The Ship Inn
11 April 2014
It was the first really sunny day of the year and I had been in Old Meldrum for a meeting in the morning. I was delighted to be able to drive back to the office in Aberdeen with the windows down and my sunglasses on. When the sun comes out, us Scots typically make a bee line for the seaside. So naturally that evening my boyfriend Alistair and I made our way to The Ship Inn in Stonehaven for dinner.
As the name suggests, The Ship Inn’s restaurant sits on the Harbour edge with a cosy lounge bar through an adjoining door (which apparently has over 100 different malt whisky’s available). When we arrived it was busy with only a couple of tables free, and these were soon filled up. It had a nice buzz about it but wasn’t too loud. We were greeted with a warm friendly smile and taken to our table. It seemed there was quite a mix of diners that evening – there were couples, families and business people all tucking in to their hearty meals. It looked like there were also a few people staying in the accommodation provided.
Our drink order was taken and the waitress very quickly reappeared with a Pinot Grigio and a Coke (unfortunately for Alistair, he was designated driver). The food menu was quite extensive with a mixture of meat, seafood and vegetarian to choose from, as well as a specials board. I was swithering between the Haggis Spring Rolls and the Goat’s Cheesecake but with the help of the waitress I decided on the Goat’s Cheesecake. The goats cheese mousse was on an oatmeal base served with caramelised red onions. It had a really lovely flavour and was presented beautifully. The mousse and base were slightly too hard for my liking but still tasted great. For me, it was the caramelised red onions that stole the show. They were very moreish! Alistair went with the Lemon Sole Goujons which came with a tartar sauce. These too were delicious and I even managed to sneak a taste before they disappeared from his plate.
For the main course I chose the Haddock Fillet – how could I come to the seaside and not have fish and chips?! Alistair went for something a bit different and opted for the Game Hotpot. My locally caught fish came with chips, peas and wedge of lemon, and you could choose to have it deep fried in breadcrumbs or batter. You certainly couldn’t complain that the portion sizes were too small here – I was served a whopping great big piece of melt-in-the-mouth fish. I didn’t think I would manage to finish it and even surprised myself when I ended up with a clean plate. I blame the very light and deliciously crisp batter! The Game Hotpot was filled with tender chunks of pheasant, pigeon, rabbit and venison and came in a rich red wine and redcurrant gravy, mashed potato as well as red cabbage with apples and raisins. Alistair didn’t have a bad word to say about this dish. The portion size was spot on, the meat was very tender and the gravy was superb. He even said that this was the first time he had eaten red cabbage and actually liked it.
After polishing off my fish I really didn’t have much room for dessert but couldn’t resist an old favourite – Sticky Toffee Pudding. It always reminds me of school dinners. I had the choice between ice cream, cream or custard to come with it, so in true school dinner style, I opted for custard. This was most definitely not your standard school dinner pudding. For starters, the portion size was much bigger! The toffee sauce was spot on and there was not a single lump in my custard. Unfortunately it was just too big for me and I couldn’t finish it. Alistair chose the Passionfruit Parfait with mango puree and lemongrass granite. Alistair has much less of a sweet tooth than me, and with this being a much lighter option, was a perfect finish to his meal.
Looking round the now empty restaurant, I realised it had a subtle nautical feel. There were porthole windows to the kitchen, lightshades on the ceiling that you would imagine having in a cabin on a boat and those tiny curtains at the top of the wooden window frames (you know the kind!). It certainly doesn’t have that tacky over-the-top décor you might expect from a restaurant that sits practically in a harbour. The staff were very warm and attentive which helped make our evening a very relaxing one.