Fish restaurant review: Fishy Fishy, 18 Dolphin Quays, The Quay, Poole (From Bournemouth Echo)

Fish restaurant review: Fishy Fishy, 18 Dolphin Quays, The Quay, Poole

10:20am Friday 20th August 2010 in

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HAVING conquered primetime television, the logical next step for any celeb is to open a seafood restaurant in Poole.

Well, maybe not, but when X Factor presenter, Dermot O’Leary, unveiled his co-owned Fishy Fishy eatery last week, it wasn’t as surprising as you might think.

He launched a restaurant by the same name in Brighton last year, to critical acclaim.

Like Brighton, Fishy Fishy Poole is a joint venture with Dermot’s pals James and Paul, who’ve served up a successful formula further along the coast.

To see if they’d brought this success to Poole, I booked a table for my girlfriend and me last Monday.

Set in Dolphin Quays, Fishy Fishy could be the shot in the arm this development needs (there are still units vacant).

From the outside the restaurant looks inconspicuous – somewhat lost under the imposing structure it’s housed in. However, what it lacks in charm outside, it compensates for inside with a fabulous fusion of old nautical ornamentation and contemporary furnishings.

Apparently it was designed by Dermot and James’ better halves.

For a Monday night the place was rammed – apparently, it has been since opening.

A jovial waitress escorted us to our table, where we ordered olives and a bottle of Touraine Sauvignon, ‘Dermot’s favourite’. The man has good taste.

The ethical promises emblazoned on the wall eliminated the ‘fish guilt’, so I ordered the smoked mackerel pate to start followed by (sustainably sourced) baked skate wing, with brown butter and capers.

My other half opted for Channel squid with homemade chilli jam and Thai style mussels to follow.

With plenty of banter and good music (The Kinks), there was a lively atmosphere and the view over the marina was beautiful as the sun disappeared.

Considering how busy they were, the food was prompt.

My mackerel pate sparked envy on the other side of the table – it was divine. Although the squid and chilli jam was good, it was definitely the bridesmaid.

Similarly, my main course was a triumph; the buttery skate was succulent and the capers added a nice tang to the dish – although I did have to order my greens separately for £2.25.

The mussels were plump and juicy, but the sauce was more mariniere (butter and wine) than Thai, lacking the coconut, ginger and lemongrass flavours we expected. Nevertheless, it was tasty.

There was just about room for dessert, so I went retro with treacle tart and crème Anglaise, while Liz had the milk and white chocolate mousse. The latter was a tad plain, but the tart was a delicious slice of nostalgia.

So did our meal have the X Factor? Well, Dermot, we’ll certainly return for round two.

Including wine our bill was just shy of £70.