Gleneagles is a formidable hotel, traditional Scottish pastimes meet Vegas scale and commerce. It is set in 850 acres of grounds comprising three full golf courses, off road Land Rover driving adventures and multiple other outdoor activities that you'd instantly associate with Scotland including fishing and shooting; if it's raining outside, you can walk through Gleneagles's own shopping boulevard sporting outlets selling everything from designer fashion to designer whisky, or of course just relax in the spa. Gleneagles then has it all.
But 'having it all' also requires having a restaurant that is equally the part, a restaurant that is the very best. At Gleneagles, that restaurant is Andrew Fairlie, two Michelin stars and the only restaurant in Scotland to hold that accolade. At under an hour's drive from Edinburgh airport, we were pleasantly surprised just how accessible Gleneagles is.
At the prescribed time, we make our way through the hotel toward the restaurant that sits almost centrally in the old building. We're greeted by name at the restaurant despite not having declared who we were, a parlour trick perhaps, but we love that the staff are focussed on delivering such a personal experience and throughout the night, we are continually delighted by how warm and obliging the staff are in their manner.
Looking at the menu, a conversation from earlier in the week replayed itself when in discussion with another blogger, he had suggested that we were more avant garde than traditional in our food preferences. We conclude it's probably true. Looking at the tasting menu, we see old favourites foie gras and scallops on there giving us pause yet despite these nods to Michelin conformity, the tasting menu still seems to offer up something new and with our singular purpose for being at Gleneagles this meal, we elect for the full eight courses.
The canapes include salt 'n' vinegar cashews which seem a little incongruent with its two star status though a follow on of breakfast radish with curry and lime mayonnaise and salt is more understandable. There's also a deconstructed cocktail, the 'chefs take on mojito' but we feel it doesn't quite capture the mojito essence. After that, we move into the main menu.
But 'having it all' also requires having a restaurant that is equally the part, a restaurant that is the very best. At Gleneagles, that restaurant is Andrew Fairlie, two Michelin stars and the only restaurant in Scotland to hold that accolade. At under an hour's drive from Edinburgh airport, we were pleasantly surprised just how accessible Gleneagles is.
At the prescribed time, we make our way through the hotel toward the restaurant that sits almost centrally in the old building. We're greeted by name at the restaurant despite not having declared who we were, a parlour trick perhaps, but we love that the staff are focussed on delivering such a personal experience and throughout the night, we are continually delighted by how warm and obliging the staff are in their manner.
Looking at the menu, a conversation from earlier in the week replayed itself when in discussion with another blogger, he had suggested that we were more avant garde than traditional in our food preferences. We conclude it's probably true. Looking at the tasting menu, we see old favourites foie gras and scallops on there giving us pause yet despite these nods to Michelin conformity, the tasting menu still seems to offer up something new and with our singular purpose for being at Gleneagles this meal, we elect for the full eight courses.
The canapes include salt 'n' vinegar cashews which seem a little incongruent with its two star status though a follow on of breakfast radish with curry and lime mayonnaise and salt is more understandable. There's also a deconstructed cocktail, the 'chefs take on mojito' but we feel it doesn't quite capture the mojito essence. After that, we move into the main menu.
breakfast radish
Mackerel, caviar and crab then starts the 'real meal'. There's real high points here, especially the mackerel tartar and caviar which is simply divine making us wonder if this, presented alone, would have provided the wow inducing start such a meal deserves. Elsewhere, the quality of ingredients is first class but the use of cumin in the dish sees it dominate the overall taste causing the beautiful seafood flavours to, disappointingly, take a back seat.
Feeling almost like our nemesis now, the Ballottine of Duck Foie Gras with cherries and almond follows and while this is exactly what you'd expect, there's an additional and brilliant surprise: let's call it a foie gras donut (not pictured). It's foie gras, reduced down with port, Madeira and cream, frozen, coated in bread crumbs and quickly fried to provide an explosive liquid foie gras experience with a fried crispy coat. Again, while this was a sideshow to the ballotine, it provides a taste moment that the ballottine in our view simply doesn't and could easily have carried the course by itself.
Feeling almost like our nemesis now, the Ballottine of Duck Foie Gras with cherries and almond follows and while this is exactly what you'd expect, there's an additional and brilliant surprise: let's call it a foie gras donut (not pictured). It's foie gras, reduced down with port, Madeira and cream, frozen, coated in bread crumbs and quickly fried to provide an explosive liquid foie gras experience with a fried crispy coat. Again, while this was a sideshow to the ballotine, it provides a taste moment that the ballottine in our view simply doesn't and could easily have carried the course by itself.
