Pier 17
St Peter Port, Guernsey
I spent the previous night in Paignton at a hotel straight out of a sitcom, where the average age of the clientele made me feel more like a teenager than a woman looking forward to the imminent arrival of her bus pass. There I ordered scallops as a starter but without the advertised chorizo. Once the plate arrived, the overpowering taste and aroma of paprika and the residue of orange oil immediately betrayed the fact that said chorizo has simply been removed from the dish. When I tasted it, I wished I had told them to keep the chorizo and get rid of the scallops. Or at least, just get rid of those grey, bouncy bits of rubber. The menu did not state that they were diver-caught but any diver attempting such a catch would need one of those American baseball gloves and a firm grip. They defied chewing and ricocheted around the mouth like sandy, sea-flavoured midget gems, reminiscent of the sweets beloved of Harry Potter and his classmates.
I came out of the restaurant shuddering, and then started back in horror to see a miniature baby elephant writhing in its death-throes in the foyer, bizarrely displayed on an enormous glass coffee table. It was horridly realistic and its position just outside the bar was obviously designed to make guests feel the need for a stiff drink. Or several.
So it was with a rush of optimism that I ordered scallops again the very next night at Pier 17, a crab and scallop Thermidor, to be exact. Though the crab was largely conspicuous by its absence, the glistening little scallops were a joy. Pearly and succulent, they were cooked just enough to render them opaquely toothsome but without any hint of that toughness which is the penalty of a moment too long in the pan. The sauce was creamy, unctuous, with a hint of marine saltiness and the faintest suggestion of parmesan. I mopped it all up with some very moreish bread.
Honey roasted duck with roasted vegetables followed and was devoured with appreciation. The duck was perfectly pink, and the vegetables cooked to complement the meat which perched on them, rather than the usual hideous microwaved side-dish of tasteless boiled rabbit food. I don’t remember what I paid but it wasn’t extortionately expensive. I would have had a pudding but I ate too much lovely bread with the irresistible sauce on my starter.
Service was helpful and smiling without being sycophantic, and efficient. What more could you want? A view of the sea. I didn’t get one of those but I did get the very last table on a walk-in at 7 in the evening midweek. Well done, Pier 17.
Verdict: value for money - 7/10; service - 9/10; quality of food - 8/10.
