This place is James' favourite fish and chip place in the whole of Whitby. Normally there is a queue that stretches out of the front door, down the steps and along the road. And therefore we have only been here once before. The Magpie Cafe has a very extensive menu, all kinds of seafood and shellfish. Different kinds of fish that I've never even heard of, let alone tried before. It has classic chippy options as well as a whole host of other seafood dishes. But we came for the fish as chips! My favourite thing about the menu is that due to a long list of fish options, there is a section which explains to you what each type of fish is like, look, taste and texture.
James had the regular haddock and chips, I opted for a small woof (YES, WOOF!) and chips. We shared a dish of mushy peas, and there was more than enough for two. Mine came without skin, which is how I prefer my battered fish. The woof was meaty and moist without being overly oily, just this side of cooked. But small?! The pictures show that this small was the average chip shop's idea of a normal sized portion. Makes a refreshing change from most restaurants who think that to be successful the portions must be tiny. James' regular haddock was enormous and had the skin on, which is how James likes it. Again the fish was perfectly cooked. The batter on both was crunchy and dry, exactly as I would wish it to be. The chips were crisp on the outside and almost perfectly fluffy in the middle. Only my Grandad makes better chips! Chunky and thick cut. Again, I ended up eating them with my hands in the middle of the restaurant, scooping the mushy peas up with the chips. The peas were perfect. Thick and...well, what can you say about mushy peas? They were mushy! The right texture and consistency. The dishes were automatically brought with a dish of tartar sauce and a bottle of tomato sauce. I have to say, The Magpie Cafe gets my first 10/10. I have only ever had the fish and chips so I can't speak for the rest of the menu, but they were faultless. The waitresses were so pleasant and friendly, even when the weather was so appallingly cold and wet! I can understand why the queue is always so long. It's worth joining it.
This restaurant was the first one we dined in together when we first came to Whitby. We were out late looking for a place to eat and we found Marine. I say 'found', it's slap bang on the quayside opposite the fortune teller. Ever since we first ate here, we make a point of coming every time we are in town. As we entered this time, we were greeted by a gentleman on a piano. He was taking requests and whilst he may not have had a classical voice, he was very talented and he kept the atmosphere upbeat without being overbearing. It was very inviting, especially when it was about -10 degrees outside. The seasonal menu boasted all kinds of seafood, from mussels and oysters to lobster and paella. There is also a meat section, but as I said in my previous post, I'm strictly a seafood girl when I hit the coast. Especially when it's so fresh (caught that morning). We both plumped for the seafood chowder to start. According to James,a chowder is always seafood, but I won't hold that against them. It was full of lumps of fresh fish and clams. The broth was thick and creamy, the flavour was deep and satisfying. I have to say, it was very filling for a starter. James had it previously and it was just as good as we remember. For a main I had the fisherman's pie. Mistake. The pie itself was gorgeous. The mash that topped it was crispy on top without being burnt, the sauce was thick, rich and buttery. It was billed as having prawns, chunks of fish and queen scallops. I found one scallop which was perfectly cooked, fat and meaty. The prawns and the fish in turn were each very well cooked. But the sauce itself was cloying and lacking in seasoning, and I have to admit, after the chowder this dish was simply too rich and filling for me. I would have each of the courses again, but not one after the other. For a chowder starter one should choose a lighter main and vice versa. James, it being his birthday, opted for a whole lobster. Whilst more expensive then when last we had them, for a fresh lobster cooked with either thermidor or plain with a drizzle of lemon for less that £20 can't really be argued with. James had it with thermidor. Again, the sauce was too rich for me but he loved it. It was meaty and salty, and came with a little grappling hook stick thing for pulling the last bits of lobster out of the shell. James, being a caveman, didn't need such a fiddly thing. The lobster was served with salad, fries and a wedge of lemon. The fries were crisp but nothing extra special.
I give Marine a 9/10. The food was delicious, the atmosphere fantastic and the wine list extensive. We opted for the house sauvignon blanc and it was light and zesty, perfect accompaniment with so much seafood. I tend to mark down anything I have to add extra seasoning to, but still my favourite restaurant yet in Whitby.
James and I adore Whitby. We go for at least one night every year, so this year we went for James' birthday. We ended up setting off late due to car trouble and were starving when we got there. We've been to The Board Inn before for drinks, it's a stereotypical Yorkshire pub, with a 19th century decor. Its serves your everyday pub fare as well as a selection of seafood dishes (it is the coast). James opted for a steak and ale pie, whereas when I'm in Whitby I eat seafood only! So I had the scampi. James' pie was delicious. It came with mash and peas which were soft, buttery and light, as they should be. The pie had the best gravy I've tasted in a long time. I even dipped my chips in his left over gravy because I'm one of those that eats with my fingers in public. My scampi was just heaven. It was salty and crisp,the breadcrumbs were light, not too much oil. I hadn't had scampi in a long time, it was exactly what I wanted. It came with garden peas, salad and fries. I'm not normally one for fries but they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I would definitely have the scampi again from here next time we go. The dishes we chose happened to be two for £13, which wasn't bad to say that most places in Whitby are quite pricey, even the pubs. There was also salads, sandwiches and paninis available. The pub itself has a back room that looks over the bay and harbour. They often have live music in the evenings and the staff are very friendly and polite. We have kind of adopted it as our 'Whitby local'. 9/10. The only reason I haven't given it 10 is because I'm a chips not fries kind of girl and with it being a pub the drinks were a tad over priced. I fully recommend it as a hidey hole with a view.
Once again I found myself in town for lunch with my fella. It was an even more hurried affair then usual as I had to travel to Worksop to be with my pregnant sister at the hospital. We had planned to go to Sakushi, so we went ahead anyway.
