The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Chef ’s pop-up seafood shack proves big catch on opening weekend
Hundreds of people descended on Jamie Scott’s Fifebased eatery, The Newport Restaurant, to get a taste of what he and his team have on offer at his latest pop-up venture.
Running for the next six weeks until his restaurant reopens on June 10 for lunch and dinner service, Jamie has launched his pop-up, Shipwreck Seafood, and was completely taken by surprise at the number of people who came out to support the new business which is currently based at his restaurant’s car park in Newport.
Offering up a range of produce and flavours of the sea, the chef and his team were put to the test to feed as many people as they could, selling out on both days, one of which was within the space of two and a half hours.
He said: “It was absolutely mental but it was really good. I always prepare for the worst and people not turning up. I was worried about what I would do with all the seafood if we didn’t sell it.
“I think we knew we were going to be a bit busy, but it just ended up being absolutely crazy, which was great.
“I was present on the Saturday as I was doing an event at Arbroath Market for Smoking Barrels on the Sunday, but on the Saturday we must have done around 200 covers.
“We were even busier on Sunday and there must have been around 300 covers – we ended up having to turn around 100 people away because we sold out by 2.30pm. We sold out in two and a half hours.”
Scheduled to run from noon until 6pm every Saturday and Sunday for the next month and a half, the venture showcases the very best of local seafood.
Jamie also wants to highlight how easy it is to turn cheaper cuts of fish into top-quality dishes and is determined to work as zero-waste focused as possible, ensuring every part of the produce is used.
“We want to have the same ethos as the restaurant and use as much local produce as possible. The origins of the seafood will be outlined on the menu board, and we want to be as creative as we can with cheaper cuts of fish,” said Jamie.
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It just ended up being absolutely crazy