Fantastic Pub Grub, feat PORK BELLY

 It's Miss K's birthday, and she has invited our troop to enjoy a speed boat ride on Loch Lomond.

It was truly wonderful, the sun was out. We got to witness some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, all while wondering if we were going to fall off the boat and die :P

For lunch we drove over to Helensburgh, which isn't far from Lock Lomond for a Trip Advisor recommendation, but communications had gone amiss and the place we went to visit was a wee indoor cafe: which is completely unappealing on a sunny Scotland weekday.

So we asked in at a shop and were told there was a pub with a lovely beer garden overlooking the water not far down the road, and off we went.

The Commodore http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thecommodorehelensburgh/ Does indeed have a lovely beer garden with a gorgeous outlook. And I must say, a bloody good menu.

It was almost too easy for me to make my selections. My laser-beam eyes spotted Pork Belly £11.99 on the mains, and there really wasn't a need to continue looking after that.

For starter I chose the prawn salad, large £9.95.

The starters came out almost immediately, which is awesome, but only half of our tables starters. I could hear my mum in the back of my head screaming "don't you dare start untill everyone has their meals!!" but we began anyway.

The salad was astonishing! The prawns were fresh, bursty and full of flavour! Served with mixed green leaves, tomato berries, slices of mild chili, pomegranate, mango and a delicious dressing. It really, really was spectacular, perfect even! My only very wee criticism would be to dress the prawns, whether with a small splash of olive oil, and even a last minute garnish of herbs just to give them some shine, to make them pop a little.

 Miss K and Miss E ordered the Fish Cob Salad for their mains... what a cracking dish!

 Okay, before I become a gushing mess about how BRILLIANT this meal was, I will put it into context. When we got to lunch I was not all that hungry, peckish maybe, so after the salad, then this main, I contemplated -and not briefly, for a good 5 to 10 minutes- ordering another serve!!!

So from left to right we have potato mash, pork belly, apple fritter and black pudding in the background.

 I don't even know how to objectively describe this meal... as I sit here and try to type I am awash with emotions. The pork fell apart when I touched it with my fork, the gravy was so rich and velvety, the fritter has the loveliest light batter, the apple within ripe and sweet. The black pudding was such an awesome accompaniment crispy at the edges and working so well with everything on the plate. Oh got this meal made me happy.

How I left the plate.

For drinks we shared a couple of very quaffable bottles of Rose. It was such a lovely, relaxed lunch, and a perfect concluding chapter to our time at the Loch.

Happy birthday Miss K, hope you enjoyed your birthday as much as I enjoyed my Pork Belly.