The Pier

We arrived in Tobermory for our relaxation weekend.  After we finally found a B&B (a 5 minute drive away from the town center) we drove back down to find a place to eat.  We originally were going to go with a sandwich until we saw the Fish Stand with a nice little line of people waiting to get their fish and chips.  The Fish Stand is right on the pier so the fisherman don't have far to go to deliver the days catch.  It appears that two ladies own? and work the counter.  Since it was around 2:30pm, we opted for the small fish and chips which was still a nice piece of fish with enough chips to keep us going until dinner. 

Castle Wynd

Portcullis was really the hotel we stayed in - in the shadow of Stirling Castle it had enough Castle-like characteristics for us to claim it as a stay in a castle.  If you're brave enough (and a good enough with a map and a compass) you can find your way from your room (which has a pretty good view of the surrounding places an army may have attacked from) to the Restaurant which is probably technically a Pub.

I think inside it certainly looked more like a Pub than a Restaurant but it felt like some sort of club that you need to know the password to get in to.  It was very neat and tidy and arranged just right.  The people already there were quiet with a couple of gentlemen sitting by themselves reading the paper with a beer close at hand.  We didn't have a paper, but we did take (and play) our Scrabble board.

There is a courtyard which I suspect is jamming all summer as the tourists can't do anything but pass by on their way to the real Castle.  Not an option this evening but the courtyard has a feel we probably could have enjoyed, especially with the really thick walls keeping the street noises well out.

Two Bartenders / Servers took care of us.  They answered our few questions well, and were chatty enough when we wanted to chat.  One of them also is good at making panicked expressions due to us trying to delay ordering at the same time the kitchen was trying to close.  No drama if that's the rule, but we were forced to eat a bit quicker than we really wanted to on this, our last night in Scotland.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Tennents Best
• Bruschetta, with smoked salmon - probable the best bruschetta I've ever had.  Far from traditional, but oh so good.  Bread toasted just right, generous but not greedy amounts of salmon, yummy sauce to keep everyone together.
• Smoked Salmon, with whiskey dill dressing - this would have been great had we not just finished the bruschetta.  The bruschetta was so good this gets bumped down to better than ok.
• Hurricane Jack Ale
• Maverick Ale
• Gammon, with pineapple - the gammon and pineapple (and chips) were more than adequate but we really had to laugh (politely) at the 'salad bar' that was also crammed on the plate - it included, but was not limited to peas, corn, cheese, lettuce, onion coleslaw
• Garlic Chicken, with sweet chili sauce - more sweet than spicy and it came with the same 'salad bar'
• Glenmorangie

A convenient place that was more than adequate for our needs which for all intents and purposes we can claim we ate (and slept) in a castle.

Stay JOLLY!
D

Main Street

The Restaurant is part of a Hotel / Pub building and although it is obviously friends with the Pub people (we watched the Bar Tender dude send a Server into the Pub to get one of our beers) it seem its goal is to be a step or 3 above what you'd expect from a Pub. Our guess is that it opened sometime during or just before the Summer Season, because not only does it say 'established 2010' but you can see the shadow outline of the name of the previous occupier of the space still on the front windows.

From the outside it's kind of beat up, but in the nice way a place with years of history develops character, but inside it's a modern looking and feeling space split up into two areas.  There is an open fire that we sat next to which fortunately we didn't get much of the direct affect of because it really wasn't all that cool outside.  There is a bar, but I doubt anyone comes in just for a drink when the Pub is just across the hall.  We arrived early (well early for Scottish diners) without a Reservation and was given the option of a tall table - that's it, one option - while the place was still deserted.  It did just about fill up, but every time someone came it was a puzzle for them to figure out which table to offer.  Seemed harder than it needed to be to me?

The menu appeared fine, but in reality was a bit lacking.  When given our menu we were told of a few items that were not available this evening because "Lunch had been busier than expected" and we're pretty certain this list grew as the night progressed.  We still found plenty to choose from, but it's a little disappointing (and a lot odd) that their signature side dish of mishmash was not available.  It's good they're busy, of course but not so good they can't plan the weekend out a bit better.

