Loch Bay

‘Seafood straight from the loch… creel caught… shell recycling… local organic produce’ – some notes from an effusive report on this stunningly located restaurant at the northerly reaches of the Isle of Skye. Located in a terrace of whitewashed cottages on the shores of the eponymous loch, it has been home to Michael and Laurence Smith since 2016 (readers may remember Michael from his time at the acclaimed Three Chimneys, Colbost). In contrast to his previous posting, petit Loch Bay has no more than half a dozen tables in a charming, informal dining room that's somewhat at odds with the chef's refined cooking. Delivered across a multi-course ‘Skye Fruits de Mer’ tasting menu that is described as ‘contemporary Scottish with a French twist’, the Gallic influence shows in a warm, freshly baked French baton served with smoked Crowdie cheese, followed by a terrific, crunchy oatmeal-coated oyster ‘mignonette’. After that, plump 'twice-dived’ Sconser scallops – fished from deep, more nutritious waters for a fuller, fatter bivalve (a system unique to Skye) – might be seasonally teamed with chanterelles and Orbost sauce vierge. A substantial pot-au-feu arrives with butter-grilled langoustines in a pot bursting with prawns, braised vegetables and, tucked in the bottom, crunchy little potato curls. Other seafood courses might bring a gratin of cod, clams and mussels or Bay lobster and monkfish with shrimp sauce and green apple. Depending on the season, you might finish with a warm tart of Scottish strawberries, raspberries and brambles with yoghurt ice cream and Kir Royale jelly. It’s a glorious tour de force, aided by accommodating service and bolstered by wines from an impressive Francophile list.

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence