The Landings

OH what a glorious location for lunch! Down on ‘undiscovered’ Queensway Quay, this is definitely one of the true dining secrets of Gibraltar. A privileged world away from the deluge of tourists on Main Street, The Landings is an elegant and relaxed place to dine.

Set opposite the Governors Landing, you sit at a clean raffia table, stylishly set, overlooking some of the Rock’s most upmarket yachts, including one – Maghreb V – apparently owned by Russia’s fifth richest man.

Said to be a regular – as is Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo – he no doubt enjoys the Russian salad, served with a salmonette roulade with pearl caviar. I certainly did.

The menu is also appropriately grand, with a superb mix of exciting dishes and plenty of adventurous cuisine. The homemade terrine of duck and foie with pistachio nuts and bacon particularly grabbed me, as did the fact that they have fresh sushi of the day for just 8.95 pounds and some veggie options.

But I was most surprised to see a few Jamaican chestnuts making an appearance, including Jerk pork and chicken with Jamaican ‘herb festival’ cake. It all made sense when chef Patrick Rogers sat down.

The friendly Jamaican, who trained for five years under Anton Edelman at London’s Savoy, has cooked around the world and most recently ran the massive Secrets Resort and Spa in Jamaica. He turned up here completely by accident and offered his services to the owner, Londoner Ann Hudson, who luckily gave him a go. And what a result she has had.

“All our food is fresh and everything is made from scratch, and I am building up a good team here,” he explains. Aside from the fabulously fresh ‘line caught’ seabass, there was a nice dish of scallops and calamari, served with Parmesan breaded tilapia. The wine list was nicely varied with a couple of Champagnes, a reasonably priced ‘Il Graniao’ Chianti Classico and a Santa Digna Sauvignon coming in at just 14.95 pounds. Much of the credit must go to owner Ann, who previously worked in the fitness business, setting up the Rock’s well known Atlantic Suites health club.

She clearly has an eye for style and attention to detail is impeccable, both in the settings and food presentation. “Customer service, food and ambience are the fundamentals,” she explains. “If you get those right, you can’t go wrong.” On this showing, she certainly won’t!