I think the kitchen was upstairs, but it may have been down.  Often you'll here a little bell ring when an order is ready of off goes a Server.  Not here.  Telephone rings, Bar Tender answers, Bar Tender summons Server, Server takes off out of the Restaurant, Food arrives soon after.  It works, but it's odd.  What if the Bar Tender can't get to the phone?  Oh, and the phone also rang when the fire alarm went off.  Turns out it happens often during a cooking of a Steak, so the first thing the Kitchen will confirm is that's the case, then they go about turning the alarm off.  If we didn't overhear the conversation we wouldn't have known what the deal was, but seeing the staff weren't charging out the door I don't think we would have.

Speaking of the Bar Tender, he was more likely the Manager who happened to be doing the drinks (maybe he always does?).  And he really ran the show in a micro-managed sort of way.  There were 3 Servers but they did almost nothing without his say so.  We didn't suffer because of it, but I can't easily recall a restaurant where it seemed like the boss didn't trust his staff to do their jobs.  I may be seeing this differently to what really is the deal, but I doubt it.  The Servers were friendly enough and available enough.  They weren't really chatty (other than to tell us what we couldn't have) and the one we saw the most was clearly on some sort of working vacation and hadn't quite got the hang of the menu - but not in a deal breaking way.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Tennents Lager
• Belhaven Best
• Mussels, classic - a definite extra bread worthy sauce.
• Grilled Langoustines - tasty at the sweet end of the scale.  A little fiddly to eat but worth the effort.
• Scallops, with basil and bacon - presented in a slightly odd way in their shells, but tasty and not too bacony.  The basil seamed to be an inspired touch?
• Venison Burger - the oddest burger I've ever had.  The burger itself was tasty and cooked as requested but all you got was the burger on the bread (pretty good bread too).

We got to eat in our own way and were mildly entertained by the way they did things.  Had we arrived later and had to go through the 'negotiations' of getting a table we probably would have rolled our eyes, but we didn't and we left with satisfied tummies.

Stay JOLLY!
D

A849

From the outside it wouldn't be hard to miss that you're standing in front of a bar.  Inside, there's the bar section that does look like you'd expect your small village Pub to look like, but there's also a dining room (that from all accounts is jamming during the Summer) that looks more like a modern(ish) cafeteria.  An enigma all in all, I think. 

It's order at the bar (a very small bar right in front of the door), so no Server to keep us company.  The bartender was friendly enough to us and extra friendly to a couple who came in just as we were finishing up but after the kitchen had closed.  They were disapointed and hungry, but not cranky.  The bartender said she might be able to get them soup (which she was) which made the couple so happy.

The menu was very much a bar menu and surprisingly none of the Seafood we'd seen just about everywhere we'd been (or checked out their menu) appeared.  Maybe there's a different menu during the busy season?  We were able to find something to keep us going and have no reason to complain with it's quality.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• McEwans (blue)
• McEwans (red)
• Crispy Chicken on Baguette - surprisingly good bread, chicken that's actually chicken
• Crispy Chicken with Chips - yep, same chicken that's on the sandwich

I admit that this wasn't our first choice (and if time prevailed) wouldn't have been our second either.  It provided us a place to sit down and have a non-Subway type lunch (not that Subway was an option in this small village and we ulitmately had a sandwich) with a beer and a fireplace.  Not what we thought we'd be having when we started the day, but we could easily have been eating crisps and a candy bar instead.

Stay JOLLY!
D

The Pier

"The only thing frozen here are our fishermen"

Now that's a motto!  One that you have absolutely no reason to doubt the validity of.  I don't for one second recommend nor condone this sort of behavior, but had I been so inclined and with not too much extra effort, I probably could have peed in the harbor where their fisherman start their daily 'adventures' (not on the fisherman!!) from the deck of the restaurant.  The seafood is fresh! - that's my point.

Although our guide book suggested we should try here, it was on my radar from a couple of websites I bumped into during our planning process.  Fortunately both suggested a table can be hard to come by, especially during the Summer Season.  We made the good decision of making a reservation because we did see a good number of people get turned away - it's a double good thing we arrived in the town at Lunch time and not just before Dinner.

Cafe is a fair description of the place. It's over the office for the ferry with nothing but harbor sounds surrounding.  It's small, maybe 30 seats and it operates more like a 'cafe' at lunch with a welcoming display counter and a lot of quick and easy items available.  For dinner the counter becomes the cold station and an extra table is placed in front of it for dinner - that's where we sat which turned out to be a lot of fun for us.  There are a couple of picnic-type tables outside on the deck, but it doesn't look like they're ever a dinner option just a lunch time unserviced option - I guess we could have asked to confirm.  It's neat and tidy, but very informal - had we put on our going out finest we would have been well over dressed.

