So, with a new menu launched and a reputation to maintain, it was to Loch Fyne Restaurant in Bristol to see what changes have been made and what the new menu offers!
For those of you unfamiliar with Loch Fyne, the name means Loch of the Wine and is a sea loch on the West Coast of Scotland extending some 40 miles inland, thus making it the largest sea loch in Scotland. It is also home of the Loch Fyne fisheries and restaurant company who now own some 40 plus restaurants across the UK and from where they source their oysters, mussels and langoustines that are served in their restaurants.
And so to Bristol – the restaurant is located in The Old Granary, a listed building on the waterfront close to Queens Square – a building that also fits perfectly with the company’s philosophy – which is, where possible, to use buildings that combine striking architecture with a warm and inviting ambience – so will the experience match the setting?
First impressions of the restaurant are it is light and airy with nice high vaulted windows letting in plenty of light, and the tables are well spaced, with plenty of room. The smells coming from the open plan kitchen were certainly tempting and the staff welcome was warm and friendly. What is noticeable is that the staff know the menu and are knowledgeable about what is on offer and are more than happy to talk you through it.
Our choice was a very nice dish of pot caught Devon crab salad with grapefruit, puy lentils and a hint of chilli as well as a seafood medley which consisted of seared scallops, steamed rope grown mussels and a grilled king prawn served in a nice sauce with crusty white bread. The crab was well presented, very fresh and tasted delicious, the grapefruit giving a strong citrus flavour on the palate to balance the delicacy of the crab itself. If there was a complaint, it was that the portion could have been slightly larger. The seafood medley had intense flavours from the stock complementing the tender scallops and mussels whilst the king prawn was fat and juicy – a very nice dish indeed.
When it comes to mains, there was a very good range of fish to choose from. A nice touch is the ‘fish bar’ – this allows you to choose your favourite fish and how you would like it cooked – steamed, pan-fried or grilled. You then add a sauce to your fish from a choice of hollandaise, tomato salsa, parsley or chilli and coriander butter and complement this with two side dishes – and all reasonably priced. Our choice was sea bream, which is a very delicately and almost sweet flavoured fish and if cooked right it is a delight to eat as well as sea bass. Both were delicious, but I have to say the bream was sublime – if you haven’t eaten sea bream then you should!
The wine list has a good selection and with plenty of choices under £20 for a bottle represents good value. We enjoyed a bottle of Picpoul De Pinet a nice, fresh and well balanced white wine from the Languedoc region of France, a wine that complemented the fish very nicely.
For dessert it was a classic crème brulee and a very deep and rich Belgium chocolate tart, made even richer when served with clotted cream – but if you have a sweet tooth, then also very nice.
If you are a fish lover, like well prepared and presented food, served in a nice atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff then you should give Loch Fyne a try – we weren’t disappointed and I’m sure you won’t be. To find the restaurant nearest to you visit their website at www.lochfyneseafoodandgrill.co.uk.
