With John O'Groats behind us, we headed across the North coastal road. The drive is beautiful and the lochs this far North less commercially exploited here than those further South. It's hard not to keep stopping and admiring the view, taking the odd pic along the way (see below).
Our destination is The Albannach in the North West of Scotland, another small hotel with a strong reputation for food. The hotel, based in Baddidarroch, is lovely and we love our room in the old animal shed, while the whole property overlooks Lochinver (pictured above). In some ways, it's the place that I am most looking forward to eating, at for its very remoteness promises a certain clarity to the cooking and a necessity to focus on local ingredients.
The hotel literature is very clear about their food philosophy, stating that:
As Lochinver is a prime white fish port, as well as home to a fleet of inshore creelers, the fruits of the sea feature strongly, as well as Scotland's finest game. Free range beef and lamb come from Moray's pastures.
Now I'm even more excited. Accordingly, I feel a sense of deflation when I finally see the menu, a set menu of five course being: guinea fowl, beetroot soufflé scallops and monkfish, cheeses, apple tart. Beetroot soufflé sounds like a potentially dangerous dish, and guinea fowl on the menu has effectively bumped Scottish game off. For sure, the scallops and monkfish are locally caught, but four of the five dishes seem 'anywhere, any time' dishes. I try to keep my sceptisim in check till the food arrives.
Our destination is The Albannach in the North West of Scotland, another small hotel with a strong reputation for food. The hotel, based in Baddidarroch, is lovely and we love our room in the old animal shed, while the whole property overlooks Lochinver (pictured above). In some ways, it's the place that I am most looking forward to eating, at for its very remoteness promises a certain clarity to the cooking and a necessity to focus on local ingredients.
The hotel literature is very clear about their food philosophy, stating that:
As Lochinver is a prime white fish port, as well as home to a fleet of inshore creelers, the fruits of the sea feature strongly, as well as Scotland's finest game. Free range beef and lamb come from Moray's pastures.
Now I'm even more excited. Accordingly, I feel a sense of deflation when I finally see the menu, a set menu of five course being: guinea fowl, beetroot soufflé scallops and monkfish, cheeses, apple tart. Beetroot soufflé sounds like a potentially dangerous dish, and guinea fowl on the menu has effectively bumped Scottish game off. For sure, the scallops and monkfish are locally caught, but four of the five dishes seem 'anywhere, any time' dishes. I try to keep my sceptisim in check till the food arrives.
The amuse is lobster salad. It's good, very good, and leaves me wondering why it, or something like it, is not a proper menu item, most likely the margin.
For the first of five, it's guinea fowl with cabbage, roast shallots and mushroom sauce. It's nicely cooked but still feels a touch bland and an anywhere dish. It feels an also ran starter against what we've seen previously on the trip.
For the first of five, it's guinea fowl with cabbage, roast shallots and mushroom sauce. It's nicely cooked but still feels a touch bland and an anywhere dish. It feels an also ran starter against what we've seen previously on the trip.
Beetroot soufflé follows; I'm later told it is a favourite among diners. It has hardly risen but that is a small matter against the larger issue that I hate it. I eat only two small spoons of it and leave it; I only ate the second spoonful to check I wasn't getting it wrong with the first spoon. I wasn't.
I can't remember when I last sent a barely touched dish back to the kitchen, I can't recall ever doing it in a Michelin starred restaurant. I can't fathom why in a hotel so blessed with an abundance of brilliant ingredients on the doorstep, and talk of creelers and 'finest game' in the literature, would feature a beetroot soufflé on the menu. Having noted that it had not really risen, I wonder if the resulting concentration of beetroot flavour in a denser soufflé has destroyed the intended balance. Actually, I can't think I would ever like this, even if it had risen.
When the plates were cleared, despite the hardly touched ramekin, I was not asked if there was a problem, it was simply swept away leaving me to ponder the prevailing chef obsession with beetroot that has been evident throughout the trip.
I can't remember when I last sent a barely touched dish back to the kitchen, I can't recall ever doing it in a Michelin starred restaurant. I can't fathom why in a hotel so blessed with an abundance of brilliant ingredients on the doorstep, and talk of creelers and 'finest game' in the literature, would feature a beetroot soufflé on the menu. Having noted that it had not really risen, I wonder if the resulting concentration of beetroot flavour in a denser soufflé has destroyed the intended balance. Actually, I can't think I would ever like this, even if it had risen.
When the plates were cleared, despite the hardly touched ramekin, I was not asked if there was a problem, it was simply swept away leaving me to ponder the prevailing chef obsession with beetroot that has been evident throughout the trip.
The main of monkfish and scallops offers up, without doubt, wonderfully cooked seafood, but I can't help but feel it would have made a better starter in a smaller portion. The monkfish is superbly done, amongst the best monkfish I've had, credit where it's due. The scallops are similarly well executed, though there's three of them on the plate, that's a lot of scallops. But it now feels like everything has been usurped by the unwelcome guinea fowl which pushed this early menu fish dish to the main and so left no place for venison, beef, partridge, grouse or any other great Scottish main to be enjoyed; I feel a little cheated.
Cheeses are from Italy and Switzerland and I'm told that Scotland can't make/supply a reliable quality cheese. I find that a little odd. After that a quite nice but ultimately bistro style apple pie finishes up the meal and we retire back to the conservatory for coffee and petit fours.
The menu here changes every day which makes me very conscious of the fact that on a different day, with a different menu, the experience might have been very different. But while the theme of the trip so far has been restaurants connected with their terroir, here, where it is so explicitly promised, I felt cheated.
With the exception of the main fish course, this could have been a menu from anywhere, and in my view, fell well short of the other restaurants in Scotland (and England) that we visited during the trip. Sadly, The Albannach was the venue that I felt had the most potential for something outstanding, the trip's great discovery, but instead, it has been in fact the most disappointing. Guinea fowl, beetroot soufflé and Italian/Swiss cheese is simply not the best of what Scotland has to offer, and that's a shame.
Visit The Albannach website
Previously I visited Ackergill Tower, John O Groats
Next stop: Kyloe, Edinburgh
Location map for The Albannach
With the exception of the main fish course, this could have been a menu from anywhere, and in my view, fell well short of the other restaurants in Scotland (and England) that we visited during the trip. Sadly, The Albannach was the venue that I felt had the most potential for something outstanding, the trip's great discovery, but instead, it has been in fact the most disappointing. Guinea fowl, beetroot soufflé and Italian/Swiss cheese is simply not the best of what Scotland has to offer, and that's a shame.
Visit The Albannach website
Previously I visited Ackergill Tower, John O Groats
Next stop: Kyloe, Edinburgh
Location map for The Albannach