Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Restaurant Review: The Creel Inn at Catterline’s rustic charm and Cullen skink triumphs

CR0030049. Pictured - Creel Inn. 

Cullen Skink. 

Picture by Scott Baxter 13/08/2021
CR0030049. Pictured - Creel Inn. Cullen Skink. Picture by Scott Baxter 13/08/2021

Holidaying at home has certainly inspired us to explore our local area, and what hidden gems we have discovered along the way.

We have enjoyed walks along the rugged coastline south of Aberdeen wandering around the quaint coastal villages of Johnshaven and Gourdon.

Next on our wishlist was St Cyrus beach, and on an exceptionally sunny Sunday we were literally blown away by this spectacular shoreline.

With three miles of golden sands and magnificent cliffs brimming with wildflowers, this really is well worth a visit.

The Creel Inn.

We took the cliff path down to the sands and certainly worked up an appetite, as it was quite a hike on the way back, but the views were worth every step. The water sparkled in the golden sun as the birds soared high above the clifftops.

Our choice for dinner that night was the Creel Inn at Catterline, just under 30 minutes’ drive from the beach.

It must be years since we have visited, and we were excited to return to the small fishing village perched on the hill.

Inside The Creel Inn.

The car park has picnic tables and chairs with pretty views over the fields and trees, and some colourful flower boxes brightened up the concrete underfoot.

Inside, the place hasn’t lost its rustic charm, with original wooden beams and cosy wood-burning stoves. However, with the sun still shining bright, we managed to secure an outside table and perused the menus with cooling soft drinks.


The food

Naturally, there were so many seafood options, including a seafood platter, breaded hake with chorizo and freshly-caught lobster.

They did have other enticing dishes, too, including steaks, burgers and chicken.

For starters, my husband had the Cullen skink and declared it the best he has ever had.

The Cullen skink.

Thick, creamy and packed full of smoked fish, potatoes and leek – just how he liked it. Our vegan son dived right in to his bruschetta, beautifully presented with a side salad and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

After passing on a starter, I was feeling rather ravenous, and my eyes lit up as the young waiter carried our main courses to the table – quite a walk from the kitchen, so kudos to the waiting staff juggling those heavy plates.

Bruschetta.

My monkfish and prawn curry was served on a large, square, white plate and was accompanied by herb rice and naan bread. The fish had a very mild flavour and almost meaty texture, while the prawns were plump and juicy. The curry sauce was rich and tomatoey and had just the right amount of spice for me – perfect for dipping my naan bread into.

Silence had kicked in around the table as our other dishes of haddock and chips, lamb cutlets and a vegan strudel were all being devoured.

The haddock was fresh and full of flavour, nestled inside the healthier option of breadcrumbs rather than batter.

Haddock and chips.

The lamb cutlets were cooked perfectly, while the accompanying onion gravy was described as “amazing”.

Served with a separate pot of dauphinoise potatoes, full of cream and garlic and on a bed of ratatouille, this was polished off in no time.

The vegan main course was another superb offering – vegan strudel.

The vegan strudel was “imaginative”.

This was a very imaginative dish, and it was great to see something different from the usual veggie options.

It looked a bit like spring roll using Feuile de Bric pastry, which is similar to a filo pastry.

Encased within this was chopped butternut squash, kale and vegan feta. This all rested on a delicious rich tomato sauce with broccoli and asparagus on the side.

A triumph of a dish, full of flavour.

We sat back and relaxed in the evening sun, debating over a dessert order.

Classic sticky toffee pudding.

My son was delighted to see yet another fabulous vegan option, a salted caramel cheesecake served with vanilla ice cream, while his sister couldn’t go past her usual sticky toffee pudding.

The desserts were once again elegantly laid out on long white serving dishes and garnished with fresh strawberries.

The cheesecake just melted in the mouth, full of sweet goodness, while the sticky toffee sponge was light and fluffy – although it maybe could have done with another dollop of the incredibly moreish toffee sauce.

The vegan cheesecake

The verdict

We all agreed that the food at The Creel Inn was outstanding.

Next time we may have to sit inside beside the wood-burning stove rather than a table with a view, but this is the north-east of Scotland.

It was a pleasure to see some exciting vegan options and the freshest seafood, which not only tasted good but also looked good – we will be back.


Information

Address: Catterline, Stonehaven, AB39 2UL

T: 01569 750254
W: www.thecreelinn.co.uk

Score

  • Food: 5/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Surroundings: 4/5

For more restaurant reviews…