Eating and Drinking Guide 2012

CENTRAL SCOTLAND & FIFE

In association with

Outside the Cities more than 30 years, Jimmy and Amanda Graham have dedicated themselves to creating exuberant menus from whatever is local and best. When that demands raiding the family garden, their restaurant gets first dibs. The intimate venue feels more caring than crowded, the enjoyment evident among fellow diners establishing an immediate sense of ease. To start, slow-cooked caramelised pork cheek, encircled by tender beetroot and finely chopped kale, is earthy sweet. Fillets of local seafish bathe in golden Catalan Sugret sauce, ground almonds providing richness without the heaviness of cream.

Puddings tempt – the trio of chocolate puddings enable pannacotta, juxtaposed with passion fruit sauce and mango sorbet, to appear a relatively virtuous alternative.

The Peat Inn

Peat Inn, by St Andrews, Fife, KY15 5LH 01334 840206, thepeatinn.co.uk | Tue–Sat 12.30–1.30pm, 7–9pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £19 (set lunch) / £39 (dinner)

the property’s home-grown herbs and idyllic garden stream. For visitors to St Andrews, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Kingarroch team also now look after the café-restaurant at the Byre Theatre.

The Peat Inn simply exudes an air of calmness and competence. Decorated in muted shades of brown and cream, the dining area divides into several small spaces ensuring an intimate and uncluttered feel. Offering lunch, tasting, à la carte and daily menus, this is accomplished cooking, drawing on classical French techniques and using quality local ingredients. Winter salad with beetroot, soft cheese, walnut brittle and pomegranate is a masterclass in presentation skills and the use of contrasting flavours and textures while quail tortellini with black pudding and truffle velouté is richly satisfying. Mains include pork cooked three ways and dressed with a sage and calvados sauce or a meltingly tender loin of venison cooked sous-vide. Make sure you leave room for desserts. Breaking open a hot mango and passion fruit soufflé is like cutting through billowy clouds while the pavé of salted chocolate with coffee mousse and blood orange sorbet is intense enough to satisfy the most ardent chocoholic.

No 1 The Bank

Room with a View

The 15-room hotel boasts a lovely location overlooking the South Inch with views of Kinnoull Hill, while its proximity to the railway station makes it handy for visitors arriving by train to the UK’s newest city. The hotel’s head chef is Graeme Pallister, awardwinning patron of nearby 63 Tay Street.

Menus at the Parklands reflect Pallister’s mantra of ‘local, honest, simple’ with ingredients sourced from local suppliers such as veteran seafood specialist George Campbell and Sons. Hotel bistro No 1 The Bank serves lunch and dinner in a bright, conservatory-style dining room with a wide-ranging menu that showcases Pallister’s command of classic British dishes enlivened with flavoursome condiments and dressings. Fine dining is also on offer at 63@Parklands, while a new menu of light bites and bar meals can be perused on the pleasant terrace area at the front of the hotel.

Nestled at the bottom of a steep, rocky slope in the pretty coastal village of Aberdour, the Room with a View restaurant in the Forth View Hotel has something of the home away from home about it. Wide, high windows around two of the four walls offering a stunning outlook beyond the village’s craggy Hawkcraig point. Chef Tim Robson’s menu reflects the best catches of the day, each with its own unique twist. An innovative hamper-style starter allows you to indulge in a handsome sampling of the starter menu, a creamy, wonderfully seasoned cauliflower soup with curried shrimp dumpling and a subtly flavoured crab and ginger fishcake proving the highlights. For mains, a trio of halibut with a butternut squash puree showcases Robson’s creative flair, as three succulent pieces arrive separately poached, breadcrumbed and wrapped in filo pastry.

The Wee Restaurant: one of Fife’s finest dining locations

regulars’ favourite (like a twice-baked parmesan soufflé) surviving long-term.

Potted crab is zesty and fresh, the delicate flesh enlivened but not overpowered with a dash of citrus tang – a fine example of the kitchen’s ability to marry bold flavours without letting any dominate a dish to its detriment. Nowhere is that skill more evident than a fabulous spiced pork loin, served with puy lentil and garlic sausage cassoulet. A hint of star anise imparts subtle fragrance, moderated by the earthy pulses and velvety polenta. For dessert, lemon posset is sharp and creamy, offset by almond shortbread and sweet stewed rhubarb.

The Kingarroch Inn

5 Main Street, Craigrothie, Fife, KY15 5QA 01334 828237, kingarrochinn.co.uk | Summer: Tue–Fri noon–3pm, 5.30–9pm; Sat noon–9pm; Sun noon–9pm. £11.95 (set lunch) / £19.50 (dinner)

Never judge a book by its cover. This seemingly simple whitewashed cottage, sat precariously on the corner of a busy Fife road, might seem a bit dated, yet its subterranean entrance could well be described as a gateway to food heaven.

