Savour the seafood at these stylish beachside restaurants

Food Miles

(PRESS PICTURE)

Being a sun worshipper doesn't mean you have to drop your culinary standards.

The world's coastlines are home to some fine eating establishments with top-line chefs making the most of the bounty of the sea, as well as more earthbound ingredients, so you don't have to stray too far from the sun lounger for fine cuisine.

Just a few minutes' walk from the beach, the striking, burnt-oak-clad, semi-circular shaped Rocksalt in Folkestone, Kent (01303 884 633; rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk), overlooks the harbour. Day boats supply chef Mark Sargeant (formerly head chef at Claridges) with fresh fish for dishes such as "Red Herring" (beetroot cured smoked mackerel) and grilled squid with lime and chilli.

Bask in the glorious Côte d'Azur weather and seascape right on the sand in the stylish contemporary surroundings of Hi Beach, Nice (04 97 14 00 83; hi-beach.net). You can watch a skilled sushi chef prepare nigiri, maki and sashimi in an open kitchen, enjoy a classic salade niçoise or a strawberry mojito at the Bar de la Plage.

There are beautiful sandy beaches and modern seafood on the menu at the Tanjong Beach Club, Singapore (00 65 6270 1355; tanjongbeachclub.com), where New York-trained chef Craig Schantz offers warm octopus salad with smoked paprika and garlic vinaigrette, and spicy crab spaghetti with espelette pepper and caviar. The bar offers modern takes on classics such as a vodka martini made with lemongrass syrup, lychee and apple juice.

Sit on the outdoor terrace at the Carbon Beach Club restaurant, Malibu (00 1 310 456 6444; malibubeachinn .com), for the best views of the Pacific Ocean. California meets Pacific Rim fusion food is served in this refined dining room with dark wood interiors and white leather chairs plus picture windows that make the most of the sunny vista. Try the Idaho grain-fed trout with sweet potato ravioli and coconut lemongrass beurre blanc, or enjoy the lamb loin with seared banana and foie gras.

Chef Sean Moran uses the produce from his own farm and other small suppliers for the succinct, regularly changing blackboard menus at his informal, buzzy Sean's Panaroma restaurant, at Bondi Beach, Sydney (00 61 2 93654924; seanspanaroma .com.au). Port Stephens oysters come with home-made apple cider vinegar while the yabby tail chowder is embellished with pork sausage and a kick of chilli oil.

"Eurobbean" cooking is on the menu at the Edge restaurant in Rodney Bay, St Lucia (00 758 450 3343; edge-restaurant.com). Swedish chef Bobo Bergstrom combines his classical culinary training with the local style to produce dishes such as star anise roast duck breast on sesame crouton with guava dressing and cumin syrup, and jerk beef tenderloin steak with a carrot and yam tart, seasoning pepper and coffee gravy. Fusion food that is just as pretty as this waterfront setting.