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RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK CITY MERCHANT This place caught our attention because we are seafood lovers and people told us this was a great place to experience it. We arrived at about 11:50am and saw that the front door was open. So we approached assuming that the place was open. It wasn't and a person bordering a bit on the rude side told us they would not be open for another ten minutes. So we just strolled around the block checking out various stores, etc.
Holding off until 12:10 not wishing to offend anybody there (!) we finally came calling and were seated. From that point on the people were very friendly and courteous although the service was noticeably slow for whatever reason.
If you've ever been to the U.K. then you know just how expensive everything is. And this is particularly true of fresh seafood. Everything was incredibly expensive compared to what we pay in the U.S. But there was one great deal. A special set menu offering great prices. For instance, many of the "regular" starters went for 8 to 10 pounds each. Roughly that translates to $16 to $20 U.S. And many of the main fish and shellfish courses went for 25 pounds or $50 U.S. But the set menu offered starters for just under 3 pounds ($6 U.S.) and the main course for about 8 pounds ($16 U.S.) So we went with the set menu and the food was very, very good. And the portions weren't skimpy, either.
I started my meal out with a rich and creamy tomato salmon soup. It was very flavorful and rich. My wife chose a prawn and smoked salmon timbale. It was like a shrimp and salmon salad in a rich mayonnaise base. Excellent. There were a number of fish dishes including fishcakes on the set menu at the same price. Steak was offered with at an additional charge of 2 pounds. We asked our server about one fish called butterfish and she highly recommended it. She said it was a fish caught near Iceland and brought to the restaurant fresh. She said it was like a meaty blue marlin only more white in color. So we both chose it. It was prepared grilled and was cooked to perfection. It was served over a generous portion of wild mushroom risotto. At least that's what I think flavored the risotto. Whatever it was, it was excellent. Despite being a set price meal, this was a lot of food and we were too full to order dessert. Other than slow service, this was an excellent choice and we can highly recommend it to you. For complete details on their address, etc., check out their web site. OTHER RESTAURANT REVIEWS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM: Anchorage
(The) - Dunure, Scotland |
