On Friday night we headed out to East Lothian to visit a local seafood restaurant which is tucked away on a Musselburgh main street.
Located on North High Street and just two minutes’ walk from Musselburgh beach and Fisherrow Harbour, the award-winning East Coast Restaurant and Fish & Chips Takeaway is owned and operated by Carlo and Katia Crolla.
It was a chilly evening and we sat outside for around ten minutes while waiting for our table but as soon as we stepped inside the bright and warm restaurant we were ready to indulge in a night of good food and wine.
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It was absolutely packed and there were other couples waiting outside for their table to become free with staff working hard to do a quick turnover.
It's always a good sign when a restaurant is busy and East Coast stayed buzzing with a friendly atmosphere throughout our experience.
We got a bottle of Picpoul that was crisp and delicious for around £25 which I thought was very reasonable and a free pint for waiting in the cold before we came in - a kind extra touch which is always appreciated.
For starters, I went for the Fisherrow Mussels with garlic, tomato and white wine which were freshly cooked and served in a huge bowl with plenty of delicious sauce and toasted sourdough to mop it up with.
I had been craving mussels for ages and was delighted when I had my first as they were the freshest I had had in a long time.
We also had the crab fishcakes with a side salad which were packed full of flavour and meaty.
For mains, we ordered a whole lobster thermidor and the harbour bowl which had fried calamari, beer-battered king prawns, the battered catch of the day and grilled tiger prawns. Both dishes were served with fries and aioli.
The lobster was cooked to perfection and despite it being quite a cold time of year was a really good size, I carefully devoured the whole thing spending the best part of the meal contently taking the delicious meat out of its shell and munching away.
You can really tell the difference between fresh and frozen seafood, and for lobster and mussels when they are cooked well and seasoned right - you just can't beat it.
The seafood selection in the harbour platter was really good value too and was a great selection of fresh fish and prawns. Next time we visit if it was a special occasion I'd splash out on the seafood platter for two as it looked divine.
We didn’t have room for dessert but it was really nice to take our time with the generous portions and enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the restaurant.
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There were lots of regular customers having a great time and chatting away to the staff which I thought was really relaxing and a sign of a good restaurant.
It is no surprise East Coast is an award-winning restaurant and a popular spot for locals. If you are in the area it's definitely worth a try.
East Coast won the title of 'Best Seafood Establishment in Scotland' at the Food Awards Scotland 2022 and continues to gain recognition as one of Scotland’s best seafood restaurants.
They were also voted the region's ‘Best Seafood Restaurant 2021’ in the Scottish Enterprise awards.
You can find out more and book here.
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