We definitely could hear the music - it's a 'boom box' up on the side of the Counter where we were sitting - but it wasn't too loud.  We thought it funny (in the nicest possible way) that we got to hear the same Elton John best of play through 2 times before the boss switched it over to Johnny Cash - we suspect that Johnny also would get a rerun.

There were two Servers, one of which was clearly the boss and maybe even one of the owners (again, we probably should have asked to confirm).  There was also a third person who mostly worked the Cold Station, but did help out on the floor when she had nothing on her plate.  She also turned out to be very entertaining (and patient with us) in the way she answered our questions - I think they were all about the menu...  The whole team worked well together and although a little surprised at our ordering technique at first did a great job of keeping us fed, informed, adequately 'hydrated', entertained and relaxed.  One unusual (and ultimately practical) way of making sure we always had cutlery was to give us a bucket with everything we might need and just topped it up as we progressed through our meal.  Unorthodox? Yes.  Useful?  Also yes!  Appropriate?  Yeah, sure.

The menu is relatively short, but the extensive Specials Boards - yes more than one - make for a very interesting decision making process.  We noted a couple of non-seafood dishes but don't recall one heading past us and certainly not considered among our process (that bordered on difficult) of choosing what to have next.  We probably made a mistake in not finding room for the Mussels which we later found out came from a farm 'just' down the road.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Chardonnay - I think Italian?  Nothing overly memorable other than a slight acidity that worked out fine with everything we had.
• Shellfish Bisque - rich and creamy and definitely shellfishy.  Great bread for dipping, actually the bread may have come with every course.
• Crab Cakes, lime mayonnaise - crunchy on the outside, soft and craby on the inside.  Lovely sauce, but just fine on their own.
• Smoked Special Plate, hot smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon, smoked mackerel - the mackerel was probably the strongest flavor of the 3.  When given the choice, take a hot smoked salmon!  Both were enjoyable, but the hot smoked more so.  Oh, and don't be tricked into thinking that the hot smoked salmon is a hot dish - nope.
• Scallops, chili sauce - fortunately for me the chili sauce was relatively mild and on the side.  Cooked just right I could argue the sauce wasn't needed.
• Langoustine and Squat Lobster Caesar - We actually asked the very nice Cold Station Lady / Server exactly what the big bowl of tails we could see being used quite often were.  Squat Lobster tails.  She showed us a whole one (kind of like a crawfish) and gave us each a tail to taste.  Really quite sweet.  We had to have a dish!  There were two options, and I half jokingly asked if one of them didn't require us to open the tails.  The Caesar didn't so we chose it...  The langoustines are also sweet, but perhaps a little bit more tender.  Together they made the salad really enjoyable.  We're glad we asked what they were!
• Tobermory - It just seemed right that we order the 2 whiskeys that were made just up the road (although we found out later they are bottled on the Mainland).  This was the lighter of the two.  Very little peat, if any.
• Ledaig^* - We own a bottle of this now!  This one a little rougher, but nice rough.  Definitely stronger on the peat scale.
• Sticky Ginger Pudding, toffee sauce - gingery and sticky.  And our glass of Tobermory Whiskey worked quite well together.

I might have to call this our most enjoyable dining experience of the trip. I can't call it the best food we had (although it would have to be right up there) but we were relaxed, a good bit buzzed by the end, had fun with all the Servers, had fun with ourselves, got in a little fun people watching (a single guy had a quite detailed journal going and two tables of locals (I think one of them was one of the Fishermen) were having a grand old Saturday night out - good for them), got to be smug as people came in after us being told there was no room for them (we hope they were in town long enough to have another try!) and ended up with a fast arriving and chatty (although short) cab ride home - we had a big big hill to walk up otherwise.

It's arguably a good thing they were closed on our second night in town (a Sunday) because we would have been strongly tempted to return and therefore foregoing some other dining experience.

Stay JOLLY!
D

* - Have a go at the Gaelic pronunciation.  We only have the definitive absolutely correct way because we did a tour of the Distillary a couple of days later.  Our Server did say it for us, but it didn't stick so it's a good thing we got to do the tour.  Our guide told us to think of a chicken that was late, therefore latechick - yep, no hint of a 'd' or a 'g' in there...

