I booked the Old Boatyard on the understanding that it was a Michelin contender for seafood. Unfortunately, that may be reaching way too far. It would be the equivalent to the fat lad from your secondary school entering the commonwealth games for the 100m sprint.
I visited yesterday with my wife and two adult daughters for a pre-christmas family meal. From the outside the restaurant looks inviting and being situated on the harbour side would suggest you could not get better ingredients to work with.
Things started off well enough, the matre'd was courteous and showed us to our table without any drama. While we were perusing the menu I became aware of the loud pop music playing through the speaker system, not what you would expect in a fine dining establishment. This became a constant annoyance once your brain tuned into it.
Starters and drinks arrived in a timely manor, however I'm sure they must have spilled half of my lobster bisque on the floor when they left the kitchen. For a £7 bowl of soup you would expect at least a couple of ladels worth, I wish I had taken a photograph of what must have been the largest bowl in the world with around 3mm of soup in the bottom. Of course with the crockery being so large, the soup cooled down rapidly.... rookie mistake.
Tastewise I would have been as well buying a baxters tin from Tesco. It would be cheaper and taste far superior. One of my daughters had the scallops which had been overcooked and not cleaned out properly as they were gritty.
Main meal I had the seafood paella which was a meagre £23.95. The lobster was overcooked, the calamari was overcooked to the point of rubber, the rice was a dense mush which had the taste of nothing but tomato. There were myriad problems with the other mains but I don't have the time to write everything.
Just to put things into context, I have eaten in every type of establishment from truck stops to Michelin star restaurants and am not necessarily fussy, but I do expect to get what I pay for.
When you advertise yourself as a top seafood restaurant and set prices accordingly, you should have the ability and the integrity to deliver. I looked out of the window at the Bell Rock Chip shop and thought that perhaps it would have been a better option.... actually it would have.
There are various establishments in Arbroath within walking distance which serve far better food. Do yourself and your friends/family a favour and avoid the Old Boatyard restaurant. read more
