My Love of Seafood // Riddle & Finns
And why the Riddle & Finns bread basket is not to be missed.
I’ve always been adventurous with food. Aged nine or ten, I begged my parents to let me try moules marinière on a holiday in France; they said no, scared I’d get ill while we were away, but that didn’t put me off. I kept asking every time mussels were on the menu, until they gave in, and when I finally tried them, they did not disappoint. The rich creamy sauce, the way the flavours clung to the shellfish, the ritual of eating each mussel with another’s shell; I loved it all. Kids menus of chicken nuggets, and sausage and chips just didn’t interest me. Why would I want any of those ‘boring’ options, when the adult menu had so many more interesting and intriguing ones?
My love of seafood has stayed with me ever since childhood, despite my seven year stint as a vegan. When I went back to eating meat, fish and dairy, seafood was my immediate go-to. I’m not a creature of habit when it comes to ordering food or cooking it, I always like to mix it up, but if I had to pinpoint my ‘regular order’, it would be prawns or seafood. Prawn curries, crispy chilli squid, and seafood pasta are all dishes I would yes to any day, knowing I’d be very happy with my meal. This leads me on to an impromptu visit to Riddle & Finns on the beach a few weeks ago.
I know Riddle & Finns isn’t exactly a ‘rock up for a quick bite’ kind of place, but I just so happened to be out for drinks with friends one Saturday afternoon, and after a few hours of drinking, we were rather hungry. So, we decided to try our luck at Riddle & Finns seaside branch nearby. With no booking, we were sat at the bar, which I loved. We had a vantage point over the bartenders shaking up delicious cocktails, a view of the open kitchen (which is one of my guilty pleasures), and the buzz of the restaurant all around us.
Now, I desperately need to tell you something; the Riddle & Finns complementary bread basket is *elite*. Flour Pot sourdough, salted butter in a scallop shell, homemade taramasalata, smoked salmon pate, aioli, and horseradish. Yes. Yes, a thousand times, yes. I paired this with a dirty martini, which hit the spot. We then shared some fresh oysters, which are some of the best I’ve ever had. So refreshing. Not too salty. Yum. I topped each oyster with a different topping because I always want to try all the options. What can I say, I’m greedy.
And then for my main, I had The Seafood Linguine. This might be a bit of a strange thing to hear from a girl who grew up in Croydon, but a seafood linguine is extremely nostalgic to me, and this one was perfect. It ticked all the flavour and textural boxes. I couldn’t have been happier. When you think about the fact that you can order a whole lobster from this menu, the seafood linguine seems like a bit of a basic option. But I think that’s what I loved about it so much. I revelled in its simplicity. Think Anton Ego eating the ratatouille in Ratatouille for the first time. Every mouthful made me just as happy as the next. I was in my own little world if I’m honest. Of course, Riddle & Finns does an array of excellent seafood and fish options, and gosh, wouldn’t it be nice if I could afford to eat there often and try them all. However, I’m so glad I chose the seafood linguine, and to be honest, there’s quite a high chance I’d choose it again.
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