Station Road

Our Evening in Mallaig didn't quite go to plan on a number of fronts, but ending up in the Tea Garden for Dinner worked out fine in the end.

Much larger inside than what we thought we could see from the road.  They have a large outside area, and although it was set you'd have to be pretty brave to have chosen to sit outside on this evening.  Actually, a couple of fireplaces were going at a comforting level - a table of 4 came in about the same time as us, ordered one course and then moved to the comfy chairs by a fire for their coffee. No idea how old the building is, but inside it's all pretty new and fresh and open and bright(ish).  So open that they could increase capacity by perhaps half again without having to cram people in.

There was music going all night and when we paid attention we're pretty sure it was all Gaelic of some form or another.  Actually, the first time I noticed it I said to my wife that they were playing Jig Music, which may have been true at the time, but really not fair as part of the overall theme.

As far as we could tell there were only 2 Servers and we saw both of them.  The place was full but we never noticed them rushing around in any sort of panic, but they also didn't stop and chat or check in on us all that often.  We weren't rushing off to a show and didn't want a great big meal so the Service levels suited us just fine.

The menu was seafood focused with most of it sourced from the surrounding waters.  Easy enough to navigate which was good because our Servers didn't offer any extra insights.  Something suggested there was a Specials Board, but we couldn't find it.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• FraΦch Heather Ale - our only bottled beer of the trip which let us read the label stating it was from a 4000 year old recipe.  A second bottle confirmed it as my wife's favorite beer of the trip.
• Red Cullin - not really all that red but malty and not too strong.
• Smoked Salmon, caper mayonnaise - this was an excellent piece of fish, perhaps the best single piece of Smoked Salmon I've ever had.  I almost ordered another...
• Mussels, creamy wine sauce - if you're keeping score, yes we ate a lot of mussels.  These had a really good 'soup' which we were given a spoon for.
• Char Grilled Salmon Steak, shellfish sauce - a few stray bones, the nature of a Salmon Steak but cooked just right.
• Lemon & Whiskey Syllabub - a funny name for a yummy mousse.

We turned up on a coolish night that pretty much meant that the Deck was closed.  We wonder how crazy it might have been with the limited Server Team if that area was also busy?  Not really relevant because we were able to enjoy the slow and pleasant evening we were looking for.

Stay JOLLY!
D

26 Bank Street

It's got a great location right by the River Ness, but it's on the lower level and even if they have outside seating you wouldn't get to see most of it.  Pub & Restaurant in the name are technically correct, but arguably not quite the correct terminology.  We got a beer and we got fed, but it didn't feel like a Pub, nor a Restaurant - probably more like a Club that doesn't really get going until about the time we were leaving, with live music supposedly every night.

It was seat yourself so we found a booth.  Perhaps the oddest booth I've ever been in.  It was almost enclosed the whole way around so it was next to impossible to see what was going on in the place - and for the Servers to keep an eye on you.  And, the table wasn't quite the right width - when it was in the middle it was just a little bit too far away from both of us so we sat together on one side.  But, by pulling the table into a more sensible location we could no longer get easily out of our booth.

We sat for awhile with no Server so we assumed it was order at the Bar like a couple of the other places we'd already been.  No big deal.  However, at about the same time that the Bar Ordering was completed a Server came up to take our drink order - the Bar Tender never hinted that we had a Server.  Something's not quite right with that system...

We promised ourselves that we would have Haggis at least once before we left.  This night was the winner.  Catch is, if we didn't now we'd ordered Haggis we wouldn't have known that's what we had.  The question in our mind was how authentic it really was, but seeing we'd already crossed it off our to-do list we didn't question, nor feel the urge to try it again later.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Belhaven Best
• Yellow Hammer - Apparently this won an award last year.
• Mussels, tomato sauce - Fine mussels but the sauce was more like a soup which we were given a spoon to deal with.
• Haggis & Neeps & Tatties - It sort of looked more like an upside down Shepard's Pie and I don't have any special taste recollections other than the Whiskey Sauce was really really good - thick and rich and moorish.  Oh, Neeps are turnips and Tatties are mashed potatoes.
  
  • Extra Bread - Normally I don't note all the extra bread we get to help us not miss out on sauces.  This time it gets special mention because we were charged extra for it (and not told there would be a charge).  Not a lot, just something new...
• Fish & Chips - Honest Fish & Chips without being anything special.  Came with slightly overcooked peas and a pretty good tartar sauce.
• Game Casserole - Not sure what the game actually was, but it was hearty and tasty.  An ok gravy.

