I returned to this classic St Andrews restaurant and it's still absolutely buzzing

It’s more like those luges in the Olympics. You blink and 12 years have blurrily speed-wobbled past.

That’s how long it's been since I was last at The Seafood Ristorante.

I was here back in the halcyon pre-Covid 2010s, when it was just prosaically called The Seafood Restaurant. It was my other half’s 40th birthday, and they sweetly drizzled a wonky ‘happy birthday’ on the plate with chocolate.

Now, my beloved is a bit greyer and grumblier. Maybe not a silver fox, but potentially a platinum badger.

Back then, this venue was owned by Tim Butler, but he sold it to The Rocca Group nine years ago.

It’s been a big year or two for this ambitious lot, with the youthful Stefano Pieraccini at the helm. Last year, they took over what was The Lookout on Calton Hill, and made it into a more casual and probably more sensible prospect with the new Cafe Calton. They’ll also soon be launching another St Andrews’ restaurant, Clarets, which will open this Spring and be part of the R&A World Golf Museum, overlooking the Old Course.

Anyway, while that percolates, The Seafood Ristorante is obviously doing well. It’s absolutely jumping, like a net full of silver darlings, when we visit.

It still seems to remain a birthday favourite and I can see why. There are posh hotel vibes, and the staff here - and they have a lot of them - do make you feel a bit special.

And, of course, there’s the distracting view of the North Sea, which, on our visit, was as choppy as the Swedish chef on The Muppets.

They offer the a la carte at lunch and dinner, but we both decided to try the Seasonal Lunch Menu - a very reasonable £40 for two courses, £45 for three.

I started with the celeriac and pear veloute, with Piedmont hazelnut, since those are a foodie supergroup - like Cream - of three of my favourite things. It was gorgeous, with a lush buff-coloured soup, Lego-brick-sized pear chunks, and a dozen toasted nuts, with a herby oil dappled on top. Not a weekday soup. Something for the weekend.

He tried the coarse pate of Perthshire game, which was another solid dish, with a hefty Nokia-3310-sized brick of herby and dense pate, as well as a quenelle of whipped liver and a nest of salty celeriac remoulade, plus a couple of pickled veggies and a vast slab of brioche that was as squashy as a memory foam mattress.

For my main course, I had a coral-coloured piece of Loch Etive trout, which came with all sorts of interesting bits, like a seaside pot pourri. There were plump Shetland mussels, toasted gnocchi pillows, green ombre-hued Romanesco florets, and dabs of herby sauce, a lush mussel sauce and other accessories.

He was also impressed by the buttery and copper-coloured North Sea John Dory, with white asparagus, sweet little clams, a rich pumpkin risotto and a curry-ish and sunshine-hued frothy vadouvan sauce. “Best fish dish I’ve had in ages,” was the verdict from half-man-half-seal.

I hadn’t thought our lunch would be quite as impressive as this.

I’ve been to The Rocca Group’s other places, and they’re decent enough, but this is surely the pearl in the oyster. It’s certainly not cool, but it’s not trying to be. There are no small plates, or vogueish ingredients, though there’s something very satisfying about the old-school luxury it’s offering.

Pudding didn’t disappoint either. The salted caramel tart was a gummy and butterscotch brick of palate-coating sugaryness, with burnished and crisp little discs of banana on the side, and a scoop of banana ice-cream. He had the forced Yorkshire rhubarb ‘pavlova’, which features Italian meringue, the billed fruit at its bright pink best, and yet another sauce that was theatrically poured at the table.

We stayed for espresso and little whisky chocolates, and I tried a Bianco Negroni (£12) with Tayport Distillery Gin, Cocchi, Lillet Blanc, Italicus and three fat Gordal olives on a stick.

Maybe it was the booze talking, but I felt a bit sad that it’s been so long since I last visited. Let’s not leave it so long next time, or save it purely for birthdays.

That would be a waste of an unexpectedly shiny pearl.

Bruce Embankment, St Andrews (01334 479475, www.theseafoodrestaurant.com)

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