Review: Cullen skink wowed me at The Waterfront Inverness

I had passed The Waterfront hundreds, if not thousands of times, while heading back to my Inverness home after work.

And every time I had a sneak peek through its window, I thought the food looked incredible.

I called a good friend of mine and we walked to the riverside restaurant on a cold night.

The Waterfront from the outside on Huntly Street — The Waterfront sits on the banks of the River Ness. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

We were warmed up as soon as we stepped inside gastropub’s cosy interior, with bare stone, dark wooden tables and a fireplace.

Friendly staff seated us at one of the tables by the window overlooking the River Ness, which made the experience even more wholesome.

But was the food as nice as the surroundings?

Best haggis bon bons I’ve ever tried

While looking at the extensive menu, I ordered a pint of Fosters (£5.95) while my friend went for a 250ml glass of Pinot Noir (£8.10), which he said was very nice.

As a haggis lover, I knew the haggis bon bons (£7.55) were a must.

I can confidently say they were the best I’ve ever had.

The breading was nice and crispy, and the quality of the haggis was exceptional.

Inside, the bon bons had a lovely texture and the delicious whisky cream sauce made the whole thing unforgettable.

The Waterfront’s Cullen skink alone is a reason to return

Both my friend and I love fish, so the chunky Cullen skink (£10.95) seemed like a great choice for sharing.

But I wished I had ordered it just for me. It was brilliant.

I really enjoyed the big chunks of haddock and their powerful smoky flavour.

Cullen Skink — The Cullen skink at The Waterfront was the best part of my meal. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

The soup, served with crusty bread, was really creamy.

We agreed that it was just incredible.

The only mistake was that we ordered the small portion, we should have definitely ordered the large one (£15.95).

Were the mains at The Waterfront as good as the starters?

One of the reasons I chose The Waterfront for a review is that I saw they had Jacobite chicken (£18.95), often known as Balmoral chicken.

If something has haggis, I must have it, so it was really a no-brainer for me.

The dish contained three pieces of chicken stuffed with haggis, accompanied by sautéed potatoes, honey glazed carrots and whisky onion cream sauce.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed with the chicken, which I found rather dry.

I found the Jacobite chicken a bit dry. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

On the other hand, the honey glazed carrots were beautifully presented and the whisky sauce was on point.

Meanwhile, my friend opted for the No Bull (£18.95), slow cooked silverside of beef with BBQ gravy, served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, onion rings and coleslaw.

I gave it a try and I preferred this over mine, as the meat was very tender.

I’m usually not a huge fan of barbecue flavour, however, I thought the gravy went well with the dish.

I resisted stealing any potatoes, but they looked really nice, as did the onion rings.

A sweet treat is a great way to finish your meal at The Waterfront

Sometimes, I make the mistake of filling up on mains and leaving no room for dessert.

This time I didn’t.

We ordered the apple pie (£7.95) and the Drambuie crème brulée (£7.95).

I must admit I’m not really a big dessert person; I normally just eat a piece of fruit after a meal.

But with the Bramley apple pie, it was love at first sight.

With a delicious custard drizzled over the top, and served with a side of strawberries and raspberries, it was a feast of sweetness.

The biscuit crumbs were a nice addition, adding some crunch to the dish.

The crème brulée was also served with the berries and a biscuit crumb. Plus my all-time favourite biscuits – shortbread.

creme brulee — The Creme Brulee was crunchy on the outside and creamy in the inside. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

The dessert had that perfect crunchy sugar topping.

And the vanilla custard mixture beneath was exceptionally creamy. The flavour from the Drambuie liqueur wasn’t particularly strong, but that wasn’t a problem for us.

Both desserts were a fantastic end to our meal at the Inverness restaurant.