We asked our Bed & Breakfast Lady if there was a Pub in walking distance that would take care of us and Johnny Foxes is where she sent us.  We did not have a bad experience (if you don't count the extra we had to pay for bread) but of all the places we visited on this trip to eat I would score this as the place last on our list of what we expected to find on our travels.

Stay JOLLY!
D

11-13 Kirkmichael Rd

Our guidebook had recommendations for where to eat no matter where we happened to be when we were hungry.  Generally, if we end up in a recommended place, great, but we don't usually seek them out.  Moulin Inn we did because it was the "best Pub in Scotland" - well it was a few years ago, but still seemed worthy.  Our guidebook wasn't crystal clear on how to find it, but fortunately we figured it out only minutes before we would have switched to Plan B.

It's definitely what you think of when you think of a Pub.  Old building (built right up to the road - really, right up to the road with not even room for a sidewalk), big stone bricks, short heavy entry door, low ceilings, big blaring open fires (blaring so much I had to beg ask my wife if we could move from right in front of one), dogs welcome inside, small but very well stocked bar, lots of trinkets around the place (I would not normally have expected stained glass, but there were quite a few pieces), small tables and local comfort food on the menu.

You order at the bar, so no Server to keep us company but the Bar Tender was friendly and must see a lot of us tourists because she had no trouble with our accents - thanks.  The hardest part was figuring out if our food should be delivered to Table 6 or 9 - it was 9.

Until the Moulin Inn, we had only tried the Scottish Lagers, but when a small Pub brews their own beers, it's a pretty easy choice what you're going to be drinking - even if it's of the Ale variety you don't normally consume.  As is the way, the Ales are hand pumped which makes for a slightly more interesting trip to the bar - for us anyway.  As it turned out we ordered everything off their Specials Boards, even forgoing the Seafood Pancakes recommended in the same book that got us here.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Ale of Atholl - Reddish in color but not too heavy for lunch.
• Braveheart - Per the board on the wall, the lightest of the 4 they brew.  We'd have to have tried the other 2 to know for sure...
• Rabbit Casserole - A great hearty meal, perhaps even a little too much for lunch.  But yummy.  It may have included some of the 'nasty bits' but we didn't ask, just enjoyed what we had.
• Mushroom & Chestnut Soup - Hearty in a different way.

It's kind of a bummer we were only here for Lunch.  We basically ate lunch and left, but it feels like a place we could have come for an ale, settle into a corner, stay for dinner, have a few more ales, get a little too warm by a fire, probably make friends with a local or two and end up having one ale to many.

Stay JOLLY!
D

1 Shore

Being on the small river that opens out into Leith Docks and ultimately the Firth of Fourth it's fair to assume a restaurant with 'Fish' as part of it's name is going to be seafood focused. Yes!  And certainly on the Specials Board.  We found it a bit by accident after rejecting a place a bit closer to the Main Road - the sign said open mike night.

It does seem to have a bar you can just come in for a cocktail with a couple of tables and an enormous fish bowl on one end of the bar.  We were a little surprised to be taken to the Restaurant part, but pleasantly so.  Very neat and tidy wood work, wood floor, wood paneling with the Specials Board being the feature piece of art work.  An open pass-area lets you see into the kitchen but they are a very quiet team (in a very small space).

It seems that everyone in Scotland eats late.  It was certainly no earlier than 7:30 when we got there, another table was coming in at the same time and only 2 people were in the bar.  When we said we were here for some dinner without a reservation there was a flurry of negotiations conversation between the staff.  We were allowed in and the place eventually did fill up (even with people eating in the bar area) but that took a good hour.  We asked if this slow start was normal and we received a resounding no (with a bit of relief?).  Apparently during the festival season that had just finished they are jamming from the second they open the door for lunch.

