Go Fish Seafood Bar & Grill, Buxton: A Fresh Catch and a Familiar Face
Published On Thursday 20 Nov 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Every so often we get a blast from the past, and this one was a really lovely one; a certain Mr Alan Hill got back in contact with us to ask if we’d like to see what he was currently up to? You bet your bottom dollar we would, sir! For those of you who don’t know, Alan is a very experienced Chef of not inconsiderable talent who we first met at The Cavendish Hotel when he was Executive Chef there. This gentleman unwittingly expanded The Man Birds’ culinary experience; as many of you know, His Nibs didn’t do ‘fishy fish’ i.e. Salmon, Tuna (basically anything other than Cod or Haddock!) and definitely NO seafood. Well, Wild Salmon was on the menu at the Chef’s Kitchen Table that Alan had invited us to [at The Cavendish] and, fearful of insulting Chef, The Man ate it…and discovered that he actually liked it. Over the years, His Nibs has continued to be a brave boy and try things every so often, usually with success. Fast forward to the present day, and Alan is now at Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill in Buxton, so The Man was feeling a lot more confident as he accepted the kind invitation for us to visit.
Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill is owned by Danny and Nicky Morris, and you may recognise the name: RGM Seafood has been run by Danny’s family for over a century – he is the fifth generation to be involved with the business. Chances are, if you’ve eaten fish or seafood in any discerning gastropub or restaurant in the area, RG Morris Seafood have supplied them! You may also be familiar with the online ‘leg’ (or should that be fin?!) of the firm: Go Fish (gofish.co.uk), the premier site for all your fish, seafood, meat and poultry needs – check them out; suddenly dinner parties will be a doddle, trust me!
Location-wise, it is very cleverly snuggled between one of those small bundles of shops, Aldi (no fresh fish counter there, so you can grab fish and then do your other shopping – fab time-management), and a new-build housing estate. Better still, from a consumer POV, there is plenty of parking - ‘on the flat’ at that, which is a rarity in Buxton. Straight ahead as you walk though the door, is the rather swish fresh counter, stocked with everything you could imagine. Before I forget, I’m going to mention the fact that you can choose what you want from the fresh counter and then have it cooked for you in the open kitchen by Alan and his team – how blooming fab is that?!
Right, let’s get down to us and our visit…
You can’t help but notice the relaxed, happy vibe that exudes throughout Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill, including in the open kitchen where all the culinary magic happens. Chef Hill and his team were hard at it, cooking up a tasty storm for diners who were already seated. It was nice to see families grabbing an early bite together, maybe ahead of going to see some fireworks? The marine theme is very much in evidence at Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill; you’ve got a trio of utterly magnificent paintings (Lobster, Shark and Crab) that burst with colour on one wall, there’s the ships’ lights that cast a diffuse glow throughout, diving helmets above the bar, and circular, port-hole style mirrors on another, wooden board-bedecked wall.
Seating is a mix of free-standing tables and chairs centrally, and peripheral tables paired with chairs and a marbled-grey fabric covered banquette that stretches the length of one side. It was at one of these side tables that we were shown to, right opposite the open kitchen. The menu at Go Fish is pretty varied, covering Meat, Poultry, Fish and Seafood, and there’s a great menu for younger diners, too. Chef Hill came over to see what we were in the mood for, and we said that we were happy to go with what he fancied serving; there aren’t many Chefs we’d trust like this, but Alan is one of them.
Aware of our gluttony, Chef wasted no time in serving up an Amuse Bouche of Spiced Mushroom Pate with Peas and Pumpkin Seeds, served with triangles of toast. Even with this intro, the presentation was nothing less than marvellous; for visual interest, the dark Pate had been placed in pastel green Lettuce leaves and decorated with Yellow Pepper as well as the pale Pumpkin Seeds and Verdant Peas. In the mouth, the Mushroom Pate was decadently earthy with a fire in its belly that crept to the back of your mouth before going “Ta-Dah!”. Sensorially, the contrast of smooth and crunchy was excellent, and we both loved the nutty Seeds and the malty hint from the toast. This was a lovely little introduction to our magical mystery [food] tour.