As well as having a revolving sushi conveyor belt, they do a series of £5 takeaway dishes that appear ideal for lunch time. This was the menu that James an I took advantage of. We both chose teriyaki, I had salmon and he had chicken. They were advertised as coming with heaps of rice, which was definitely delivered! The dishes were delivered very quickly and we ate them with chopsticks whilst walking through town and up a steep hill. The teriyaki was a tad bland for me to be honest. There was a decent amount of salmon but not a great salmon-and-sauce-to-rice ratio. James found the same with his chicken. Well cooked and great if you are starving as it is very filling! But not if you want something flavourful or light. A little bit different for a weekday lunch. 6.5/10.
On the rare occasion I find myself in town of a weekday lunch time I like to meet James for lunch, often making him starving hungry as I expect him to meet me about an hour and a half after he would normally eat. James and his work friends have told me about Urban Deli before, so last Friday that's where we headed. There was a number of menus, one for takeaway and one for sitting in. The sit in menu is extensive, but a little over priced for a quick lunch. There is a classic sandwich menu and a twist sandwich menu. They offer soup, jacket potatoes,salads and also a number of hot sandwiches. The hot sandwich menu was in chalk, implying it gets changed but I don't know how often. James was adamant he was having a hot sandwich, so he chose Moroccan lamb. By the time we got there, there wasn't a great selection of breads left, so he had it on olive bread. The meat was thick, juicy and moist. It was delicately spiced and there was plenty of it. There was quite a bit of fat on the meat but it being lamb, I guess that's expected. I know most people aren't as fussy as I am when it comes to fat on meat. I took aaaages perusing the menu, I often find it tricky to decide what I want. The classics menu was still varied and a little different, but the twist menu wasn't as unusual as the name suggests. It all looked appetising, but I went for the chorizo, brie and black olive on tomato bread. The bread was a good choice. The chorizo gave a tang of heat and the brie was thick and gentle. The black olives are the perfect accompaniment to add salt and offset the mildness of the brie. However it only worked for four bites as there were only FOUR OLIVES. On a six inch sandwich. So whilst the sandwich itself is a delicious mix, the majority of the sandwich was far too cloying, with the chorizo unable to hold it's own against the cheese. As you can see, I was dreadfully unimpressed by the olive fiasco. I like that they still have a bar-style seating area for the takeaway menu, and there is a huge amount of choice. I would have given it a 7.5, but my obsession with equal ingredient distribution has let the place down. So it's a 6. I would recommend it, but I suggest you keep an eye on how generous they are with the salad.
I yesterday returned from my first beach holiday in about three years. Despite going all inclusive we couldn't resist going to a restaurant. I've been to Palma Nova a few times and Terra Nova is kind of next to it along the bay. I had this restaurant in mind before we even left the country as it has probably the best location in the vicinity. It's on an incline at the end of the beach and above some other bars that gives it a fantastic view across the bay. We bagged a table outside on the balcony so we could see the entire beach and the moon reflecting off the water. The Blue Bar restaurant isn't a posh place, it has paper table cloths and place mats. But the view and the location is fantastic. I was determined to have paella and sangria, which is exactly what we had. As with most places the paella has to be for at least two people. It was utterly delicious. You know it's going to be special when it's served with a handful of napkins and wetwipes and a shell cracker. I'm a massive girl when it comes to certain shellfish. I had no trouble whatsoever in crushing the crab claws and sucking out the insides (there were loads and they were moist and salty) but James had to remove the heads from the prawns and languostines. The paella was full of pre-shelled prawns, squid rings and mussels but it was also cooked with the full prawns and languostines inside. That gave the depth of flavour to the dish that is often missing from paella dishes in the uk. It was utter carnage. there was bits of shell and peas and soft rice everywhere by the time we finished. The sangria was the best I had all week, it had strawberries in it! James and I have been inspired to utilise the giant paella dish we have in the kitchen and find a good sangria recipe on line. I can't vouch for the rest of the menu, it was pretty electic as most restaurants are in massive tourist spots. But it was ideal to what we wanted. The waiters were rushed off their feet, yet they were prompt and friendly. It was well worth paying for despite our all inclusive wristbands. 8.5/10.
Just a quick shout out to this place. Flurt does four flavours of frozen yoghurt: natural, chocolate, strawberry and a fourth which rotates on average every six days or so. I was wandering along to the farmer's market after an unsuccessful day of shopping. I was going to break my diet with fresh cheesecake when I saw two girls walk past with some frozen yoghurt. So I bee-lined for Flurt. Oh my god. I had caramel with strawberries and granola. The small is still sizable and I kid you not, I had such a massive smile on my face I even got ensnared by those people trying to take your money for various charities on Fargate and gave them money! That's how delicious the frozen yoghurt is here. Go there. It will brighten your day considerably.
James had the regular haddock and chips, I opted for a small woof (YES, WOOF!) and chips. We shared a dish of mushy peas, and there was more than enough for two. Mine came without skin, which is how I prefer my battered fish. The woof was meaty and moist without being overly oily, just this side of cooked. But small?! The pictures show that this small was the average chip shop's idea of a normal sized portion. Makes a refreshing change from most restaurants who think that to be successful the portions must be tiny. James' regular haddock was enormous and had the skin on, which is how James likes it. Again the fish was perfectly cooked. The batter on both was crunchy and dry, exactly as I would wish it to be. The chips were crisp on the outside and almost perfectly fluffy in the middle. Only my Grandad makes better chips! Chunky and thick cut. Again, I ended up eating them with my hands in the middle of the restaurant, scooping the mushy peas up with the chips. The peas were perfect. Thick and...well, what can you say about mushy peas? They were mushy! The right texture and consistency. The dishes were automatically brought with a dish of tartar sauce and a bottle of tomato sauce.