Our Server was really nice.  We told her we had no idea how hungry we were (late lunch, not quite on Scotland time) and we'd just like to order one thing at a time to share and see how we go.  Considering we managed to squeak in without a reservation she could care less and gave us as much time as we wanted between choices coming back at just the right times to check in on us - she didn't even get mad when we dropped a menu behind the radiator.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• a Viognier
• Carrot and Orange Soup - had a little kick to it, but pleasant all the same.
• Mussels, cream sauce - we ummed and ahhed over whether to get the small or large.   We went large, but could have gone small and still had the biggest bowl of Mussels we'd ever had.  They were good so we did get through them all, but it prevented us from trying one more dish...
• Beef Carpaccio, Lairg Ghru Cheese - the cheese is in the Parmesan family, the Beef is just good!
• Baked West Coast Oysters, pancetta, spinach & cream sauce - we asked (politely and not all that seriously) why on the East Coast we were to be eating West Coast Oysters - the answer was that's where all the best ones come from.  We now have no reason to disagree.
• Knockando, single malt - darker in color, peatier in taste.  Now in our collection.
• Tambu, single malt - lighter, almost sweet
• Duo of Ice Cream, coffee & strawberry ripple

If they hadn't have let us in I have no doubt we would have found an equally enjoyable place to dine not too far away.  Fortunately, we didn't have to go hunting any further.

Stay JOLLY!
D

167 Canongate

We still weren't quite on Scotland time, so sleeping in a bit, being tourists and taking awhile to get hungry caused us to not be up for lunch until almost 3pm.  We just barely made it in the door with the kitchen still open but after agreeing we could still eat we weren't made to feel unwelcome as the only diners at that time.

Although still in the tourist section, we weren't in the jam packed souvenir trinket shop section of the Royal Mile.  This is a really old building - the menu says 1664 and the clock out front has 1884 on it.  It's on a couple of levels, smallish bar at the front with a few tables and then the restaurant section in the back. Relatively new furniture and furnishings, but in a style keeping with the old pub.  No doubt you're in a building made of big stone blocks.

We thought we'd just sit in the front but they 'encouraged' us to sit in the back saying it's easier - we boggled but whatever.  Actually, it became clearer when our food arrived.  Apparently the kitchen is in the basement (or lower?) and the food comes up in a wee little elevator which is right at the back of the restaurant section.  I guess walking from the elevator, down a half dozen steps and into the bar is hard work...

Our Server may have had enough of tourists already for the day so she wasn't initially very talkative but she opened up a little as we asked questions.  I jokingly asked if the chips were the best in Scotland and she said yes, but later came back and said maybe not in Scotland, but probably in Edinburgh.  They were pretty good.

Individually packaged condiments on the table included something called 'Salad Cream'.  It's in the mayonnaise family I guess, but definitely not mayonnaise.  Although we had no salad we cracked it open to sample - no need to open another...

Our meal went a little something like this:

• McEwan's Lager
• Pie & Chips - beef with an awesome beer gravy.
• Fish & Chips - a generous piece of haddock and lots of peas.

A 'Pub Food' meal was just what we were after so the Tollbooth Tavern was the perfect place to stop for our late lunch.

Stay JOLLY!
D

78 Commercial Quay

The Kitchin was one of many places we dined as part of our Anniversary Trip through Scotland.  It was the only place pre-booked and we thank Anthony Bourdain^* for 'finding' it for us.  From Nature to Plate is the Restaurant's motto.  A philosophy that is frequently announced these days, but often not 100% implemented for logistical (and sometimes cost) reasons.  From what we can tell, the Kitchin absolutely stands by this, with the chef personally knowing every one of his suppliers and only putting items on the menu that can currently be sourced from these fishermen, hunters and gatherers.

We arrived a little early (turns out Cabs in Scotland come almost straight away when called for...) but were offered 'our' table straight away.  I say 'our' table because it was sitting there waiting for us with a hand written 'congrats on the Anniversary' note from the Chef, Tom Kitchin.  Sadly this night was one of the very rare nights when he's not actually cooking (they're only open Tue - Sat) but his team took great care of us and we are 100% ok with his reason for not being their - 2^nd child only a day or two old.  There is a small lounge area in the front by the bar but I think it's only a place to wait for your table and not a place to come in and just have a cocktail.  I don't think we missed out on anything by skipping this step.

The restaurant itself is a quiet peaceful place.  One of our Servers did note that it was a bit quieter than a normal crowd but not all that much.  The tables are spread out nicely, we were on a slightly raised platform by the kitchen - there was a large window in place so you could see the kitchen activity if you were inclined, but not have the normal kitchen noises intruding - and would have needed a quite large stick if we wanted to poke the people at the table next to us.  Nothing ostentatious in the relatively simple decor (although Tom's cookbook was on display), no table clothes but nicely polished wood tables, lighting not to dim nor bright, there was music but it was so low we couldn't categorize what was playing, and simple but really quite elegant centerpieces on the tables.

