The Gossiping Gourmet: Fresh seafood, but don’t worry — you don’t have to catch it yourself

I can’t always follow up on suggestions from readers about a restaurant that they thought was great, but recently a friend recommended a place on the Balboa Peninsula that looks out over the ocean, and I was delighted to try it.

It is called Fly ‘N’ Fish, and it features fresh seasonal seafood brought in daily. Its claim: “The focus is on sustainable and naturally delicious seafood from only the most prominent and responsible purveyors.”

The chef, Julio Hawkins, has an excellent background. He has made appearances on the Food Network and other shows and has served clientele including Bill Bates and the prime minister of Japan.

My dining companion and I were seated near open glass windows that let in the sea air on a particularly pleasant, balmy evening and gave us a view of the lovely sunset.

The restaurant is not too big, but it is pleasant looking, with lots of pretty wood elements and a marble-top bar area. An open kitchen at one end allows guests to sit on high stools and watch the chef and his team work their magic.

Red-leather banquettes line one side, and there are big mirrors on the walls. All together it has a comfortable ambience. We were there early and it was fairly quiet, but the scene got quite noisy later. Really good jazz was being played over the speaker. I highly approved, even though music in restaurants is just not my cup of tea these days. I must be getting old.

The Fly ‘N’ Fish version of a jumbo shrimp cocktail was indeed jumbo. Five very big, fresh-tasting white Mexican shrimp were resting on a large plate of shredded cabbage surrounded by slices of cucumber. Five large dollops of a wonderful horseradish and cocktail sauce enhanced the excellent shrimp.

I had the spicy ahi poke, and it was top notch. The tuna was enhanced with little cubes of avocado, cucumber, tomato and black sesame seeds. Most interesting was the addition of toasted Macadamia nuts, which added texture as well as flavor. Dabs of wasabi cream finished the plate, allowing diners to determine the degree of heat preferred. Crispy fried wonton chips acted as scoops to pick up the delicious tuna.

I was delighted with my saffron, bacon risotto. The risotto itself was lush and creamy with an underpinning of heat. It came with tender scallops with a pretty brown crust, giant shrimp, crunchy and sweet green beans, and thin little strips of salty bacon. It was a really tasty combination of ingredients all resting in a bath of basil pesto oil, and it made a pretty picture as well.

My dining companion ordered the Little Neck clams steamed with white wine, but sadly they were small and quite rubbery although quite tasty. What saved the dish was the white wine and garlic butter sauce. Also the crunchy strips of julienned carrots, onions and celery were flavorful when dipped in the sauce.

The restaurant has only three desserts, and we selected the chocolate lava cake and the strawberry short cake. The short cake was round and very dry, but it was topped with ice cream and whipped cream as well as strawberries and blueberries. We just ignored the cake on the bottom and ate the rest.

Much, much better was the chocolate lava cake, which was light and yet had a deep, rich chocolate flavor. It was topped with strawberries, blackberries and vanilla ice cream. Lava cake usually has a warm, oozing center, but this cake had a layer of chocolate in the middle that was just delicious.

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FLY ‘N’ FISH

Location: 2304 W. Oceanfront, Newport Beach

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11:30 to 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Prices:

Appetizers and small plates: $6 to $23

Seafood Platter: $45

Burgers and sandwiches: $13 to $15

Entrees: $17 to $46

Desserts: $7 to $11

Wine:

Bottles: $30 to $93

By the glass: $9 to $17

Corkage: $15

Information: (949) 673-8400