Andrew Fairley at Gleneagles.

[david goodfellow]

No we have not been, but now really fancy going, even though its hundreds of miles away and a small fortune to visit.

Just watched last nights Masterchef and the tasting menu looks well worth a punt, even though its an eye watering £125 plus service charge.

Really quite surprised in doing a search on the forum that there appears to be no thread on it

Anyone at all who has been ? and can tell me about the experience would be most appreciated.

Fingers crossed.

[marcusjames]

I went about 4 years ago David. We had the tasting menu, which was OK, but a little disappointing. Given the time passed it may well have changed, so take this with a pinch of salt, but the degustation bore no relation with the a la carte which, from what I could see being paraded past me, looked phenomenal. With hindsight we left feeling like we should have plumped for the three course option.

Considering its peers an hour away in Edinburgh it didn't impress anything like as much as The Kitchin or Wishart.

Yes, it isn't cheap, and the prices have indeed rocketed since my visit. That being said I was looking at going back recently and discovered that Gleneagles do a package called Michelin Magic, which fluctuates in price, but hovers round the £400 mark depending on the time of year. For that you get ALC for two, a dbl room and a glass of champers (I think). Considering £400 is what the rack rate usually starts at and the food and wine alone is worth approx £230, it ain't bad (relatively speaking of course!); plus the hotel is undoubtedly worth the visit if you've never been. The downside, and the reason why I didn't go in the end, is that the deal requires payment in full at the time of booking, which if I recall correctly is transferable, but non-refundable. Check their website, I'm assuming it's still available.

Edited December 8, 2011 by marcusjames (log)

[david goodfellow]

Thanks for the response Marcus.

I also would be disappointed if the tasting menu looked a poor relation to the carte, however I am heartened by the fact that you thought the carte to be so very good.

I will go on the website to have a look at the offers, especially as the hotel is a destination in itself.

As is the norm, on our travels we like to link in a couple of restaurants on the journey. Martin Wisharts would also be on the to visit list as I've heard so many good things about it.

If I got the chance we would visit Kitchin again and of course the other Kitching, the ever so sweet Paul,(and Katie) at 21212.

It would certainly have to be a mini holiday of sorts

[marcusjames]

That's almost precisely the itinerary we did, sandwiching Gleaneagles with a day in Edinburgh either side. The other joy of the hotel is that it has its own station and there's a direct train from Edinburgh, so no need to take the car / drive if you so choose.

A reputable friend went up to Edinburgh a few weeks ago and did Wishart, Kitchin and Castle Terrace. He actually rated the newly starred Terrace best of the lot, though it's a shame he didn't get to 21212 to give full comparison. Either way, I do envy those lucky enough to live there - so many options to have on your door step!

Edited December 9, 2011 by marcusjames (log)

[david goodfellow]

Thanks for the tip on Castle Terrace, he looks a cracking chef, great pedigree.

Another one for the already long list

[Matthew Grant]

Pedigree is an interesting point, probably best discussed in its own thread but since you've mentioned it here I'll post quickly. This is obviously not referring to Dominic Jack at Castle Terrace who seems to have numerous years at some of the establishments.

How many times do you read that a chef has cooked at this one star, that two star and a three star in a France only to eat there and be disappointed? On the face of it the restaurants they have cooked at are great but, in my experience, a lot of chefs seem to shove a restaurant on their CV as long as they've done a couple of stages there. I know of a couple of starred chefs who have complained when a new restaurants PR have started mentioning their names as a way of demonstrating the chefs talent. The fact is it's pretty easy to get a stage in a restaurant and the way I look at this is similar to the warning on investments, past experience is no guarantee to future performance

[Harters]

How many times do you read that a chef has cooked at this one star, that two star and a three star in a France only to eat there and be disappointed?

Cynic that I am, I often wonder if the more factual statement might be "Our chef cooked at X, but was sacked after a fortnight". I'm thinking of a claim outside a very touristy "steak & chips" place in Tenerife.

[cfm]

Our meal at Andrew Fairlie was rather disrupted by ill-health of one of the party. Restaurant handled this well, to their credit! I can't really remember much about the food, but I did think it was good. I found the hotel itself a bit challenging. I got the real sense that it was all set up to say that "You might think you're having a nice time now, but really you'd be having a much better time if you'd bought yourself one of our timeshares." I even had to fend off a marketing call. The room was eye-wateringly expensive, the TV didn't work, and the electronic controls for the curtains, lights, etc were baffling and inconvenient. There were also, bizarrely, two single duvets on the double bed. I'm open to new experiences and even change, but I haven't replaced our double duvet at home yet...

