Shanty
The Old Boathouse
Ramore Avenue
Portrush
075 9443 2677
An old friend, Martin, recommended Shanty when I bumped into him on Ferryquay Street, Derry. He knows his onions, does Martin, so I checked out the menu as soon as I could.
Now, there are certain novels the opening lines of which have a particular impact: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”; “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”; and, of course, the pub quiz regular, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”.
Well, I’ve read a lot of opening lines, if only to give the impression I’ve read the rest of the books, but I don’t think I’ve read many things more intensely gripping than the first sentence I saw when I read the menu: “Fish and Chips, Mushy Peas, Tartar Sauce.” I was hooked. Shanty here I come, I thought, and Shanty there we went.
The restaurant is housed in a converted lifeboat station, bang on the seafront at Portrush. Outside, it looks like little has changed since it was built well over 100 years ago. Inside, it’s calm, elegant, and cool. A walk through the narrow interior leads you out onto a balcony overlooking the ocean, the atmosphere and style belying Shanty’s rugged location astride the rocks of the seashore, and the original, urgent function of the building.
Annoyingly, my brother bagsied the fish and chips first. I regretted not pulling rank as soon as his dish arrived. A beautiful fillet of gleaming white flakes encased in crisp batter, stretched out alongside a generous helping of perfectly cooked chips, with a nice little bowl of minted peas snuggled in the corner of the plate. It was love at first bite, and he said nothing until the plate was clean.
I chose the pork belly: beautifully presented, with the rich aroma of red wine lifting from the plate. I couldn’t wait to dive in. My expectations were high, but not quite met, unfortunately. One portion of the pork was on the dry side and, while the red wine reduction was beautiful, there was nowhere near enough of it. The belly, however, was moist and full of flavour, and the parsnip purée really sweet and earthy, perfectly complementing the meat.
The coley was uniformly terrific. The fish had a delicious smoky sensation, and the crushed potatoes were lovely and soft. The egg, in its crisp coating, was good and runny and added richness, while there was a nice salty, meaty flavour from the pancetta, with heat and elevation from the mustard in the beurre blanc.
Our daughter, whose sausages were high quality, incidentally, was more taken with the ice cream van parked on the seafront than she was by the dessert menu, so she and my wife went outside for a 99, leaving just me and my brother.
My pannacotta was trapped in a glass dish, so it was impossible to detect a wobble. It was, nevertheless, creamy and light, and there was a nice sourness from the rhubarb and sweetness from the jam. I’m not sure the boba added much, but I liked the shortbread.
Now my brother’s cheesecake was a funny thing. Baked in a pastry case, the filling was fantastic, but the layer of it was far too thin, and the pastry far too thick. The candied mango didn’t have much flavour, but the little dots of mango purée and miso caramel were terrific.
Not faultless, then, but I’m glad I bumped into Martin and followed his advice. The location is wonderful, the renovation of the lifeboat house has been done beautifully, and the food is of a very high standard. There’s also a terrific wine list. It’s open throughout the day and on certain evenings, and it won’t be long before we’re back.
THE BILL
Mains
Fish and chips, mushy peas, tartar sauce - £14
Smoked coley, crispy soft egg, pancetta, mustard beurre blanc, spinach, crushed potatoes - £15
Confit pork belly, pork shoulder, roasted parsnip, parsnip purée, kale, red wine reduction - £17
Child’s sausage and chips - £5
Sides of chips and mash - £3.50 each
Side of crispy kale - £1.50
Desserts
Buttermilk pannacotta, confit rhubarb, strawberry and elderflower jam, boba, shortbread - £8
Baked white chocolate and miso cheesecake, miso caramel, candied mango, mango purée, white chocolate and dragonfruit powder - £8
Drinks
Diet Coke - £2.20
Milkshake - £2
Total: £79.70
