Island chiefs’ seafood special
Ayr diner is up to COP as EastTimor climate change group tuck in
A popular seafood restaurant in Ayr has played host to government officials from a tiny south-east Asian island.
The Rockpool, in Queen’s Court just off the town’s Newmarket Street, welcomed 17 East Timor government representatives to dine after their busy day at the COP26 Climate Change conference.
The officials, including security guards, tucked into a feast of scallops and langoustines.
Owner Fiona Speirs told the Post: “It was a surprise. That’s the biggest table we’ve ever hosted.
“Gavin [Speirs] just phoned me and said, ‘we’re doing a table of 17’ so, of course, we all ran in to get it ready. They were on their way back to Prestwick Airport and stopped in for dinner.
“I spoke to one of the girls and she was telling me they were from East Timor.
“I had heard of East Timor but I couldn’t have told you where it was.
“They were really nice and were here for a couple of hours.
“They thoroughly enjoyed their dinner and were very pleasant with lovely manners.”
East Timor is an island country in south-east Asia, north of Australia, and is a fifth of the size of Scotland in both land mass and population.
It has a population of 1.3 million and measures at 5,794 square miles, compared to Scotland’s 5.4 million population and 30,081 square miles.
Residents of the island are no stranger to seafood themselves as their national dish is a meal called Ikan Pepes, which is fish, steamed in chili sauce and wrapped in banana leaves.
The Rockpool added on their Facebook that the arch window table where the group sat will now be known as “The Presidential table”.