The menu has lots of interesting sounding things to keep you amused - and things you might not often (if at all) see on a menu over here in the States.  We opted for the tasting menu to give us the chance to sample as many differing things as possible, trusting the chef to pick the best of what was available.  Some dishes were on the 'normal' menu, but some were not.  We said we wanted to do the Tasting Menu when we made our reservation and they did come and confirm we were still game.  We were!  We absolutely were willing and happy to try whatever the chef put in front of us (even knowing some of his 'work' is right on or just over the edge of our comfort zone) but after we had confirmed we were given a couple of upgrade options to choose from.  We declined and I think we would have not even batted an eyelid had the upgrades been part of the menu and the advertised charge a little higher.  Although, having said that there was an option to add a cheese course to which we asked if we could decide later and when they came to check at 'cheese time' we opted in.  There is also an option to pair a wine with each course of the Tasting Menu (including an extra one for the Cheese Course) which we accepted.  It might be the most exciting pairings we've seen in that it's not a locked in selection with adjustments being made to match not only tweaks in the dish, but on different nights to match the weather that may be affecting your mood or even the type of guests you are read to be.

It's very much a service team.  Only our Wine Waiter had a mostly defined role, but even he helped to clear tables around the place.  Our first impression was that they were all a little snooty, but that did change as we got to know them - we're sorry we judged a bit quickly.  Everything they do is very precise, in terms of when something happens, how things are presented, how things are placed on the table, how they interact with you - no witty banter in this restaurant, how they stand unobtrusively waiting for their next task.  However, when engaged they are very talkative, observant, sociable, informed, knowledgeable and realistic.  One Server was particularly happy to chat and he helped us out with our non-food questions.  One Server (perhaps more of a supervisor?) helped us out with our photo, but he's a bad photographer... We weren't given a menu (although as we were settling up they gave us a copy of exactly what we had suggesting someone has a typing job each evening) so as each dish was presented we were told all about it.  Our Wine Waiter did the same, even explaining why he thought the wine paired well with the dish and what we should 'look' for in the wine. He proved how good a team they are in that for every course our wine arrived mere seconds after the 'dissertation' on the dish was finished.

Our meal went exactly like this:

• A teaser of cheese puffs, vegetable crisps and an anchovy wafer thing - Bread came later, but this was a wonderful treat while we listened to the options available for our 'real' meal.
• Chef's Land & Sea Surprise
  • Mushroom Consommé, chicken and tarragon - No doubt it was mushroom, very rich earthy flavors.  Would not have missed the chicken, but happy to have found it.
    
    • Dampierre 1er Cru Cuvée Ambassadeurs, Champagne - I suspect they try really hard to start with something bubbly?  Well balanced, elegant.
  • Mackerel, line caught and poached - delicate and light (almost fluffy in texture if that's fair).  Not like any Mackerel we've had before (I have to wonder how much the line caught has to do with that?)
    
    • Viognier The Foundry 2007, South Africa - I think we got peach on the quite short but solid palette.
  • Razor Clams, with diced vegetable, chorizo and lemon (apparently they're also known as 'Spoots') - seen them on TV and am happy to be able to cross them off the to-do list.  No idea how, but the chorizo works perfectly with the Clams.  We needed more bread so as not to miss out on all the sauce.
    
    • Dry Riesling Donnhoff 2008, Germany - Definitely at the dry end.  Crisp.  Apples, perhaps?  Maybe this is why the chorizo and Clams worked so well?
  • Pig's Head & Scallop, crispy pig's ear salad - Comfort zone pusher!  Favorite dish of the evening!  You don't get the whole head, but a wonderful terrine type presentation.  Admittedly we'd eaten some of the salad before knowing what it was, but it was so good it was hard to reconcile the goodness with the origins - our biases which may be shrinking a bit...  The Scallop was cooked wonderfully - being a little greedy I think we would have loved to have had no Scallop on this dish and a whole other Scallop dish.
    
    • Gewurztraminer Hugel 2008, France - Definitely floral on the nose.  We were more focused on the Pig's Head so don't recall much more - but no reason to disagree with the pairing choice.
  • Halibut, ragout of cocoa beans - Cooked just right, the fish was easily the star of the dish and probably could have survived on its own.
    
