EAT & DRINK - Cromlix Hotel, Dunblane, Scotland
Peeling myself off the comfy bed after having made a wee ‘coorie’ nook amongst all the pillows for the past half hour was hard, but there were some great treats in store for the evening, and so I managed to get myself ready, put on the lippy and the mask and head downstairs to the whisky room.
We were on a staycation. A wee overnight stay at the luxury Cromlix Hotel near Dunblane. I have written all about our accommodation, bed and breakfast, here. This is part 2, a review of the Whisky Tasting and Dinner in Chez Roux.
REVIEW OF THE FOOD AND DRINK OFFERINGS AT THE CROMLIX HOTEL, DUNBLANE
The Cromlix Hotel is set on 34 acres of Perthshire countryside, within easy access from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth. The house dates back to 1874 and was renovated by Scottish Tennis Superstar, Andy Murray and ICMI and reopened to the public in 2014.
The hotel comes with 10 bedrooms, 5 suites, a self catering Gate Lodge, a traditional games room with snooker table, conservatory restaurant, bar, 2 drawing rooms, a consecrated chapel and a Whisky Room.
It was initially called the Balvenie Whisky Room when they collaborated with the distillery; and whom installed the sleek whisky cabinet and part copper still as the centre piece for this cosy wee snug.
There are around 25 whiskies here for you to taste and Sarah, Sommelier and Resident Whisky Expert, will gladly either choose the whisky for your tasting or tailormake it to your choice of whiskies.
As Sarah explained, the Whisky Tastings are very much catered to the tourist market, especially, those that have little knowledge of whisky or are first timers to Scotland and want to learn about Scotch. Many of her guests have been handed down the family whisky baton - they only know one whisky, and that is the only whisky they drink!
Many of the whiskies are entry level but with all whisky some of the youngsters are beautiful to drink and it is a nice easy way to introduce the different whisky regions to guests.
We tried:
Springbank 18 yo
Auchentoshan 18 yo
Caol Ila 12yo
The Balvenie Port Wood 21yo
Glenturret Triple Wood
There is a little introduction number from each region to enjoy and Sarah is well versed and knowledgeable about the whiskies. The tasting was very friendly and relaxed. I was delighted as two of my favourite whisky distilleries were included in the tasting - The Balvenie and the Caol Ila.
The Cromlix have a variety of whisky experiences available to guests including the Whisky Tasting, but they also do
Scotch Whisky Tour - a day trip which includes a tour of Glenturret Distilery and a warehouse tour of Deaston Distillery.
Scotch Whisky Experience - a 2 night stay at Cromlix which includes the day trip, the whisky tasting and dinner at Chez Roux.
After the Whisky Tasting we moved into the Dining Room. It’s totally different from the main part of the hotel in that it is modern, contemporary, open and very bright from all the light flooding in from the glass roof and large windows. An absolute cracking space for Summer dining, with views over the garden and blue skies above for most of the evening, with twilight settling in around 930/10pm.
With strict Covid regulations in place, the menu is available written on a portable black board and specials told to you by your server. Plates and drinks are also delivered to a small table set up next to your table, so that servers are not leaning in across your space. I like it!
Their wine menu is substantial with some stunning bottles of wine available. We chose a South African Sauvignon Blanc, Long Beach, for starters followed by another South African red wine, Cinsault from Waterkloof.
Our expectations were high dining at a Chez Roux; an Albert Roux restaurant now under the care of his son Michel Roux Jnr. With a fine chef name behind them and their own kitchen garden in the Cromlix grounds, it was lovely to see produce make it onto the menus.
Starters :
British Asparagus, Romesco and a Saffron Couscous. Bright green, al dente asparagus really was the star on this plate although the saffron couscous was superbly fragrant really giving this delicate dish a bit of a punch.
Seafood Bisque with linguine. An absolute triumph of a bisque.
Intermediate :
Tomato Gazpacho - refreshing and zingy, packing in some concentrated tomato flavours.
Our mains was off menu - the Beef Wellington with asparagus and fried kale. I got the best half of the Wellington, with the beef being pink and tender. Unfortunately the other half was slightly overcooked but retained its full flavour and the pastry was soft and buttery with no soggy bottom in sight. It paired so well with the Cinsault wine.
Dessert was a mess, an Eton Mess to be precise. This classic dessert was piled high with meringue, strawberries and cream and you couldn’t get anything nicer to finish off the meal than this light Summery dessert.
The cheese finished off dinner nicely too with a few Scottish cheeses and quince jelly on the slate.
The Chef is talented and it’s fascinating to watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen which is part and parcel of the dining room. I loved watching them plate up!
Overall, dinner was nice. There were some great moments and dishes that tasted lovely. I’ve been lucky enough to have dined at Roux at the Landau, London and Chez Roux Greywalls, Gullane, and the food here lives up to the hype and namesake!
Chez Roux is open to non residents for lunch and dinner, as well as Afternoon Teas in the Drawing Room.
Cromlix Hotel, Chez Roux, Kinbuck, Near Dunblane, Perthshire, FK15 9JT. Telephone: 01786 822 125 www.cromlix.com/dining
My Spoon Award : Gold Spoon 9/10
I was invited by the Cromlix to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.