Our visit to the Three Chimneys on Skye didn’t start too well. We arrived at 7.30pm to be told our booking had been for 6.30pm. Who on earth would want to eat dinner at 6.30 unless they were off to the theatre and there are not a lot of theatres on Skye. Apparently our 7.30 booking was not good for the restaurant and an email was sent to change it but we had already left home. Now, I don’t care how wonderful a restaurant is, or how many people are desperate to eat there, I object strongly to being told what time my reservation should be. Call me awkward, but I would rather not eat at all than eat at 6.30 or 10.30 just to make it convenient for the restaurant or allow them to squeeze in another “sitting”. Anyway, having said all that, the Three Chimneys’ maitre ‘d accommodated our “late” arrival (albeit slightly sniffily) so we slunk out into the front garden with our drinks to smoke. There is no smoking anywhere in the restaurant or tiny bar so beware those who like a puff. It’s fine outside in the summer (midges allowing) but would be extremely chilly after September. According to someone who knows these things, The Three Chimneys is the 32nd best restaurant in the world, only 4 of which are in the U.K. I have not visited most of the preceding 31 on the list, but I have been to some of them, so here was an intriguing peg to hang our standards on. It was curious sitting in this tiny place on a fairly remote Scottish island thinking the chef could be cooking at a top London venue. The tiny restaurant has been cleverly converted from (probably) a fisherman’s cottage and has wonderful views over the seascape to the peaks on surrounding islands. The soft natural colours of the décor and the simple furnishings retain the atmosphere and the modest beginnings of the building and give a pleasantly relaxed feel to the place. We found the canapés served with our drinks somewhat predictable and a little “tired” and moved inside to begin our meal. The homemade bread was not memorable and neither, to be honest, were the entrees. My langoustines were spankingly fresh (but then so they should be at such a location) and perfectly cooked, but the unusual and fragrant selection of “leaves” underneath them was actually more interesting than the shellfish. More of those leaves later! My husband’s “collops” of salmon were also rather bland although the watercress crème fraiche sauce was pleasant. Taking advantage of the “seafood specialities” of the restaurant, I ordered a dish of scallops and monkfish with an orange, honey and grain mustard dressing. The mustard in the dressing seemed to overwhelm the subtle fish flavours and the crunchy potato “stack”, although good, was a bit soggy by the time I cut into it. My husband had grilled turbot and lobster in a shellfish sauce veloute and he pronounced it a good combination although the new potatoes were slightly overcooked. The wine selection was good and reasonably priced. Unusually, the Three Chimneys makes no service charge, which is a welcome relief from the normal 12½ %, which one has to be hardnosed to decrease. Service that evening was efficient (although our wine was not topped up at all during the meal) but perfunctory and slightly detached. Was it because we had not arrived when we should have? For us, dessert was the high point of the meal. Both the warm Plum and Almond Torte and the hot Marmalade pudding were meltingly good although I felt the torte would have benefited from a more generous dollop of crème fraiche as the last few mouths full were a bit dry. But perhaps one should not be churlish because according to the menu, the crème fraiche was “Local” Yes, Local with a capital L, but then every word, including the adjectives, on the menu had capitalised first letters, which I find an intensely annoying trait. What this says to me is “Look, you must appreciate how wonderful every aspect of our food is. We have a top class chef and you should understand the effort and imagination which has gone into the dishes you are about to consume so we are going to highlight every word.” Of course, this is not just a foible of the Three Chimneys in Skye. But I mention it because there is also a Footnote on this menu, which raised an eyebrow and my blood pressure too. Apparently much of the veg and fruit are locally grown and organic. The Footnote continues, (all underlined) "We hope you enjoy their superb flavour and quality". Patronising or what? Should we be lectured on how much to enjoy the veg? Or is it just me? Catherine Hahn
