The Anchorage Restaurant
Food in Scotland
The Anchorage Restaurant
Main Street
Tobermory
Mull
01688 302313
There are few dining experiences in life quite as satisfying as eating fresh seafood straight from the sea in a good old fashioned village restaurant just yards from the harbour from whence it came.
And particularly when the food in question is Scottish, inner Hebridean and as excellent as that served up at the Anchorage Restaurant in Tobermory, Mull.
Nestling mid-way along Tobermory's promenade-cum-Main Street, The Anchorage is as authentic a seafaring hostelry as you'll find anywhere in the islands or, indeed, the country.
And up here, businesses must become masterly chameleons so what, by day, is a bustling harbour-side cafe serving up hearty breakfasts and lunches to locals and tourists alike transforms itself by night into an elegant eaterie ready to dazzle the unsuspecting palate with as picturesque a waterside backdrop as you could hope to wish for.
Due to a prior engagement, namely the Sound Of Mull music festival, I was unable to visit in the evening but did take in lunch here on a busy Saturday.
Various starters ranging from Soup of the Day to Salmon Salad were tantalisingly available but I dived straight in at the deep end, if you'll pardon the pun and ordered the seafood salad platter.
It was a seafood lover's mouth-watering paradise, fresh as the morning's catch and included succulent prawns, roll-mop herring, baby clams and salmon on a bed of Greek lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
My companion opted for the Squat Lobster in golden breadcrumbs with Marie Rose sauce and was equally impressed and we both made a mental note to go for the fresh crab salad on our next visit.
Non-fish fans are of course catered for with a range of delicious red and white meats on offer and the out and out veggies can opt for the baked corn tacos with black-eyed beans and mushroom chilli - all for roughly the same price around the �6 to �7 mark.
Licensed, of course, the Anchorage provides a good range of beer and wine available throughout the day and evening.
And with Tobermory's late pubs the MishNish and McGochan's a few minutes stumble away whichever direction you turn you'll be sure that the Anchorage will become a big part of a great memory of an fantastic day, weekend or trip on one of Scotland's real gems, Mull.
~ Peter Murphy
(18/10/01)