10:38am Monday 6th October 2008
By Nick Rowe
A GENTLE sea breeze, a cloudless blue sky, superb fresh fish and a crisp cool glass of Sauvignon blanc - I was truly hooked by The Crab House restaurant, which lies just off the fleet on the causeway between Weymouth and Portland.
It was one of those rare dining experiences when a restaurant you've heard great things about actually surpasses expectations.
I adore alfresco dining and have a bit of a reputation for forcing unwilling house guests in to the garden before I'm prepared to serve their supper.
So a rare day of summer was the perfect time for me to sample the joys of this great restaurant.
I thought I had taken a wrong turn when I pulled up outside an unprepossessing wooden hut surrounded by tables shaded by what looked like shredded pink plastic bags.
But I shouldn't have worried. The Crab House reminded me of a New England lobster pound, no pretension, no decorative frills (well aside from those kitsch parasols) just top-class fresh food at competitive prices.
We enjoyed a seaside feast of dressed lobster, crab and hake main courses with side orders of caught-that-day Poole Bay prawns, squid, mussels and chips.
The giant crab, which provided an ample meal for both my wife and son, arrived with a hammer to break the shell and a bucket to clear away the carnage afterwards. A cracking meal and smashing entertainment, to boot.
A strange, excitable panic comes over my wife when faced by a dead crustacean and she was in her element as she tucked in.
Shell fish isn't really my bag but my main course of hake was the best fish I'd tasted in years.
We ended up having a two-hour mega-feast for three adults and a child. The total bill with coffee came to £96.
The Crab House is already a favourite with some of the country's top chefs and food critics, yet incredibly manages to maintain a fairly low profile locally. With the Olympics heading to Weymouth and Portland in four years' time this superb restaurant should get the attention it deserves - what a catch.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisisdorset.net