Shortly after placing our cutlery down, one of the serving team came to clear away the plates and we then waited to see what Alan had got in store for us for our starters. Whilst we waited, we took in the sights, sounds and smells from the open kitchen, taking a pleasure in just being able to see how the dishes all come together and wondering which ones were going to be heading our way. The arrival of a finger bowl and extra napkins (lovely thick paper ones) had us intrigued, and our ears pricked up as a member of the serving team approached.
Chef had opted for one of the specials: Grilled Whole Crevettes with Romaine Lettuce, Chimichurri and Ranch Dressing (£9.95), as well as the Knickerbocker Seafood (£12.95) which is every bit as impressive as it sounds! You could’ve knocked me down with a feather when His Nibs eagerly began tucking into the Crevettes – for someone who used to baulk at any type of Seafood, he’s come a heck of a long way. The sight of a head-on, shell-on [extra-large] King Prawn baffled His Nibs for a couple of seconds; he’s previously been used to ‘naked’ ones, but he was going to have to de-robe not just one, but four! – on this occasion. Luckily for him, I am a dab-hand at undressing shellfish, so gave him a swift masterclass, and it turned out that he’s a natural. Cue much happy chomping and licking of lips and fingers.
The Crevettes themselves were super-juicy, with that gorgeous sweet, fragrant taste to their firm flesh which was complemented by a vibrantly zesty Chimichurri and a creamy, peppery Ranch Dressing. Crisp Romaine Lettuce was a lovely textural element and one whose delicate flavour didn’t detract from the Seafood and sauces. Now, for those among you thinking “four Crevettes wouldn’t be much of a starter”, let me set you straight: the size of these beauties and the gram-for-gram protein amount, His Nibs’ appetite was more than adequately sated.
We all know how tremendous a sweet Knickerbocker [glory] is, and let me just say that Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill’s savoury version is equally astonishing, both in terms of looks and taste! The iconic Knickerbocker serving glass housed Fresh Crab, Prawns, Crayfish, Charred Watermelon and Fresh Mango, all bound in a sumptuous, homemade 1000-Island Dressing – all topped with a whole Crevette that stood like a proud parent over his babies. Truth be told, I didn’t know where to start, but the sight of The Man eyeing up my Crevette saw me starting there – he’d already scoffed four, he wasn’t having mine! A carnival of scrumminess twirled over my tongue like a culinary Mardi Gras, and my palate surrendered to the plethora of tastes and textures, the marriage of seafood and fruit paired perfectly with the rose-pink, curiously tangy-yet-sweet dressing. I absolutely adored the gentle smoky hint of the Charred Watermelon cube, it really enhanced the more fragrant, sweet parts of this starter. If I only had this to eat, I would’ve been beyond ecstatic.
As it was, there was more to come: our mains were Roasted Seabass Fillet with Braised Fennel and rich Bridlington Crab and Cucumber Sauce (£17.95) and [from the Fryery] classic, standard-sized Fish and Chips with Mushy peas and Homemade Tartare Sauce (£16.95). Clearly, the food had put us in a cracking mood and we shared the mains, playing nicely; I popped half of the Seabass Fillet over to His Nibs, and he reciprocated by giving me a large bit of the battered Haddock and some of the brilliantly tangy Tartare Sauce too.
I do like a skilfully done fillet of Seabass, and this morsel had the double privilege of a) being top-quality in its own right and, b) being cooked by a well-respected, renowned Chef. The skin was crisped to perfection, the underside zhuzhed with the merest kiss of caramel colour. Seabass is itself quite a subtle fish with a shy sweetness that can easily be overwhelmed – clearly Chef Alan Hill has been to many ’rodeos’ and paired the fillet with soft, braised Fennel whose anise notes had been tamed cleverly. Adding a bolder note, though still a very respectful one, was the mesmerising Crab and Cucumber Sauce; if I’d saved any of the bread from my Knickerbocker Seafood, this would’ve been used to mop every last scrap up. Don’t worry, I used the Chips instead from His Nibs’ meal! Crunchy Mange Tout and Tenderstem Broccoli were the final pair of ingredients in this quite marvellous dish, and what a dish it was.
