The Dining Room at Ardanaiseig (Loch Awe, Scotland)
With sensational views across Loch Awe, the setting of the dining room at Ardanaiseig is as inspiring as the food.
The five-course gourmet menu is a lavish affair worth travelling for, with French-influenced dishes featuring local fish for which the West Coast is so famous, as well as local game, meat and hand-picked wild herbs and mushrooms.
Appetisers and pre-desserts are part of the very special culinary experience, and even the chocolates are homemade.
Chef de Cuisine Gary Goldie creates a new menu every day, featuring a combination of dishes that might include velouté of pumpkin with truffle oil and parmesan, smoked trout with a quail’s egg and caviar, venison in a red wine jus and vanilla pannacotta with pear jam or brie de meaux with homemade bread and oatcakes.
Gary Goldie’s menus are influenced by what is available on the doorstep, whether it’s smoked fish from the world-renowned Inverawe Smokehouse nearby or the wild herbs and mushrooms found growing in the grounds.
Unusual artwork and candlelight create a unique atmosphere in the restaurant, and well-spaced tables allow for privacy and intimacy over dinner, while the waiting staff are solicitous and friendly but unobtrusive.
The extensive wine list is carefully put together and offers a wide choice for every palate.
Gary Goldie and the restaurant have both won a number of awards, and Ardanaiseig is renowned as one of the best restaurants in the Highlands.
Filed under: Chefs, Hotels, Restaurants, Scotland | Tagged: Chef, Hotel, Restaurant, Scotland, seafood