Fresh, local and seasonal produce, cooked to perfection and combined with a friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere are what make this modest restaurant so appealing. Spiced mushrooms, haggis fritters, venison casserole and medallions of tender beef are just a few offerings from the Hughes brothers, who took over the restaurant from the Smith family in 2010. Locally caught fish are also a mainstay of their menu, of which cured sea bass and East Neuk haddock often top the bill. And although the restaurant spans three floors, perhaps the best dining experience to be had in the summer months is in the beer garden overlooking

The Parklands Hotel, 2 St Leonard’s Bank, Perth, PH2 8EB 01738 622451, theparklandshotel.com | Mon–Sun noon–2pm; 6–9pm. £22 (lunch) / £22 (dinner)

Ostlers Close

25 Bonnygate, Cupar, Fife, KY15 4BU 01334 655574, ostlersclose.co.uk | Tue–Fri 7–9.30pm; Sat 12.15–1.30pm, 7–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £20 (lunch) / £32 (dinner)

Care, creativity and gratification are words that come to mind when considering a meal at Ostlers Close. For

Forth View Hotel, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0TZ 01383 860402, roomwithaviewrestaurant.co.uk | Wed–Sat noon–2pm, 6–8.30pm; Sun noon–2pm. Closed Mon/Tue. £18 (lunch) / £26 (dinner)

The Ship Inn

The Toft, Elie, Fife, KY9 1DT 01333 330246, ship-elie.com | Mon–Thu noon– 2.30pm, 6–9pm; Fri/Sat noon–2.30pm, 6–9.30pm; Sun 12.30–3pm, 6–9pm. £16 (lunch) / £16 (dinner)

Overlooking Elie’s sandy bay, the Ship Inn offers well-prepared, comforting fare in a relaxed and sociable setting.

Décor and furniture are reassuringly informal with photographs of old Elie and maritime influenced artwork throughout.

Flaky fresh haddock comes in crispy light beer batter and generously filled seafood pie has a rich, cheesy crumb topping.

Chalkboard specials bring home-made scotch eggs and Guinness-rich steak pie. The menu brochure highlights yearround events with beer garden barbecues supporting beach cricket and a summer beach hut dispensing coffees and Cream o’ Galloway ice cream.

63 Tay Street Restaurant

63 Tay Street, Perth, PH2 8NN 01738 441451, 63taystreet.co.uk | Tue–Sat noon–2pm, 6.30–9.30pm. Closed Sun/ Mon. £17.45 (set lunch) / £33.95 (set dinner)

Perth’s dining scene has really been in the ascendancy in recent years with Graeme Pallister, chef patron at 63 Tay Street, at the forefront of the renaissance. Décor is as refined and understated as the solid stone building. His declared philosophy is ‘local, honest and simple’, but that slightly undersells Pallister. His sourcing is indeed impressively local and honest with Perthshire berries and mushrooms from Aviemore, but his food is more than simple. Oxtail and Stornoway black pudding comes laced with a duck egg and horseradish while the standout is sautéed local beef rib with crumbed oxtail, horseradish and potato gratin. The five-course dinner menu showcases his culinary skills, while the grill menu offers Aberdeen Angus fillet and rib-eye.

The Wee Restaurant

17 Main Street, North Queensferry, Fife, KY11 1JG 01383 616263, theweerestaurant.co.uk | Tue–Sun noon– 2pm, 6.30–9pm. £16.25 (set lunch) / £26 (set dinner)

Tucked beneath the bold, red legs of the imposing Forth Rail Bridge, the Wee Restaurant feels a particularly cosy retreat from the busy world beyond.

Whitewashed walls, featuring good local artwork and warmed by candlelight further help to unfurrow even the most stressed out brow, while contemplating the succinct but engaging menu. Owner/ chef Craig Wood committed to local sourcing using the best of Scotland’s larder long before it became the thing to do and this remains clear today. Homecured salmon, as well as mussels, in a very rich parmesan sauce, dappled with pine nuts and bacon, hail from Shetland, drawing loyal customers back. Smoked Strathspey pork belly even has its crispy ears alongside the creamy celeriac mash, while a substantial aged rib eye steak hasn’t travelled far from farm to table. For afters, nutty, buttery baked pecan tart can prove too hard to resist.

TIPList FOR DINNER, BED & BREAKFAST • Barley Bree Restaurant with Rooms, near Crieff • Aberlady’s relaxing Duck’s at Kilspindie House • The cosy comforts of the Inn at Kippen • Top-end hospitality at Fife’s Peat Inn • South Queensferry’s Samphire Seafood Bar The List Eating & Drinking Guide 175

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