We've been enjoying our foodie adventures around the north end of Skye, but until now hadn't dined at the restaurant literally next door to our cottage. (Well we had, 6 years ago, but the menu was a different format then).
Situated on the eponymous Loch Bay, it occupies a 18th century fisherman's cottage built as part of the model village by Thomas Telford. Unfortunately for the plan, the crofters who moved there never really took to fishing. The terrace of cottages in Stein now provide this restaurant, an art and crafts shop, and both permanent and holiday properties. Loch Bay restaurant is undoubtedly a big draw for tourists, and accents and languages from all over the world can be heard here.
The tasting menu is designed for seafood lovers, there are no vegetarian, vegan, or meat dishes and it comes with a warning that dietary requirements will not be catered for. The restaurant only has about 16 covers, so understandably asks for payment upon reservation (£145 per person); the cost of no shows would really negatively impact such a small restaurant.
It's a set menu with many courses, and I can promise you that you will leave feeling very full! We started our meal with a glass of champagne, and chose to have the paired wine to go with our meal at £65 per person, trusting the chef's palate to have made excellent choices.
Our amuse bouche of a crispy oat battered deep fried oyster arrived with our champagne. The oyster inside was molten! Best to let this rest a few minutes before tucking in! Served in clean oyster shells on a bed of shells and coral (probably from nearby Coral Beach) these set the scene for what was to follow.
We were also treated to smoked crowdie with caviar, edible flowers and freshly baked bread. This was really lovely and I had to resist eating too much of it, knowing that the bread would fill me up.
The first of the courses were twice dived Sconser scallops, one beautifully caramelised, the other 'cooked' cerviche style. These came with bay crab topped asparagus. The contrast between the creamy crab, the seared scallop and sharpness of the cure was masterful.
The next course paired truffles with cod, expertly done the truffle worked with the delicate fish rather than over-powering it. This came with the gratin of razor clams and mussels served seperately in a razor clam shell. These were delicious.
Our final fish course was luxurious lobster (caught by our friend Iain at Loch Bay Shellfish) and monkfish with bay shrimp and green apple. I was so full by this point that I didn't really do this justice, I always find monkfish to be pretty substantial.
The dessert was a warm mixed berry tart served with yogurt ice cream and Kir Royale jelly and edible flowers. Coffee and petit fours finished the meal.
As you would expect, the quality of the cooking is excellent, with huge attention to detail in presentation, taste and execution.
These are not meagre portions either as is the reputation of fine dining . I couldn't finish one of courses as I was too full by that point; and one of our party declared that she was 'fished out'.
Overall, everything was perfectly cooked, with huge attention to detail, and standout sauces. The service was friendly and unstuffy. This is faultless classical cooking to a very high standard, using the freshest ingredients caught from Loch Bay. But, for me, it wasn't exciting or fun in the same way that fellow Scot Adam Handling cooks at Frog or Sean Kelly is doing at the Lovat in Fort Augustus.
