Review: Velvet Tide, Broughty Ferry

When Kelly Fairweather, the owner of The Selkie in Dundee and Ferry Selkie in Broughty Ferry, bought long-established Spanish tapas restaurant Sol y Sombra in Broughty Ferry, she took a suck it and see attitude. Eventually, however, she decided to change tack and bestow upon the venerable old restaurant a far more local flavour.

After an expensive root-and-branch renovation, the establishment now known as Velvet Tide – named for the moments when the river and sea tide fight each other to a tranquil standstill – opened in late June with the Merchant’s Bar downstairs (although guests can eat there) and 60-cover restaurant The Cailleach upstairs.

The latter refers to a myth where a local woman fell in love with a travelling merchant: she built the rocky hills in the distance across the Firth of Tay with her bare hands, and they are topped pure white from where she washed her petticoat and laid them over jagged surface, while the fields of Angus are planted and checked in the coloured tartan of her skirts.

The building had sustained serious water damage so was taken back to the stone walls. Painted panelling has been added, along with tartan wallpaper from designer Lucie Annabel, but the place doesn’t feel clichéd or dated.

Instead, when we visited in midweek this nicely relaxed neighbourhood restaurant was absolutely buzzing, with virtually every seat taken by customers who were loudly enjoying themselves.

Chef Ethan O’Hare has produced a massive menu broken down into seven fish and seafood options, six meat dishes, eight vegetarian options, eight vegan options, and a couple of puddings (plus ice cream).

With prices from £6.50 to £12 a dish (£15 for steak frites) it’s designed to operate on a small-plate basis, where customers choose two or three dishes each and share. After we’d ordered and the dishes arrived in random fashion, it soon became clear that – depending on what you order – you could get away with two dishes each, and that the place represents very good value (hence the fact that it was full).

As we were there to try as many dishes as possible, we ordered four dishes each: two fish and seafood, two meat, one vegetarian and two vegan. For me, the undoubted highlight was the superior comfort food dish of pan-friend hake with nduja and a white white and butterbean sauce (£12).

If that was nicely balanced, the scallops with granny smith puree and crisp pancetta (£12) also impressed, although I was a bit more dubious about the white crab meat mixed with lemon mayonnaise (£12) that was served on what looked like a bog-standard crumpet.

The lamb koftas with tzatziki and confit chilli sauce (£11) were good hearty fare, although even though I have what is euphemistically called a healthy appetite the signature dish of chorizo with black pudding in a honey and red wine reduction (£9.50) was too big and rich for me and half of it remained uneaten (a major rarity).

Our only vegetarian dish, a miso-glazed roast aubergine with pak choi (£8), was disarmingly simple and a nice change of pace. The same could also be said of our two vegan dishes, the salt and chilli corn ribs (£8), and a wonderfully refreshing dish of beetroot tartar with capers, apple, gherkin and lemon (£7.50).

We rounded off with a decent apple pie with crème anglaise (£8.50) and a disappointingly dry clootie dumpling (£8.50) with marmalade ice cream.

Beloved though Sol y Sombra was for 14 years, Velvet Tide is a great addition to Broughty Ferry. The comfort food is hearty, uncomplicated and great value, the environment is impressive without ever tipping over into being prissy or intimidating.

The other customers clearly loved it, and if O’Hare can keep up the good work Velvet Tide should be here for years to come.

Velvet Tide. 27 Gray Street, Broughty Ferry, DD5 2BH. 01382 776941.