I’ve seen a few whoppers in my life, but The Fishmarket was the biggest ever.
It was described as simply ‘Fruits of the Sea, a selection of today’s fresh seafood served over ice’, but when our seafood platter starter (£54) arrived, it turned out to be a groaning trencher filled with ice and topped with a tsunami of seafood – a lobster, four langoustines, crab claws, four scallops, endless mussels, cockles and a couple of oysters.
When chef Roy Brett of Ondine fame and Edinburgh’s leading fishmonger Gary Welch got together to open a chippy and seafood restaurant on Newhaven Harbour we always knew it was going to be good, and so it has proved.
The chippy is constantly stowed out, although that may owe something to the wonderful weather we’ve had lately, but the seafood restaurant is going down a storm too, and rightly so on the basis of our visit.
With its huge floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the harbour and minimalist tiled decor, it’s comfortable but utilitarian.
It is, unsurprisingly, the seafood which is the main attraction. Before our remarkably good platter we had started with half a dozen oysters, and then moved onto the main course (we simply hadn’t appreciated the platter would be so huge).
The main courses are surprisingly good value, with the huge and perfectly cooked cod fillet with chips coming in at £11 and the battered monkfish with Vietnamese dipping sauce at just £10 – both were excellent.
Although we were flagging a little, we still had just enough space for a pudding. A small but perfectly formed ramekin of lemon posset (£5) was the star of this course, with ice cream from St Andrews (surely Jannetta’s) coming a close second. There’s so much to like about The Fishmarket and very little to dislike, although I wasn’t sold on the chips.
The wine selection was good, and the conspicuously fresh seafood (there’s a tank of live lobsters next door at Welch fishmongers) was absolutely outstanding and sensibly priced – let’s just hope it stays that way…
The Fishmarket, 24- 25 Pier Place, Newhaven Harbour, EH6 4LP.
0131 552 8262
www.thefishmarketnewhaven.co.uk
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