    • Volnay 'Vielles Vignes' 2008, France - The Wine Waiter was perhaps a little anxious about us accepting this wine with a fish dish.  We do not subscribe to white with fish, red with meat at all, so had no problems trusting his choice.  A quite strong nose, but delicate on the palette.  I say it was a great pairing.
  • Grey-Legged Partridge, braised red cabbage - If you don't like your dinner still having their feet on, this dish might be upsetting.  But a really rich, juicy and tender meat that doesn't taste at all like chicken.  The cabbage was a simple yet perfect accompaniement.  There was a little bit of work involved getting everything off the bones, but we weren't in a hurry...
    
    • Corbieres 2008, France - Perhaps some tannin there suggesting it has life in the cellar, but certainly ready to drink right now.  I probably would have preferred a 'bigger' wine given the choice but really nothing to complain about.
  • Cheese Board (6 from about 15 to choose, 5 Scottish, 1 French) - If you know your cheeses this is an amazing Board.  If you don't, the Server certainly can help you make useful selections but it's a little overwhelming.  We're much closer to the latter type.  We took what we thought the 'traveler' selection should be in that we asked for an all Scottish plate.  We were one short, told the Server what we liked and he picked the 6th for us.  All 6 were great, but I didn't like the oatmeal type crackers provided - not a deal breaker at all.  No idea what the names of each were, but at least 2 were sheep's milk, the soft ones weren't too soft and the hard ones nowhere near Parmesan hard.
    
    • 'Armistace' Late Harvest Syrah 2007, France - A really enjoyable wine.  I don't think you'd want to just sit with a bottle on the deck, but it played really nicely with our Cheeses with the peppery notes you tend to see in 'normal' Syrahs - perhaps the softer ones a little better.
  • Millefuille of British Apples, chestnut parfait and candied chestnuts - It's kind of funny that it felt more like the dish was complementing the wine.  All the pieces were delicate (both to the palette and slightly bulging belly) and worked well together.  As a package, a great way to end our meal.
    
    • Tokaji Late Harvest 2008, Hungary - Often the botrytis affected wines are just too sweet.  Not this one.  It even showed a little acidity on the back of the tongue?

We had a wonderful experience!  We're better off for having visited the Kitchin and experienced what Tom and his team are up to.  It's unfortunate for us that the 'Cab Ride' to get there costs about $1000 each and takes half a day to get there.  There's absolutely no doubt we'd go back for another special occasion! - given a far less expensive and shorter ride...

Stay JOLLY!
D

* We love No Reservations, and although we could never eat everything he does, we strongly subscribe to the philosophies of Anthony Bourdain (occasionally you hear his motto of sorts "be a traveler, not a tourist") of trying new things and being excited about the way chefs work - although we're not sure how enjoyable it would be to actually share a meal with him. His show that included Tom Kitchin got us excited!

197 High street

Our aim while in Scotland was to experience as much of the local food culture as we could and keep away from fast food (and especially those of American design) as much as possible.  Looking for our first meal on the Royal Mile - a very heavily tourist focused area - it would have been easy to stray.  The Albanach helped us achieve that goal, but it also wasn't really the Scottish Pub type place we were aiming for in that it was quiet modern inside while trying to grab the older type feel - our opinion only.

It wasn't all that busy and we easily found a small table in the main part of the bar.  It seemed there was more of a restaurant type area in the back but we didn't venture down that far.  Quite light and the music all came straight out of the 80s.  It was a fairly quiet lunch crowd, but maybe the place 'hops' a bit more for dinner?  The bar provided a range of local Lagers and Ales, some imported Lagers (that we would not touch while on this vacation!) and a good bunch of Single Malts.

Being not quite on Scotland time we weren't looking for a big meal and the menu had enough options to help us out on that front and to see us through to our dinner.  Order at the bar, struggle just a little bit with accents, take a minute to figure out which beers are local and the food appeared quite quickly.

Our meal went something along the lines of:

• Tennent's Lager - a gentle way to start trying the local brews
• Vegetable Soup - thick and rich and tasty
• Ham & Cheese Sandwich - off the bone, with a really yummy Ale Chutney and a Cheddar from Mull

We really didn't want to be tourists but we were hungry, the Albanach was open and serving lunch with options that suited our need and ultimately met our needs wonderfully.

Stay JOLLY!
D