The best way to arrive at Ugly Butterfly is via a muddy-booted walk along the coastal path linking St Ives with Carbis Bay. High above the railway line, it offers breathtaking views across St Ives Bay and parts of the walk are certainly steep enough to make you work up an appetite. Not that many of our fellow diners turning up at Ugly Butterfly appeared to have walked that far for dinner.
Judging from the number of Teslas and Range Rovers with blackened out windows in the nearby car park, the majority of guests had either driven straight there or were staying at the luxurious Carbis Bay Hotel itself - a short walk away but there are golf buggies available should you need a more door-to-door arrival. Opened in the summer of 2021, Ugly Butterfly is a standalone restaurant at the hotel’s exclusive Ocean Venue. It’s owned by the celebrated London-based Michelin star chef Adam Handling and although it's on the Carbis Bay estate, it's a separate business.
The restaurant’s unusual name reflects the fact its ethos is all about sustainability and no waste. The mantra is that there is no such thing as an ugly butterfly and chefs can still make beautiful dishes by using up off-cuts, trimmings and peelings. And there’s certainly nothing ugly about the view either.
OK, on the day we visited, the sky was more slate grey than electric blue, but tables face huge windows overlooking the beach below and just miles of sea. The restaurant is large, spacious, airy and has an open kitchen .