Marina Restaurant, Portavadie
You often hear the phrase, “destination restaurant,” a term coined to describe an eatery that is perhaps a little off the beaten track but one which has a reputation so good it draws in diners from all parts of the country. It’s the perfect description for the Marina Restaurant at Portavadie.
Surrounded by some of Argyll’s most breathtaking scenery, Portavadie sits on the shores of Loch Fyne – from the restaurant it’s just a short walk to the quay where you can catch a ferry to Tarbert and the Kintyre peninsula.
The nearest village is the postcard pretty Tighnabruaich and from there to Portavadie it’s mostly a single track road offering breathtaking views. The restaurant at Portavadie is accessed from a broad continental-style wooden boardwalk while the building is ultra modern and contemporary. This is the kind of haven where you’d want to drop anchor, whether you sail or not. It sits across two floors with floor to ceiling glass walls offering panoramic views across the marina and Loch Fyne.
There’s an attractive chill area with comfortable sofas and trendy fire, while the restaurant has stylish white tables, dressed with flowers and candles. On fine days diners can eat al fresco on the terrace, but if you’re there as darkness falls, smart lighting turns what is already a ‘hip’ joint into an even cooler one.
The aim here is to showcase the best of Argyll’s larder and it does not disappoint. There were four of us in our wee group, including a well behaved three-year-old who was quickly offered by very polite and friendly staff, paper and colouring pencils. He stopped long enough to order a burger, chips and home-made ice-cream cone from the children’s menu. The rest of us took a little longer to decide as the menu made choosing rather difficult.
Starters included roast hand-dived scallops, seasonal game terrine, twice-baked Mull cheddar souffle, Loch Fyne Oysters, soup, and a Taste of Argyll Smokery. I opted for the latter and was rewarded with a flavoursome treat which included wonderful chunks of smoked salmon, prawns and mussels served with pickled vegetables, fresh watercress and wasabi cream which added just a hint of heat. My son ordered the lentil and bacon soup, served with Argyll bakery bread and real Scottish butter and, praise indeed, he said it was better than his mum’s. Had I not tasted it myself I might have been offended.
Choice of mains was equally hard. Loch Duart salmon, roast partridge, Scottish lamb, Scrabster cod and Tarbert crab. Having not had a steak for ages, my son ordered the eight ounce Aberdeen Angus, requesting that instead of the offered confit tomatoes and mushrooms, his came with a side-salad and chips. The steak was cooked to perfection, a sweet and succulent treat that made the tastebuds sing while the accompanying salad was a gorgeous mixture of leaves and flavours and almost a meal in itself.
I plumped for roast red legged partridge which came with a partridge leg pastille, a tricky thing to make and requiring great chef skills, served with Scottish chanterelles, celeriac and pearl barley. This was a first class dish which took rustic ingredients and gave them the five star treatment. My daughter-in-law was delighted with her Tarbert crab linguine which was loaded with fresh crab, tomatoes and garlic, although she felt they had perhaps been a little too generous with the crab as it slightly overwhelmed the other flavours.
Meanwhile, my grandson was struggling a little with his hand-made burger which was a wee bit too grown-up for him – he’s used to the softer versions, but had no problem demolishing his home-made ice-cream cone. The four of us decided to finish by sharing two desserts – a dark chocolate pave with salted caramel popcorn and hazelnut ice-cream and the Scottish artisan cheese board. The pave was a heavenly melt-in-the-mouth treat while the cheese board had a generous selection of local hard and soft cheeses served with great oatcakes and a wonderfully sweet chutney and grapes.
As we finished our wine – a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigot reasonably priced at £16.95 – we watched the sun set and talked of what type of yacht we’d buy if we won the Lotto. That may never happen but a return visit to Portavadie’s superb restaurant definitely will.
