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in“ Santa and Cos rove dressed .. saunasin on oulthis Helsrnki years of 4 allowe'en M6594 PAGEW H6696
ll I l- I O Oysters make an exciting comeback to Newhaven harbour after an absence of - oh, around 150 years
Fye d
LOCH FYNE RESTAURANT 25 Pier Place, Newhaven Harbour, Leith, 0131 559 3900, wwaochfynecom
Open Mon-Sun 9am (for breakfast) through to 10pm. Average price for two
courses £19. A daily changing lunch menu has two courses for 211. Shop open
same hours (noon-6pm) for wet fish.
Be the best.‘
THE MEAL
t's a homecoming. ol‘ sorts. ’l’he Loch l‘ync ()y ster liar in
.-\rg_\ll is rexcrcd on the Scottish l'ood scene. in modern
times a place much more worthy ol' the ‘Rest and lie 'l‘hanlxl'til‘ tag than the hill summit a few miles away. The chain ol' Loch l‘ync Restaurants. now 37—strong w ith this new opening in lidinbtirgh. its lirst in Scotland. is in tact a separate company lrom Loch l-‘y nc ()y sters. which runs the oyster bar. shop. shelllish tarm and smokehotIse in (’airndow Much is shared between the two. how e\ er. not least the proycnance ol‘ the majority of the seafood scry ed and the inspirational charm oi the original com crtcd Iochsidc cow barn.
In the old lishmarltet at .\'c\\ha\en Harbour tthc old llarry Ramsden‘st the company has secured another lantastic site and an immediate top the entry into lidinburgh's best restaurant locations. Another pan ol‘ the building still operates as a fish market (more distribution centre than bustling auction house) and city records show that in the middle of the
l‘)th century six million
oysters a year were landed at Newhaycn to leed the poor ol~
lidinbttrgh. Loch l’yne seems
a most suitable new tenant.
Secure a window seat here and you‘ll haye a \iew oi the old stone harbour and lighthouse. boats bobbing at '
EDINBURGH S the lights of Life twinkling across the water. There's a sparkle too inside the large. smartly lit restaurant. bar and deli. Alongside contemporary wooden littings are gleaming proclaiming the company‘s ethical lish policy. It's the old cow shed \\ ith a generous close ol~x\ll Bar One slic‘kncss.
One third of the menu consists oi Loch l"yne essentials: oysters. massels. platters and salmon smoked in Various ways. Although prices are. on the whole. reasonable. this is where you can blow out. cgged on in no small way by the the menu has an array oi seafood-centric starters and mains. including a lip-tingling salt & pepper squid. rich il’ uncomplicated fish soup. a rather too chilly lobster salad and a steak ol‘ snow -white halibut seared on the bars oi a char grill and seryed with robtist. salty oliye and tomato salsa. Mostly simple. btit mostly reliable and good. will feel a little compromised il' you‘ye an instinctive stispicion of chain restaurants. however well run — a bit like a friendly cousin coming 'home' to Scotland with a London accent. But head down to the historic harbour to munch on lots of fresh. sustainable Scottish seafood with a glass of Muscadet as the sun sets over the Forth Bridges and you‘ll
their mooring and. at night.
white tiles. enlarged photos of Argyll shores and blackboards
compellingly sweet. smooth taste oi the oysters. The rest of While Loch l-‘yne is a great Scottish brand. the homecoming
find you get on just line.
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