Loch Fyne, Shrewsbury - food review

The arrival in Shrewsbury of restaurants like Loch Fyne and Carluccio's changed the town's culinary landscape. While Ludlow had for some years ruled the roost, the emergence of such popular chains here in Shrewsbury indicated a changing pattern.

They showed that decision makers in London were taking Shrewsbury seriously as a gastronomic destination. While it may not have secured the star appeal of towns such as Ludlow, it was able to match the likes of Bath, York, Worcester, Edinburgh and any number of London suburbs.

Artisan producers and a thriving independent restaurant scene, allied to a vibrant annual food festival, made Shrewsbury an increasingly popular place for foodies. And so the bosses of multiples who might normally look to Birmingham or Cheshire started to pick out the town from the map.

Both Loch Fyne and Carluccio's have justified their owners' faith in Shrewsbury. They have prospered in recent years – Carluccio's is ever-busy, offers a reliable menu and does the best hot chocolate in Shropshire while Loch Fyne retains its reputation for bright and breezy food from land and sea.

The Market Street restaurant is light and airy. Vast windows flood the room with natural light while the interior is all blonde wood floors, black-and-white tiles, a vast cache of wine in a case on a wall and wooden tables and chairs. It's inoffensive and provides an easy eating environment, a little like the nearby Armoury, which sits beside the River Severn.

Service is generally efficient and well-organised. When my friend and I ate a midweek supper, we were offered a choice of tables and our waitress was polite and attentive throughout.

The menu focuses on fish but takes a creative approach to all things piscine. So there's a soft shell crab pakora with homemade raita nestling on the starters board, alongside a delicious smoked haddock scotch egg with celeriac remoulade and grilled octopus or king prawn soft corn tacos with whipped avocado, re-fried beans, chipotle and oregano mayonnaise.

There are decent variations from the land, too, with haggis and Cheddar spring rolls – delish – with a mustard mayo and pear and watercress salad, or smoked chicken terrine with Caesar dressing and baby gem.

There's nothing better than fresh fish, however. Visiting Loch Fyne and not ordering something from the sea would be like going to Manchester United and refusing to watch the football. So I started with six oysters, which were plump, creamy, salty and delicious. Served with the usual garnishes – lemon, hot chilli sauce, vinegar and shallot et al – I worked my way around the iced plate, greedily tipping each to 180 degrees and letting them slide down the hatch.

Oysters are one of nature's great treats. Though there are many who are needlessly squeamish and murmur complaints about their texture, the flavour is exquisite, a real taste of the sea. Within a minute or three, they were gone.

My friend started with chilli prawns, which were fine, if a little dull. Served with unimpressive granary bread, they made a reasonable start to dinner without sounding the fanfare or raising expectation.

Our mains were mediocre. My friend ate a bowl of ramen that was average though bland while I opted for the crab and lobster burger, which was a little dry and lacking in punch.

Shrewsbury has a number of pan-Asian restaurants that serve sensational sushi, sashimi and ramen. And while Loch Fyne's was OK, it was far from exceptional. The flavourbombs that ramen ought to deliver exploded with a stutter, rather than a whizz, bang, pop. It should have knocked our socks off but had too little wow, too little pizzazz.

The burger was the same old story. A sweet piece of lobster topped a crunchy, golden crab burger that was secreted between pillowey-brioche and garnished with a seafood sauce and salad. It was all OK, rather than great: all so-so, rather than memorable. The brioche was light but a little dry: it lacked the buttery, feathery, sweetness of an artisan bun. The crab needed a lift – more seasoning, perhaps – to help its flavours stand out. And the salad was limp and underwhelming; an afterthought rather than a star player.

And that, perhaps, was the lasting impression of Loch Fyne. It's great for Shrewsbury that it attracts restaurants with national reputations, though big doesn't always mean better. And with competition intense among local restaurants, Loch Fyne doesn't make it to this critic's medal podium.

While service has improved, the food lacks soul. It feels a little loveless, a little forlorn. Aside from a great tray of oysters – which, lest we forget, are all Mother Nature's work – there's little mystery and a lack of excitement. Dishes felt as though they'd failed to reach their potential. They were the runner in a 100m sprint that finished fifth out of eight, the under-performing car that needs a fine tune and does 0-60mph in 12 seconds, rather than eight.

Shrewsbury's reputation as a foodie town has become established in recent years and its now a regional centre of excellence. It will no doubt continue to attract reasonably big hitters in years to come as an engaged clientele with money to spend looks to try new flavours and textures from restaurants with good reputations.

But with so many independents doing such a fine job – and those in search of really good, fresh and economically-priced fish lunches or South East Asian dishes need look no further than the town's market – the multiples have to raise their game.

It's not enough to simply offer a smartly-conceived menu, it has to be executed with precision and aplomb. And the excitement that comes with the ticket price at other local venues felt strangely absent. Attention to detail is all and, aside from a thrilling plate of oysters, our dinners lacked impact.

Loch Fyne's service is good and has certainly improved and the menu promises much. However, when we visited for a midweek dinner something had been lost in translation. Dishes were a little bland, rather than Bobby dazzling.

By Andy Richardson