mackerel, bass, free oysters

EATING NOTES

Loch Fyne, Trumpington St, Cambridge

Loch Fyne for dinner. It was Victoria's twenty-first birthday.

I've been to LF several times this term and am still not sick of it: its fresh fish counter as you walk in, delicious smell of shellfish, butter and garlic, low oak beams and scrubbed wooden tables. The atmosphere it achieves is really excellent - without wishing to be gushing - and it's not in small part down to very lovely staff. They seemed unfazed by a group of twenty students traipsing in late for the booking, red-faced from the cold, and chatting rowdily. We'd marched from Jesus Lane to Trumpington Street in various states of dress. Lots of high heels; me in my normal slippers.

From the specials I had smoked mackerel pate with onion marmelade. The fish was flaked in a little dish with, I imagine, a very little butter and cream. Although a little dry it was pleasantly salt and retained a good deep flavour of smoked-fish. It needed the marmalade, being sweet and astringent.

Then sea bass - another special. A good-sized fillet was very carefully cooked - crisp, roasted skin, soft, just-set flesh; it lay on good mash (not too restaurant-sickly with butter). There was a slightly mean spoonful of rocket pesto - but it was highly-seasoned and punchy with garlic. The specials I've ordered before at Loch Fyne have been hit and miss. I remember a whole roasted bream/dourade with provencal vegetables - tomatoes, peppers, little shallots - which was rustic but, you felt, in that way that signifies careless. The bass however was accomplished and quite delicious.

A friend of Victoria's ordered a dozen oysters but felt suddenly very sick - why order oysters? - and left half of them. I wasn't complaining. A couple of the others tried them but , offering them to me, said I'd enjoy them more. Which was lovely, I thought. And I did enjoy them - a lot.