Restaurant review: Littles, Blairgowrie

Often it’ll just be one or two people who bring somewhere to our attention, but in the case of Littles in Blairgowrie there has been a constant dripfeed of people singing the praises of this small, bustling fish restaurant which opened just over a year ago.

I’m clearly not the only one who has had Littles’ virtues extolled to me because this ambitious restaurant in the main square of the Perthshire market town is invariably full, as it was when we visited on a recent Saturday evening. Not only was it full, but its dozen or so tables were buzzing with chat and laughter – this was somewhere people clearly come not just for the food, but for the comfort and the craic.

Some of that ambience must be due to owner and local character Willie Little, who previously ran Ocean Traders and whose ownership of a Crieff fishmongers means there’s a delivery of fish to the restaurant each day from Scrabster near Thurso. The scallops and crabs come from Orkney, the mussels from Lewis, langoustines from Tarbert and oysters from Tongue.

As with all good fish restaurants, the emphasis is on freshness and working with what is caught rather than being proscriptive, so the result is a huge specials board that rivals the 20-strong list of options on the menu. Not only that, but our waitress made it clear that if we wanted something in particular, and gave them a little notice they could get it in for us.

We were staying with friends who live locally and who had also heard of Littles, and all four of us started with the specials, with varying degrees of success. Most impressed was Will, whose fricassee of razor clams, John Dory, crab and mussels in a simple cream sauce went down a storm. His wife Lucy was equally impressed by her four whole grilled langoustines, although I thought that £9 was a pretty steep price.

Bea was markedly less impressed with her grilled scallops on black pudding, served in a half scallop shell and topped with hollandaise. This was mainly because the hollandaise was burnt while the black pudding was not only cloyingly dry and burnt, but also of obviously poor quality.

If that was disappointing, my fish soup – which should be the barometer by which any fish restaurant is judged – was a car crash. I could probably have overlooked the fact that it was so tomato-based that it completely overwhelmed whatever fish content there was, but the main problem was with the cheese that came with croutons and rouille on the side. I thought my eyes were playing tricks at first, but they weren’t: there, on most strands of the grated cheese, were what appeared to be big flecks of mould. Seriously. I picked up the cheese and scraped off some just to make sure a little blue cheese hadn’t made it into the bowl by mistake. It hadn’t.

I sent it back and got it replaced, but the attitude of our otherwise attentive and friendly waitress seemed to be as much one of puzzlement rather than the mortification you would surely expect. Just to make the point, when the bill came at the end of the evening, I was surprised to find that we’d been charged for that starter. Oh well, another day, another dollar.

Our main courses were of mixed quality. My whole sole with almonds was perfectly cooked, but Lucy and Bea’s fillets of sea bass were both slightly overdone. Will’s rump of venison came with a commendably rich sauce and a melange of garlic potato, sauerkraut and parsnips, although none of the above could mask the fact that the venison was chewy and tough. Will thought it lacked flavour, I didn’t, but we both agreed it was tough as young boots.

It’s impossible to complain about the portion sizes at Littles, so by the time we got to pudding, Will and Lucy were out for the count. The Baths are made of sterner stuff though, so we both waded in, Bea choosing the rhubarb and ginger parfait with vanilla crème brûlée, while I opted for the pear and apple crumble with sauce Anglaise and ice-cream.

Both were really decent slugs of comfort food which we’d happily order again, with the nicely judged parfait the undoubted highlight.

At the end of the meal an old friend of Bea and Lucy’s who’d been at another table came over the say hello and ask about our experience. She eats regularly at Littles and admitted that it had become a little variable of late, possibly because the place is operating at full capacity. She was at pains to point out that it’s generally very good indeed, which is why she keeps going back.

There’s definitely much to like about it. Although the chunky prices are pushing the bounds of decency so far from the city, Willie and his merry crew have nevertheless brought relaxed fine dining to a small town which was previously fairly bereft except for the more formal Kinloch House, and they’ve clearly created a social hub. The house wine was excellent, the service good and the range of options extensive. And let’s face it, everyone is allowed to have an off night. What no restaurant is allowed to do, though, is give you mouldy food then charge you for it.

Littles 4 Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie (01250 875358, www.littlesrestaurant.co.uk)

Bill please

Starters £3.45-£8.95. Main courses £9.95- £19.95 (home-made pizzas £7.95-£9.95). Puddings £5.25-£5.95 (cheeseboard £5.65)

Rating

6/10