This was just like being on my holidays in the Mediterranean – I was sitting in a restaurant, anticipating a lovely fish dish, with the sun beating down and a breathtaking view of a bay and shimmering blue sea beyond. But this wasn’t the Costa Del Sol – we were down at Aberdeen beach. The point was, it felt like we were enjoying a holiday lunch and, on its day (weather permitting), this spot is hard to beat. Silver Darling is probably the first, or last, building many seafarers and travellers see, for a little while, as they wind their way through the harbour’s navigation channel.
There cannot be many eating places where the passing traffic is of the maritime variety and floats by the window just a few yards away – and there were plenty of comings and goings during our lunch.
Silver Darling’s masterstroke was in adding a dining room above the old customs building it occupies, to make it a restaurant with a 360-degree viewing platform. A winding metal staircase leads you from below and a warm welcome awaits from friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The weekday lunchtime menu is very reasonable, with two- and three-course options at £19.50 and £25.50.
I had watched enviously once as someone scoffed oysters here during a business lunch and I made a mental note to do the same if I ever returned. So, here I was at last, and the oysters were still on the menu. I lost no time at all and within a short space of time, they landed on my table.
Six fat luscious rock oysters were sitting proudly on a plate shaped like an octopus, which was in itself something to talk about (there is a £3.50 supplement for six and £7 for 12).
I tried to delay the experience as much as possible to savour every second: with lashings of sea salt and a lemon and mignonette (shallots, cracked pepper and vinegar) dressing – they were a knockout combination. Within the normal straitjacket of dining-out table manners, you can’t beat slurping back an oyster.
These were actually world-famous Carlingford oysters from Ireland, where conditions are ideal for oyster production. I must book a holiday there.
My wife was also enjoying her scallop starter: juicy scallops sprinkled with Parma ham, chorizo and sweetcorn puree.
For mains, one of the specials of the day caught my eye – rock turbot, with a brioche crust, cauliflower, bisque and potato puree.
It was a beautiful dish, which delivered on taste as well as looks, with fleshy white turbot as the centre piece.
You don’t have to be a fish lover to enjoy Silver Darling: my wife chose delicious roasted “best end of lamb” slices, with a braised shoulder sausage-shaped “boudin” to accompany it, parsnip and potato gratin, braised lettuce and a rosemary and roast garlic jus. It was bursting with flavour and contrasts.
This lamb style boudin was a spin-off from a traditional black pudding or blood sausage dish – the word “boudin” even features in the French Foreign Legion’s marching song.
We rounded off with raspberry cheesecake, topped with real raspberries, and vanilla ice cream, with a special order of strawberries and vanilla ice cream for my wife, which was off-menu, but the kitchen was happy to oblige. A nice touch.
Silver Darling clientele kept up a brisk trade over lunch, with a mixture of locals, both informal and business people, and tourists – a good mix which gave it a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.
The tailor-made lunch menu is a great showpiece for Silver Darling’s versatility and does not blow too big a hole in your pocket, especially as you do not have to follow our example with three courses.
Talking of which, it was time to work it all off: we spied an excellent play area close by, so we collected our three-year-old grandson and went on an oldies’ workout – by trying to keep up with him for an hour. I challenge the French Foreign Legion to take that on.
Herring Tales: How the Silver Darlings Shaped Human Taste and History – see page 65.