I was surprised at how easy it was to get there without a car; I simply got on a train to Ardrossan Harbour which took about an hour, then queued up for the ferry.
I could come up with a whole story of how I was touched by the beauty of the sea and how I had the deepest conversation with a dolphin, truth is, I fell asleep two minutes in.
When reaching the coast of Arran, Del insisted we got outside and watch. I was still cranky from waking up and my hair got all over the place, but yes the view was stunning.
We then drove all the way to Pirnmill where Del's family had rented a cottage for the week. It was purely dreamy, exactly how I expected the whole of Scotland to be when I first moved here.
I had barely arrived in the house when I was told we had a dinner reservation for the lighthouse, a seafood restaurant round the corner. "Oh well" , I thought, "I am really on holidays".
Because you see, I am a restaurant freak (no kidding) , I would never go somewhere unless thoroughly researched. So that was a first , and I could not wait.
The Lighthouse
I must say, the place was cute but empty, I wondered if it was a good sign. After a quick glance at the menu which was on the wall, my skepticism just melted: everything, I mean EVERYTHING sounded delicious.
Thank god I was craving for salmon or I would have spent the night choosing (did not want my hosts to hate me on the first day...)
So I went with the "cajun spiced supreme salmon with leek mash and prawn and chive cream sauce", while the rest of the table chose the "roasted shoulder of Arran Lamb with red wine rosemary sauce", the "pan seared fillet seabass with white wine mussel provencal sauce" and the "chargrilled tuna served with a sesame roasted potato salad".
The starters sounded lovely too, and Del and I said we would definitely go back the next day in secret to try them (we didn't).
How can I describe that dish without sounding over the top, I don't know, it was overly nice.This was truly the best dish I have had in years. The salmon was perfectly cooked, could have been eaten on its own, but the prawn and chive cream sauce was just a delight. Our dishes were supplemented with some lovely vegetables and potatoes. Could not get enough.
So when desert was mentioned I was stuffed, but I thought "more, more, I want MORE!!!"-Cec? desert?
-yeah sure, I mean if everyone else is...hum...
I went with the crumble and ice cream, rest of the party enjoyed meringues, creme brulee, and sticky toffee pudding.
"Everything is home made" the waitress said proudly. And she had every reason to be proud.
Perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Absolutely recommend that place, the service was warm and welcoming, the food was extraordinary, would be curious to know where the chef was trained.
A bit of shopping
As the shopping addict that I am , I could not leave Arran without some local goods. From cheese to fish and homemade soap, what a trip for my wee nose.
Arran cheese shop:
I have to confess, in France we think cheddar is not a real cheese, more like an orange plastic thing pretending to be cheese, so it was a grand surprise to taste some that was so delicious and properly made.
That wee shop was so cute, with four plates on the counter for us to taste: garlic cheddar, herb cheddar, mustard cheddar and I'm afraid I forgot what the fourth one was. Oh well, it was probably the least tasty or I would remember it.
I got some mini oatcakes with garlic cheddar (so French of me!) and raspberry and cranberry cheddar (so weefrenchy of me, I have a thing for fruity things)
Creelers:
Everything was just so fresh!, We got a mackerel quiche for our dinner, salmon and mackerel pate just for pigging out, and a lovely fish soup that I had back in Glasgow.
Arran aromatics:
For whoever loves original smells and luxury bath products. The place was full of nice gifts ideas.
I ended up buying a honey and oat soap that smells gorgeous.
So my trip to Arran was a total bliss, it was quiet and relaxing, the food was fresh and yummy. An overall magic experience.
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