Mackerel, caviar and crab
Ballottine of Duck Foie Gras with cherries and almond
In the usual course of events, next up is hand dived king scallops sitting on a bed of sea vegetables and samphire which to be fair, was an excellent example of the kind. With it came a second dish, a tapioca rice cake on which is scallop tartar, smoked scallop roe, sea vegetables, micro herbs with bonito broth flavoured with soy poured over. While this latter nibble held out the promise of really differentiating the scallop dish from the usual Michelin crowd, again, the predominence of the a single flavour, here Yuzu, let the dish down in our opinion.
Hand rolled semolina pasta with goats curd, pea and morels followed. It held promise but there was in our view a major flaw, the pasta was substantially too thick rendering the prime component of the plate chewy and unpleasant. The pasta in cross section can be seen in the below right picture.
Home smoked lobster with warm lime and herb butter is now described as a signature dish at Andrew Fairlie and this was a lobster cooked to perfection. Sized for the tasting menu too, such a lovely dish to have set before us but again, we considered there to be a major imbalance: the smoking of the lobster seemed to have gone too far so that the smoke dominated the dish. On top of that, the butter and lime was too heavy on butter and insufficient on lime giving an overall 'fatty' dressing. We so wanted to love this dish but it was at best good, but nowhere near great, though it so easily could be.
The main course was nicely differentiated: slow cooked beef cheek, soy and Balsamic jus. This too was cooked to perfection, the beef falling apart when merely grazed with a fork. Nicely positioned and nicely sized, it perfectly fit the bill within the menu.
The main course was nicely differentiated: slow cooked beef cheek, soy and Balsamic jus. This too was cooked to perfection, the beef falling apart when merely grazed with a fork. Nicely positioned and nicely sized, it perfectly fit the bill within the menu.
Home smoked lobster with warm lime and herb butter
slow cooked beef cheek, soy and Balsamic jus
The Farmhouse Morbier followed, served unusually with cabbage and cumin topped with crispy shallots giving an unusual but decent pairing of textures and tastes.
Dessert was a chocolate cremeux with raspberries and creme fraiche, ice cream. A perfectly good dessert and nicely presented, it still seemed to us to lack the wow factor with the raspberries dominating the plate placing the emphasis on nature and produce rather than kitchen and culinary skill. A raspberry coulis and a nettle coulis added little in our view and as the last major plate of the meal, it was a little underwhelming.
Late, and us tired, we retired to the room taking our box of petit fours with us. The macarons were amongst the best I've tasted and the marshmallows were totally moreish.
Dessert was a chocolate cremeux with raspberries and creme fraiche, ice cream. A perfectly good dessert and nicely presented, it still seemed to us to lack the wow factor with the raspberries dominating the plate placing the emphasis on nature and produce rather than kitchen and culinary skill. A raspberry coulis and a nettle coulis added little in our view and as the last major plate of the meal, it was a little underwhelming.
Late, and us tired, we retired to the room taking our box of petit fours with us. The macarons were amongst the best I've tasted and the marshmallows were totally moreish.
Farmhouse Morbier
chocolate cremeux with raspberries and creme fraiche, ice cream
We thought that overall it was a good meal but not a truly great meal. It was in our view hindered by what we felt were technical errors, flavour imbalances and, at times, playing it just too safe. The first two of these observations might well be absent on a different night but on our visit, it's how we found it. On the final point, it is perhaps a reflection of our own preference towards a more contemporary approach perhaps. The foie gras ballotine was safe, pushing the foie gras doughnut to the front would have been in our view a more interesting risk (just see what the foie gras lolly pop did for Osteria Francescana). Equally, the raspberry dessert also seemed to us, far too safe, but at the same time, simply not satisfying enough for such a highly regarded restaurant.
Our trips to Scotland these past twelve have revealed a brilliant and creative restaurant scene in and around the capital. While Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles is clearly part of that scene, and this was a good meal, even if the errors that we felt were made on the night were absent, we can't help but feel that the likes of Martin Wishart, 21212 and Mark Greenaway at Hawke and Hunter are going further in delivering original cuisine while also delivering exceptional quality, and it's these names and these meals about which we feel evangelical. Hand on heart then, while Andrew Fairlie at Glenealges delivered an enjoyable evening, with wonderful service by very friendly staff, it is as a meal we think was trumped by the best of its Edinburgh competition.
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Our trips to Scotland these past twelve have revealed a brilliant and creative restaurant scene in and around the capital. While Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles is clearly part of that scene, and this was a good meal, even if the errors that we felt were made on the night were absent, we can't help but feel that the likes of Martin Wishart, 21212 and Mark Greenaway at Hawke and Hunter are going further in delivering original cuisine while also delivering exceptional quality, and it's these names and these meals about which we feel evangelical. Hand on heart then, while Andrew Fairlie at Glenealges delivered an enjoyable evening, with wonderful service by very friendly staff, it is as a meal we think was trumped by the best of its Edinburgh competition.
Return to homepage
Click the link for other Edinburgh restaurant reviews
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