News / Da Haaf back by popular demand
AFTER more than three years, one of Shetland’s most popular seafood restaurants is set to re-open again next week.
Da Haaf restaurant at Scalloway’s NAFC Marine Centre was forced to cease trading in the face of tough local competition, according to former director David Gray.
From Monday new leaseholder Mike Skinner hopes to attract back fans of the popular eatery with home-style cooked local fish and meat dishes.
Skinner said the feedback to his plans had been fantastic ever since the rumour that he was going to re-open Da Haaf started to spread.
The move is also part of the marine centre’s strategy to raise its local profile and attract more people to their premises at Port Arthur.
Having been a regular customer to the restaurant himself, Skinner said he had always felt that there was strong case to re-open it.
He and his partner Lorna Graham intend to keep up the canteen service for college students while initially opening the restaurant during daytime hours only, with lunch being served from midday to 3pm.
From the middle of March, the couple plan to extend the opening hours, first to Friday and Saturday night, and eventually to five nights a week in the summer.
“I believe there is a big market out there where we use good quality ingredients, simply cooked at a decent price,” Skinner said.
“We have had an absolutely fantastic response so far, we have got bookings for Christmas already.
“What people are most interested in is to find out what kind of food is going to be served here. They are worried that we tried to be a fine dining destination, which was tried here before and failed disastrously.”
The restaurant will take on the two staff employed by the college’s canteen with the hope of offering additional part time and full time employment later in the year. Da Haaf will initially have no alcohol licence.
“We have applied for a licence but until we get one, we will be operating a ‘bring your own bottle’ policy,” Skinner confided.
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