Magpie Café (Seafood)
Where better to eat fresh seafood than in a seaside town where there are plenty of seafood restaurants abound? I went on a day trip to Whitby last week, and one of my dining companions was adamant on going to this particular seafood restaurant – apparently on his previous trip to Whitby there was a long queue for this place so he didn’t get to try it out then. A good thing we queued up for this restaurant before a longer queue formed shortly after!
One thing that struck me was the strong attention to detail in this restaurant. As I was perusing the menu, I came across this list describing each type of the fish they have on the menu. A very nice touch since I personally know very little about the realms of the seafood world beyond the likes of cod and haddock. Additionally, it actually made me more interested in wanting to try fishes that I’d never eaten before in my life, just to see how true to their descriptions on the menu they were!
Another thing that was nicely done was the use of the TV screen which detailed the availability of the seafood and the specials of the day. If only more restaurants adopted the use of this technique.
Our view from inside the restaurant (upstairs).
Placemats showing the views around Whitby.
The following dishes were starters which were shared between everyone on the table:
In the middle: Crab Parcel Starter (£7.99) – Whitby Crab wrapped in Smoked Salmon and served on Salad Leaves.
On the right: Half a kilo of Mussels (£8.99) – Steamed and served in a liquor of wine, cream, and garlic. Served with a warm ciabatta roll.
Seafood Pot Starter (£9.99) – A selection of fresh fish and seafood including (subject to availability) clams, crevettes, king scallop, mussels, salmon, and haddock, cooked and served in a liquor of wine, butter and a hint of garlic with warm crusty bread.
Chilled Seafood Taster Starter (£13.99) – A selection of fresh fish and seafood including (subject to availability) oysters, clams, crevettes, mussels, crab, anchovies, salmon, smoked salmon, scallop, prawns, and samphire.
The following are mains:
My dish on the left: Scampi and Chips (£10.99) – served with homemade Tartare sauce.
The dish on the right: Magpie Fish Pie (£11.99) – Poached pieces of succulent white fish, plump prawns and salmon in a cream and tarragon sauce topped with riced potato and cheese.
Regular Lemon Sole (£15.99) – Served with their homemade Tartare sauce, lemon, and thick cut chips (or a salad bowl).
Haddock and Salmon Gratin (£11.99) – Grilled pieces of plump fresh haddock and salmon in Thermidor sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, parmesan and basil. Served with chips, potatoes or green salad.
Haddock and Prawns in a creamy leek sauce (£12.99) – Grilled pieces of plump fresh haddock and prawns in a creamy leek sauce. Served with your choice of potato dish or side salad.
Magpie Medley (£19.99) – Pan fried turbot fillet, salmon, scallops, and king prawns on Magpie Hash (diced potato, samphire, capers, onions, and pancetta) with a creamy garlic sauce.
Small lasagne (£7.99 on the kids menu) – served with chips.
I sampled each dish in addition to my scampi and chips, and deep down in my heart, I can’t fault any of the seafood dishes. Yes the portions are generous, but more importantly, the seafood was cooked to perfection and I could taste just how fresh the seafood was.
Conclusion: what a delightful restaurant this is! If only this was closer to my home (in Manchester) so I could visit it more and try their other dishes.
Magpie Café
14 Pier Road
Whitby
North Yorkshire
YO21 3PU
The Foodoir of a City Girl 