August 2010

A taste of East Lothian

We sat in the lounge of this hotel eating canapés that hinted of fine things to come. The best was a pungent, deeply-flavoured chicken liver pate on home-made wheaten bread and the use of fine local produce was to become a refrain of our meal.

We went through to ‘the library’ or small fine dining restaurant and ate more bread. My starter was wild mushroom soup scented with truffle oil and Mr Bite chose the unlikely penne pasta tossed with roasted hazelnuts in a blue cheese sauce.  The
soup was indulgent, luscious and full of chewy bits of earthy mushrooms; the truffle oil was heady. Mr Bite’s pasta was equally luscious with finely-chopped hazelnuts and a strong cheese sauce that clung to the slippery pasta. In my opinion the pasta was slightly over-cooked but Mr Bite was having none of it. He loved the flavours and textures and so a draw was declared.

Next I had fillet of border beef with horseradish mash, more wild mushrooms, fine green beans and pancetta in a red wine sauce and Mr Bite had pan-fried breast of Barbary duck with olive- crushed new potatoes and buttered spinach. The beef was pink and the mash seductively smooth but still with a sticky richness and a sensible amount of horseradish. Mr Bite loved his duck, also pink as requested. Again I failed to get the olive and duck combo but again he loved it, another draw.

The pursuit of pure decadent pleasure led us to desserts, chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream for me and sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream for Mr Bite. Molten chocolate inside a dark bitter sponge with cool ice-cream made for a classic and delicious pudding. Mr Bite’s sticky toffee was sweet and moist but this time he conceded that mine just tipped the balance.

It’s not all good though. The wine list was new world driven and disappointing. Fine food deserves fine wine.

It was great to see all the local produce on the menu, beef, veg, chickens from Gosford farm shop up the road, home-made bread and we watched a delivery of organic eggs at breakfast whilst spooning East Lothian heather honey onto porridge.

£33.50 for three courses, canapés, coffee and chocolates.