Velvet Underground - Scotland on Sunday
Words Richard Bath
From the moment you descend into the decadent grotto that is The Stockbridge Restaurant you know you’re in for a treat.
From the food to the ambiance, The Stockbridge has all the right ingredients. “I was beginning to think it was me, that I had turned into a serial culinary curmudgeon, incapable of giving credit where it was due. It seemed an age since a restaurant I was reviewing ticked every box without some note of caution or qualification. And then I went to The Stockbridge Restaurant. No riders needed here. I haven’t enjoyed a meal so much for ages.
Vicky chose the set menu, which at £28, turned out to be excellent value. She started out with a healthy portion of lightly spiced, perfectly cooked pigeon breast, which came in a rich red onion marmalade and red wine jus.
My starter, a glorious trio of duck, was, if anything, even better. The foie gras studded with pistachios and served with toasted brioche and fig-and-apple chutney was the highlight, but neither the smoked duck breast with peppered pineapple and sweet-and-sour sauce, nor the confit duck with orange, beetroot and sour cream, lost much by comparison. It was apparent that Gallagher is a highly skilled chef with a sure touch.
Our main courses confirmed as much; Vicky’s nicely moist grilled fillet of halibut came with a simple selection of sautéed new potatoes, courgette ribbons, confit cherry tomatoes and a lemon butter sauce- a combination that highlighted rather then obscured the subtle favours of the fish.
Because it is so easy to overcook, guinea fowl isn’t something I usually choose. But I was glad that I did. It was perfectly complemented by a risotto of sorrel and wild mushrooms, leek cream, savoy cabbage and truffle dressing. This may be a rather heavy dish, but it suited me down to the ground.
By this stage I would usually be looking for a catch, but pudding –which came after a bowl of palate-cleansing, eye-watering tart sorbet- was an absolute triumph. Vicky’s flawless rhubarb-and nut crumble with ginger-and-rhubarb ripple ice-cream and crème anglaise was the star of the show, but my trio of chocolate puddings wasn’t far behind.
The chocolate brulee was the pick of the three, but the fondant and white chocolate sorbet slipped down equally easily. For once my empty plate was less a testimony to my gluttony and sugar addiction then to the excellence of the fare on offer.
All in all, The Stockbridge Restaurant has proved to be the most pleasant and surprisingly dinner of the year so far.