[Sidney]

Incredible that places like this can get away with being so badly managed.Put this report on Tripadvisor please CFM eventualy you might make a difference.David looks as though you need to move it down the list for a bit,it only got 2 for food in Hardens last year.Anybody received the reporters edition yet,it came on the 4th December last year.

[marcusjames]

Incredible that places like this can get away with being so badly managed.Put this report on Tripadvisor please CFM eventualy you might make a difference.David looks as though you need to move it down the list for a bit,it only got 2 for food in Hardens last year.Anybody received the reporters edition yet,it came on the 4th December last year.

Here's everything that's wrong wrong with Tripadvisor. Whilst I don't doubt there may have been faults with the room, the first question you should ask CFM is if Sidney gave the establishment chance to put it right. Taking a single comment and leaping to the assumption its 'badly managed' is premature in the extreme. I say all this because my room was impeccable. Not cheap, I admit, but the finish, fabrics and attention to detail was beyond belief. As I hinted at in my earlier post, taking a generalised view, I actually thought the hotel more impressive that the restaurant.

[Jon Tseng]

How many times do you read that a chef has cooked at this one star, that two star and a three star in a France only to eat there and be disappointed? On the face of it the restaurants they have cooked at are great but, in my experience, a lot of chefs seem to shove a restaurant on their CV as long as they've done a couple of stages there. I know of a couple of starred chefs who have complained when a new restaurants PR have started mentioning their names as a way of demonstrating the chefs talent. The fact is it's pretty easy to get a stage in a restaurant and the way I look at this is similar to the warning on investments, past experience is no guarantee to future performance

Heh

And the ironic corollary is chefs who claim to be self taught but have actually done time in famous kitchens.

Heston is a good example of this. For years the newspaper profiles banged on about how he was entirely self taught,went from debt collector to inventing triple cooked chips etc etc without mentioining a word about the fact he'd worked in MPWs kitchen. I think it was only when they got round to doing the big fat duck cookbook I finally saw a clarification on this (think it was a stage).

An amusing inversion.

J

[olicollett]

How many times do you read that a chef has cooked at this one star, that two star and a three star in a France only to eat there and be disappointed? On the face of it the restaurants they have cooked at are great but, in my experience, a lot of chefs seem to shove a restaurant on their CV as long as they've done a couple of stages there. I know of a couple of starred chefs who have complained when a new restaurants PR have started mentioning their names as a way of demonstrating the chefs talent. The fact is it's pretty easy to get a stage in a restaurant and the way I look at this is similar to the warning on investments, past experience is no guarantee to future performance

Heh

And the ironic corollary is chefs who claim to be self taught but have actually done time in famous kitchens.

Heston is a good example of this. For years the newspaper profiles banged on about how he was entirely self taught,went from debt collector to inventing triple cooked chips etc etc without mentioining a word about the fact he'd worked in MPWs kitchen. I think it was only when they got round to doing the big fat duck cookbook I finally saw a clarification on this (think it was a stage).

An amusing inversion.

J

Tbf, if you've only done the odd stage, I think self-taught is a fair description!

[Man]

I find both Kitchin and Wishart, while very different, immensely superior to 21212 (but I've been only once to 21212). I actually can't understand either what Wishart needs to do more than he's doing already to have a **, or why 21212 has a *.

Castle Terrace, could never find a table! The same has happened of late at The Kitchin. So my advice is to book well in advance. On the other hand I always manage to find a space at Wishart even at short notice, except in the busiest periods. Perhaps this says something

And don't forget Number One at the Balmoral, where very serious classical cooking goes on and I would rate as the third must try, together with MW and TK, in Edinburgh.

The very decent Plumed Horse nearby in Leith, while not a must try, also deserves a mention. It has the distinction of having just lost a star but for me it offers very solid cuisine; and also the new Wishart brasserie called The Honours, which I found impeccable for its precise cooking and excellent produce, but has got mixed reviews.

For simple fresh seafood, Ondine is always reliable and joyous.

Out of Edinburgh, for me the Peat Inn is the loveliest restaurant I've tried in Scotland, and the cuisine is between one and two stars.

On Fairlie, the only contribution I can give is that it is spelled like this, not like in the title thread. I look at his dishes and they don't appeal to me (at Masterchef this week Marcus Eaves's ones looked far more appealing, and Fairlie's 3 bit of pasta with a a few tossed girolles and peas were actually offensive to me!), though sooner or later I'll have to try. Or not.

(Apologies to Matthew for being yet another blogger not posting full reviews on eg, but I thought this message was long enough... )