Loch Fyne Oyster Bar

I have a problem with oysters - for years I was determined to disbelieve it, but I think I really must be allergic to them. Nobody could be as consistently unlucky as I seem to be. I mean every single time that I eat them, I end up with my head down the toilet. Strangely I do seem to get the much-denied aphrodisiac effect. I eat them, I turn into a sexual Tyrannosaurus and then I throw up.

Now I avoid them completely but thankfully Loch Fyne have lots of non-oyster options. I loved the Cornish squid - it was perfectly cooked and accompanied by a delicate balsamic and garlic dressing. The Bradan Rost (a traditional Scottish kiln roasted salmon) in whisky and wild mushroom sauce was full of rich, smoky, highland flavours - perfect for a winters day. Everybody in our party of six was happy and we covered a fair sample of the menu.

Loch Fyne make much of their environmental stewardship and do not source their fish from deep sea trawlers which can only be to the good. I read recently that within living memory it was not unusual to catch cod the size of a man in Scottish waters. Today they have all gone.

French Living - Oh dear me

French Living has changed. And not for the better. One bad meal could be a forgiveable blip - chefs get sick, waiting staff resign without notice, these things happen. But two bad meals is starting to look like a pattern and three is a definite trend.

I'm not sure what can have happenned - according to the website nothing has changed. But recently, the staff that I used to recognise (and who used to recognise me) have been absent. There was a brief flirtation with Moroccan cusine which failed to impress but now the menu has reverted to provincial French though the quality has slumped dramatically.

My "Dauphinoise" potatoes were suggestive of McDonalds Fries which had been squidged into balls - incredibly salty and floury. The veg might have been intended as a ratatouille but I rather think it was simply overcooked to a sludge. The meat was overdone and the cheeses were boring and still chilled from the fridge. The authentic stinkers that you used to get at French Living were one of the signature delights - sadly, a thing of the past it seems.