It’s getting to that time of year in Inverness when, if you haven’t booked a table, you’re not getting in.
The streets are packed with holidaymakers and parking spots are filled with coaches, motorhomes and caravans.
Though this can pose problems when you’re trying to get somewhere in a hurry, the city has a wonderful buzz about it.
Prime Steak & Seafood was near the top of my boyfriend Aidan and I’s list of restaurants we were keen to try but hadn’t yet dug into, so we booked a table for a recent Friday night.
I’m glad we did, because walk-ins were being turned away at the door when we arrived.
Prime Steak & Seafood
We had heard a lot of mixed reviews from friends who had been along to Prime, so were keen to try it for ourselves.
The restaurant in located on Ness Walk right by Ness Bridge – excuse the word choice, but it really is a prime location.
With perfect views of the river and castle, as well as great people watching if you’re sat by the window, you can see why it’s so popular.
Steak and seafood are funnily enough what the restaurant does best, both of which we were in the mood for.
Our table wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, but the smiling team sorted it quickly and we were escorted over. We were served by three different members of staff throughout the night which I don’t mind at all, especially when everyone was lovely. It was obviously busy and it makes sense in those situations to all muck in.
One thing that did stick out was that when it came to paying, despite me having my card in my hand, the server who came to settle our bill went straight to Aidan – the male – and asked how he’d like to pay. Not a huge deal, but a little outdated and something I haven’t experienced in a long time.
The food
The pricing was one of the main reasons behind the mixed reviews we had heard.
At first glance, the prices are what you would expect at a nice restaurant in the city, but when you see the small portion sizes they feel a little steep. I’d say with almost all main courses you need to order a side dish to feel full – few dishes come with any carbs – and that’s coming from someone with a smaller appetite. With sides at £4 and above each, your bill can go up pretty quickly.
To compare, we have paid less for the same number of dishes at the likes of Mustard Seed and The River House, but received much bigger portions at both.
Prices aside and focusing on the food alone, we really enjoyed what we ate.
There was no doubt Aidan would be having three courses so he started with Taste of Scotland, which was a pan-fried Scottish scallop and local beetroot cured smoked salmon served with spicy wasabi mayo, torched pink grapefruit and passion fruit puree (£15).
It sounds like there would be a lot of flavours battling one another, but in fact they blended together beautifully.
The scallop was cooked to perfection and the salmon melted in the mouth, but it would have been great to see a little more of both on the plate.
We waited a little while for our main courses, which we didn’t mind as it was obviously busy, but a little check-in from a member of staff may have been nice.
Once they did arrive, both were beautifully presented and we forgot the wait immediately.
Prime prides itself in using local produce from across the Highlands and Islands and you can tell. The quality of the meat and seafood really was high.
I went for Scottish Surf and Turf, which was a Scottish fillet of baked halibut and collop of wild pigeon breast with pickled rhubarb, honey parsnip puree and red wine jus (£24).
This was the point we realised what people had meant when they said the prices were a little high for the portions. While each element was delicious, I couldn’t help but wish there was some kind of potato or vegetable on there that I wasn’t paying an extra £4 for.
The fish was maybe slightly overcooked but the crispy skin was perfect and the pigeon was wonderfully tender, I loved the sweet jus too.
Aidan couldn’t take his eyes off the steak, so he chose a 230G Rib-eye which came with a side of his choice for £34. He went for sweet potato fries with crumbled feta and rosemary and opted to pay an extra £3 for a peppercorn sauce.
The rare steak was cooked perfectly and of a decent size, packed full of flavour. The fries and sauce went down a treat, but he could have done with more of the former.
It may sound crazy for a steak and seafood restaurant, but the desserts were the most impressive part of the meal for me, plus the portion sizes were perfect for the prices.
We always choose two we both fancy then pop them in the middle to share, this time opting for a caramel chocolate cheesecake and a creme brulee which was chocolate, caramel and coffee flavoured (both £7.50).
The cheesecake was beautifully light and not too sweet, though the menu did say there was black cherry bourbon in it, we struggled to pick that out. Yummy nonetheless.
The creme brulee had the trademark layer of crunchy torched sugar on top that we thoroughly enjoyed breaking into, revealing what was a beautifully smooth dessert.
Drinks wise we were both impressed by the cocktail menu and chose a Honey Ginger Highball (£11) and a Strawberry Bliss (£10) after much deliberation. Both were lovely.
We were going to head upstairs to The Wee Bar after our meal for another afterwards but decided against it in the end – it’s well worth a visit if you’re in the city though.
The verdict
It’s fair to say Prime Steak & Seafood knows how to do local produce well and that they get in high quality ingredients.
We had a great meal there and enjoyed fun flavour combinations we hadn’t tried before, as well as the riverside location.
That being said, we did find the prices high for what we got and that’s the only thing that will stop us from rushing back.
Scores:
- Food: 3.5/5 (considering portion sizes and pricing)
- Service: 4/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
Information
Address: 4-6 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NE
T: 01463 237377
Price: £112 for two cocktails, one starter, two mains and two desserts. A service charge wasn’t added to the bill.
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