IF YOU’D just watched a documentary that warned that the world’s fish stocks were doomed, would you pop to a seafood restaurant to discuss the matter?
To be honest, I would, but some folk might balk at it. And yet, apparently one reason why a revamped Loch Fyne was doing brisk business on a Monday night was because (we were told by the chirpy Canadian assistant manager, Keelin) several cinema buffs had dropped in after viewing End of the Line at the Phoenix next door.
It has to be said that the movie fans ought to be given the benefit of the doubt.
For a start, Loch Fyne offers meat as well as fish (although the doomsayers would claim that noshing on animals is a cardinal sin too).
And the company is keen to reassure punters that it isn’t sucking the oceans dry.
Hence customers hankering after tuna are likely to go away disappointed. The chain is also emphasising that some of its produce is from close to home – the sea bass is from Anglesey, rather than fish farms in Greece, for example.
I was pleased to be informed that the bream I asked for had been pulled out of the North Sea rather than hailing from a sun-kissed, but distant, factory project.
TELL ME ABOUT THE RELAUNCH.
I hadn’t been to Loch Fyne for a few years, and wondered how different it would be as I accepted an invitation to revisit the restaurant.
It looked familiar – a bar near the front of house, the main seating area being down a flight of steps. The lighting was subdued (in a nice way), and the place had a cosy feel.
A few seats have gone to make way for a more secluded arrangement, while the 'snug' below the smartened-up bar is proving popular. The new menu includes marinated spatchcock poussin, gammon steak and a homemade burger.
It’s not the cheapest grub you’ll find in Oxford – starters are £5-£7, and mains are mostly £10-14, with side dishes such as chips costing £2.50 extra. However the desserts are good value at under £4.
I’d advise looking out for the £12 set menu from 12pm-5pm on Saturdays. There’s also an offer at the moment where you can get a free glass of wine with the £12 set menu from Sunday-Friday, 12pm-7pm.
WHAT DID YOU HAVE?
Well, the poussin wasn’t available and the burger wasn’t gluten-free, so that had to be ruled out.
But we were more than pleased with our starters – slices of smoked venison with piccalilli and watercress for me (a last-minute change after I had pondered the peppered mackerel with shallot marmalade and toast), langoustines in garlic butter for her. The three langoustines – chunky and almost sweet – were from the specials board and while the regular menu sounded appetising – ‘Thai-style’ Cornish squid, and clam and chilli tagliolini were among the courses that suggested themselves – I also plumped for an item chalked up on the board: gilt-head bream with green olives, garlic and tomatoes for £14.
This arrived whole, its little sightless eye peering up at me as I delved into the soft carcass. Delicious, especially with a portion of fries the consistency of chip shop fodder.
I was just in time, as I heard that the bream had sold out by the time a diner on the table next to us tried to order it. He had to make do with halibut, the poor chap. My other half ended up picking the surf and turf option, a fillet steak with a large tiger prawn. These were served with chunky chips and her choice of a béarnaise sauce.
The meat was on the rare side considering she had asked for medium steak, but it was excellent nonetheless – as it should be, at a recession-busting £24.
VERY SWANKY.
Oh, not as posh as what people on two of the nearest tables had – they’d ordered shellfish platters, served as impressive towers of seafood. And one of those platters was the £45 lobster version.
Anyway, we cleansed our palates with some luscious desserts - I couldn’t resist the grapefruit and orange sorbet, while the good lady waxed lyrical about her icecream, particularly the scoop in walnut flavour.
VERDICT: The place is attractive, well-run and the food we tasted was top quality.
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