WHERE TO EAT DIRECTORY ■ £21 (lunch/dinner) cafébarge
Sitting on a rocky outcrop in a former RAF building, the restaurant offers, in their own words, fine dining at the edge of the Atlantic.
■ Hay’s Dock Hay’s Dock, Lerwick, Shetland 01595 741569, www.haysdock.co.uk Mon–Sat 10.30am–4pm; Sun noon–5pm; Thus–Sat 7–11pm. £10 (lunch) / £22
With panoramic views of Lerwick Harbour the restaurant offers a wide range of eating options from daytime snacks to more adventurous dishes based on Shetland and Orkney produce.
■ Inver Cottage Strathlachlan, Strachur, Argyll 01369 860537, www.invercottage.co.uk Wed–Sat 10.30am–late; Sun 10.30am– 5pm. Closed Mon/Tue. £18 (dinner)
crab salad with Coll egg, anchovy and black olives to Coll mutton loin chops with a herb crust served with sautéed potatoes & Coll greens. Dine in the bar area or the dining room in this old whitewashed hotel and then enjoy a digestif and a chat to the locals as the sun melts over the Hebrides.
■ Crannag Bistro Dornoch Road, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland 01863 766111, www.crannag.com Tue–Sat 5–9pm. £18 (dinner)
Bonar Bridge lies at the confluence of four salmon rivers and the Crannag Bistro acts as a meeting point for various dining styles and inspirations. Run by Ian and Kathy Smith, this bistro serves easy-going food such as Dornoch Firth mussels or a Bonar Burger, all made with local ingredients. Takeaway pizzas and fish and chips are also available across the road at the Smith’s other enterprise, the Curry Company, as are ready meals.
■ Creelers Home Farm, Brodick, Isle of Arran 01770 302810, www.creelers.co.uk Tue–Sat 12.30–2.30pm, 6–9.30pm; Sun 1–3pm, 6–9.30pm. Closed Mon. £20 (dinner)
Sister restaurant to Tim and Fran James’ Creelers in Edinburgh, serving fish from the adjoining smokehouse and shellfish from the surrounding waters.
■ The Cross Tweed Mill Brae, Ardbroilach Road, Kingussie 01540 661166, www.thecross.co.uk Tue–Sat 7–8.45pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £47 (set dinner)
Imaginative and assured cooking with well-sourced ingredients. Organic chicken and eggs come from the Moray coast, game from local estates, Highland beef, Shetland lamb and prime fish from Scrabster and Fraserburgh, with shellfish from Kyle of Lochalsh. Wild mushrooms are picked locally, with soft fruits coming courtesy of Alvie Estate.
■ The Creel
■ Ee-usk
Front Road, St Margarets Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney 01856 831311, www.thecreel.co.uk Tue–Sun 7pm–8.30pm. Closed Mon (Closed mid Oct–March). £32 (set dinner)
The North Pier, Oban, Argyll 01631 565666, www.eeusk.com Mon–Sun noon–3pm, 6–9.30pm. £15 (lunch) / £24
Alan Craigie’s superbly creative skills focus on the best that Orkney’s seas, shores and land produce. Choices range from home-made fishcakes in shellfish bisque to seared diver-caught scallops presented with a wholesome chunk of steamed cod, braised fennel and spinach. Carnivores can’t complain though with a choice of North Ronaldsay mutton baked in pastry to start or tender, slow-braised brisket and roast rib-eye for main.
Gaelic speakers may pick up on the clue in the name – which translates as fish. A place for groaning seafood platter, lightly cooked fish, crisp white wines and window tables with the best of those spectacular bay views.
■ Gallan Head Restaurant and Hotel Aird Uig, Isle of Lewis, 01851 672474, www.gallanheadhotel.co.uk Mon 7–9.30pm; Tue–Sun noon–2pm, 7–9.30pm. (Nov–Mar open Thu–Sat only).
Whether it’s a cappuccino and some wickedly tempting home baking, a light and tasty lunch dish or something special from the dinner menu, Inver Cottage puts quality local ingredients to use in a fresh and imaginative way. With stunning views across the bay to ruined Old Castle Lachlan (home of the MacLachlan clan for over 1000 years), the dining room offers a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Inver Cottage craft gallery and shop also sells an unusual selection of artwork and gifts.
■ Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa and Island Ledaig, by Oban, Argyll 01631 720371, www.eriska-hotel.co.uk Mon–Sun 7.45–9pm. £40 (set dinner)
Fort William-born Robert MacPherson has been the steady but innovative chef at the helm here since 1987. As the hotel sits on its own island seafood fittingly features strongly in dishes such as Loch Linnhe brown crab ravioli with ginger, mango emulsion and avocado puree. Choose between the likes of Kinlochlaich Farm pork loin, belly and cheek or roasted Oban turbot on the decadent main menu. The quartet of dining spaces each have their own charms with the light conservatory and the Morning Room most appealing.
■ The Kilberry Inn Kilberry Road, Kilberry, Argyll 01880 770223, www.kilberryinn.com Tue–Sun 12.15–2.15pm, 6.30–9pm. Closed Mon. (Nov/Dec dinner on Fri/Sat only.) £18 (lunch) / £25 (dinner)
Zip past on the scenic road down to Kintyre and you could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another cute whitewashed cottage. However, this culinary oasis has won a string of awards for cooking that nods to France THE LARDER 137
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