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Knipoch House Hotel’s 1635 restaurant review by Cate Devine
- Cate Devine
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Deep in the heart of the Knipoch House hotel is a dining room unlike any other I’ve been in. Ancient exposed stone walls, original flagstone floor, oak furniture and a plaque bearing the date 1635 all contrive to create a beguiling
atmosphere of ghostly mystique.
As quickly becomes evident, this is indeed no ordinary dining room. This is
where, in 1592, John Campbell, Thane of Cawdor, was murdered. He was shot three or four times through a window as he sat by the fire, and one of the bullet holes from the bloody event is embedded in the restaurant’s stone walls. It’s said that jealous rivals of Cawdor enlisted the power of witches to weave spells against him before resorting to outright murder. The incident is said to have inspired Shakespeare to write Macbeth.
We’ve arrived here via a corridor leading from the bright, contemporary hotel lounge and bar area, and past two other dining rooms. This one - where we’re about to enjoy a six-course tasting menu - is in the original part of the hotel and is entered through a thick velvet curtain. The sense of theatre is quite
thrilling, and continues throughout the meal.
Yet for all the history behind this wing of the newly refurbished Knipoch House Hotel, six miles out of Oban and overlooking Loch Feochan, there’s nothing passé about the food.
A Shetland scallop on a bed of artichoke purée with lemon and celery, complete with a dinky black olive pastry scallop shell, sets the scene. It’s a delicious mouthful of the sea complete with citrusy notes. Next up, a truly accomplished dish of perfectly succulent Fife partridge with bitterballen of leg meat with corn puree and heather and honey granola reflects the wealth of the Scottish larder beautifully.
A slice of Orkney halibut loin, with its crispy coat and robust flavour, is served on a ginger velouté and seaweed leek ribbons topped with black olive fishbone-shaped biscuit. It’s as good to look at as it is to savour. The wild Argyll venison loin that follows is similarly prepared and served with precision, though I find it and the venison ragu underneath way too gamey. Its truffled salsify and spicy red cabbage don’t quite manage to mask the overpowering strength of the venison. Luckily, the pre-dessert of Blue Murder cheese slices, sandwiched between slivers of apple, chases away the lingering memory.
This is followed by a raspberry Cranachan, again perfectly accomplished with a great texture and flavour, and served with a tot of Oban 14 single malt.
The rest of the four-star Knipoch House Hotel has recently been refurbished by owners the Sonas Collection, which also has Duisdale, Skeabost, and Toravaig hotels on Skye. Its interior design is beautiful, all calming greens and tasteful plaids and hands-on staff. On my visit to Knipoch, the kitchen is in the midst of a change of head chef: Liam Philbin is newly installed and involved, but yet to take over completely.
From what I can gather from our quick chat after dinner, the dining experience here is destined to continue the coup de théâtre it is known for.
• Knipoch House Hotel, Knipoch, by Oban PA34 4QT (+44 (0) 1470 373737
or for the 1635 restaurant, call 01852 316251 - open Thursday to Saturday
for 1830pm or 1900 pm sittings only. Visit
