Sail into The Harbour

The Harbour IS the place for you

sea wind whines outside our holiday cottage as I pick up the phone and attempt to make a booking at The Harbour Restaurant.

Patience is required. This tiny eatery with space for less than 20 guests only opens from Thursday through to Sunday and is often booked weeks in advance.

I get the messaging service and a firm but polite voice which says: “We do not take anyone under the age of 18 and if you have any special dietary requirements, this is not the place for you, as we are old and dysfunctional.”

Clearly not a sickly-sweet ‘everything alright with your meal?’ kind of place.

Undeterred by the cheek of it all, I go ahead and leave a message: “Dinner for two please – any day, any time.” And it works.

Now you might wonder why a seasoned reviewer like me would pander to such dictats.

It turns out this place, perched on a pretty harbourside with spectacular cliff and coastal views, There’s no shortage of humour at The Harbour – one of the reasons that kids aren’t permitted has been regularly rated at the top of Aberdeenshire’s 10 best restaurants on a popular internet site and it has been featured in the Michelin Guide.

I’m intrigued and so hubby and I put our evening shoes in a rucksack alongside our favourite wine (the restaurant is not licensed so you take your own), don our ‘waldies’ (Doric for wellies) and hit the beach path for the 10-minute trek to Gardenstown.

Our efforts are rewarded on arrival with a warm welcome and not the slightest hint of curiosity about the boot-to-shoe change.

From the restaurant’s wraparound windows the panorama is captivating and we catch it just as the sun is setting. We are quickly seated, our wine is uncorked, water and warm bread are brought to the table and our order for starters taken – no wait, no nonsense.

Torn between the Usan fishing company’s wild smoked salmon, netted in the very bay outside or the warm chilli prawns on a bed of lettuce, we hedge our bets and take both to share.

The smoked salmon is the best my other-half has tasted – praise indeed from the world-travelled angler who smokes his own catch at home.

But for me the prawns are king – warm and fat, al dente and succulent and swimming in a smooth but piquant chilli sauce.

Our mains are already cooking as we finish our entrees, this we know because we had been asked to order them at the time of booking.

It is a clever move and one which makes for minimal waste.

At The Harbour Restaurant, simplicity reigns supreme and the choice is straightforward – you can have either Aberdeen Angus grass fed fillet beef, butchered to order from Donald Russell of Inverurie and hung for 35 days or the catch of that day, whatever it happens to be.

For me it is lemon sole, beautifully prepared and light and flavoursome. However it’s so plentiful I can’t finish the plate.

Despite this, I try my husband’s steak which is cooked exactly to his medium-rare requirement.

The meat is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and, like the fish, comes with locally grown veg and lipsmacking home cooked chips – scrumptious!

There are a choice of desserts to follow – sticky toffee pudding, cheese cake or ice-cream with chocolate sauce – all of which are great. With coffee, our entire meal comes to only £26 per head which equals an affordable and very special night out.

I settle down to my coffee and the chap on the next table is already booking his return visit, six weeks hence.

Meanwhile, the convivial banter from the table behind spreads to us.

As the night draws to a close, owners Roger and Jane Obank emerge from the kitchen to join in.

I ask Roger when he first began cheffing and he grins: “Two-and-ahalf hours before I served my first meal here.”

‘Cuddly’ Roger readily admits he is not a Michelin chef.

And he immediately breaks into a

belly laugh when my other-half teases: “Aye, but you’re a Michelin man.”

Pots and kettles of the black variety immediately spring to mind.

There is no shortage of humour at The Harbour and this is part of the reason kids are not permitted.

“We want the adults to be able to relax and truly enjoy themselves – uninhibited,” says Jane.

We’re ready to go and I chuckle as I read their ‘motivational’ signs: “Everyone who passes through this door brings happiness; some by entering, some by leaving” and “You have two choices for dinner, take it or leave it.”

I’m glad I decided to take it and to see my cheeky husband spread a little joy.