathed in light from large windows and simple hanging bulb- style lighting. Raw materials are used in abundance to make the most of the old building.

Jeremy explained: "We wanted to lighten it up and give it that New England style with a sit down fish bistro type feel where people can relax instantly the moment they walk in the door."

Unusually, a paved path also works its way from the front door right through the property to the cosy outdoor dining area. The style has the effect of both bringing the outdoors in and indoors out, seamlessly connecting the two spaces.

The outdoor seating is a draw in itself, allowing former holiday goers the chance to prolong that relaxed al fresco eating experience well into the autumnal months with the help of heaters and heart warming food. The sign in the window at Samphire says booking is recommended and when taking into consideration the quality of food, the relaxed atmosphere and the levels of service it is not difficult to see why.

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