You may think that classic Fish and Chips isn’t that interesting, but you’d be wrong. There is, actually, a lot that can turn this iconic British favourite from marvellous to miserable; cooking oil not hot enough (and/or old and rancid), batter not thick enough to ‘stick’ to the fish (which is then vulnerable to scorching oil), and soggy Chips. Thankfully, all these errors are avoided at Go Fish in Buxton, with the result of a jolly tasty meal that The Man was heartily tucking into.
The Haddock was firm in texture (but soft enough to flake easily) and stunningly sweet, contrasting with the beyond-crisp batter. Sorry, Mummy Bird but this batter even outshines the one you used to make…and that is going some! Without any exaggeration, this crispy, crunchy batter was good enough that you could eat it alone, and no, don’t even compare it to run-of-the-mill chippy ‘scraps’: this was whole-other level delicious. Adding their own glory to the meal were ‘proper’ Mushy Peas; not the canned imitations, those over-night-soaked ones that have a sweetness distinct to them that instantly comforts you. Waking up the palate was a chunky homemade Tartare Sauce whose tangy, salty zing cut through the rich batter beautifully, and a wedge of fresh Lemon added a bounce of refreshing acidity, somehow marrying all the individual elements together perfectly.
At this point, we were full but neither of us could resist the lure of dessert! I chose Lemon Meringue Pie and The Man fancied Honeycomb Cheesecake (both £4.95); The Man had Ice Cream with his sweet treat, I opted to go without any accompaniment.
Both desserts were individual types, rather than slices of a bigger whole, which always looks nice, I think. The first thing to catch my eye was the blow-torch delivered char that accentuated the ridges of the piped swirls of soft meringue that topped my Pie; a nice visual straight out of the gates. Whilst sweet, the Meringue wasn’t tooth-chatteringly sweet: another plus, in my opinion. The pastry case was rich and buttery, thankfully cutting easily with the fork without shattering into a million crumbs. I loved the gently face-trembling (opposed to full-on scrunch!) Citrus body of the pie, and its pleasingly mid-firm texture. Yup, this dessert was a beautifully balanced triumph, no doubt about it.
His Nibs’ Honeycomb Cheesecake was an absolute conundrum: light yet dense, impossibly silky yet punching like a heavy-weight champ. Fabulous already, when you factor in the assorted adornments that crowned it, this was quickly becoming rather special. Toffee pieces, Honeycomb bits, Chocolate balls and swathes of sauce, this minx was giving main character energy – and then some. Partnering the Cheesecake quietly but confidently was a scoop of rounded, Vanillary Ice Cream, bringing The Man’s meal to a wonderful conclusion. Well, he actually finished his meal with a cup (more like a vat!) of Coffee, whilst I finished my glass of Sauvignon Blanc. As a side note, for Fish and Seafood afficionados, Danny said that, if you book a table and give them 48hours notice, they will have your hearts’ desire on the menu for you! You can’t say fairer than that, can you?
Throughout the evening, service had been totally flawless, the team working together like a finely-tuned instrument. We had wanted for nothing, and every interaction was accompanied with a smile; it goes without saying that the food was ruddy fantastic, and Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill was spotlessly clean throughout. Danny, you have got yourself a real gem here – fancy opening a place near us??!! Hot Wings very happily given to this Buxton restaurant and fresh-counter.
To book a table at Go Fish Seafood Bar and Grill, ring 01298 72458 or you can order food to takeaway as well. Closed Sunday and Monday, the restaurant opens Tues-Sat 9am-9pm; takeaway is also shut Sunday and Monday and the serving times are slightly shorter at 9am-7pm. For those of you wanting fresh items, the counter is open 10am-4pm Monday-Friday, open Saturday 10am-2pm, and closed on Sunday.
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