Our Man in Milliways - Loch Bay Seafood Restaurant, Isle of Skye
Created | Updated Jun 16, 2010
Loch Bay Seafood Restaurant
In one of the far flung corners of the isle of Skye, in the tiny hamlet of Stein, on the Waternish peninsula, you will find Loch Bay seafood restaurant. Yes it's a long way to go, but yes it is so worth the journey.
Situated in a teeny room in a little white washed cottage on the shores of the sea, with views of the setting sun over the Outer Hebrides, the location and setting alone make this a memorable place to visit. And make no mistake, it's hard to get to. Once on the island of Skye itself, reached by the new bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh, or by either of the ferries - the little one at Glen Elg, or the main CalMac one which plies the route between Mallaig and Armadale - Stein is about an hour away. It lies on the Waternish peninsula, one of the fingers stretching out into the sea on Skye's north western corner.
The star of the show here is undoubtedly seafood, and if you don't like fish, there are few alternatives for you. However, the choice of fresh fish, which changes daily, is stunning, and the unobtrusive accompaniments (veg of the day or salad, boiled potatoes or their own triple cooked and very tasty chips) play second fiddle to the main attraction. All of the ingredients are sourced locally where possible, and the names of the suppliers are listed in the menu.
I started with surf clams served in a thin saffron cream, whilst Dai went for the traditional soup of smoked haddock, Cullen Skink. My clams were delicate and tender, and the saffron jus complimented their velvetty texture beautifully. Dai's soup was bursting with sea-fresh tang, without being over salty, and was served with a basket of delicious fresh brown bread.
For the main course I chose the seared scallops with lime and coriander. They were perfectly cooked, sweet and juicy inside with just the right hint of crispness on the outside. Dai's garlic langoustines were large and plump, and were served ready halved to make it easier to eat. He's a bit fussy about cracking claws and that sort of malarkey, so I got to do all the fun stuff, and eat the treasure that I extracted from the red shell as well.
The selection of puddings was delectable, and it took me some time to decide on the moist almond cake with citrus syrup, while Dai went for another classic Scottish recipe - Clootie Dumpling, a steamed fruit pudding. His only complaint was that it had been presented prettily sitting on a puddle of cream, whereas he'd have preferred the cream to be sloshed over the top of it.
The wine list was very good, and they had a decent selection of half bottles, including a rather nice Chablis at £14.50, which went extremely well with the fish. The total bill, including the wine, 2 vodkas and a Gaelic coffee, came to £85.
The restaurant is very popular, and boasts a number of famous clients such as visiting actors, so reservations are strongly recommended - I lost count of the casual passers-by who had started to salivate on reading the menu printed by the door, only to leave crest-fallen on being informed that there were no tables available.
The service was impeccable - very friendly without being obtrusive. The only flaw that I found was that, seated right by the front door, I was subjected to a blast of cold air every time the door opened.
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