Dinner In The Brasserie At The Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club Near Edinburgh

Friday 31 Jan 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Having eaten out the previous two nights, we decided to stay in and try out the Brasserie within Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club. The Man Bird and I had caught a fleeting glance of the Brasserie as we’d been visiting the Spa and Fitness Suite, so we knew where we were going. Located on the upper floor of the building, the venue is airy and spacious and is the perfect place for a more relaxed eating experience. There are a couple of TV screens insitu, and mixed-height tables, so it has a faint ‘sports bar’ vibe going on, too; don’t think that it’s rowdy, though – far from it. I was loving the ridiculously high ceiling and its wooden beam ‘barn’ effect, but it was the lighting that took centre stage: the huge pendants were suspended from the central beams and really looked magnificent.

We grabbed a higher table and tall chairs, and studied the menu whilst our server went off to grab us some table water, a Ginger Ale for me, and a pint of Menabrea lager for His Nibs. As you’d expect from this type of eaterie, the menu isn’t going to win awards for innovation and flair, but there is plenty of crowd-pleasers in there to appeal to all ages. The Man and I were feeling ‘nibbly’ hungry, so we ordered a portion of Loaded Nachos (£7) to quell those nagging, initial pangs, then I chose Prawn Linguine (£18) and he went for the Dalmahoy Beef Burger (£16), adding Cheese for an extra quid.

All i’mma say is that it’s a good job we only ordered the single portion of Loaded Nachos; they were mahooosive!! A rectangular platter was laden with golden Nachos which had been smothered in Cheese and grilled until this melted, then they were piled up with mounds of spicy Tomato Salsa, cooling Soured Cream and homemade Guacamole (which was wonderfully chunky, btw). Piquant Jalapenos added some sourness and fire to the dish, complimenting the sweeter heat of the Salsa. These were, by far, the best Nachos we’ve come across in ages; needless to say, all that remained after our feasting was the logo’d paper that had lined the platter!

My bowl of Prawn Linguine was no less generous and, by the looks of it, His Nibs was in for a stern appetite test with the Beef Burger. Chef clearly likes to feed his folks. As a lover of seafood, I was ecstatic to see Prawns everywhere I looked: on, in and under the Linguine strands, there they were, just waiting to be gobbled up.

A small dollop of [micro- Coriander sprinkled] Crème Fraiche had been placed in the centre of the warm pasta, so I quickly swirled that in to the Tomato-based sauce to make it silkier and creamier in the mouth. In the menu description was Chilli and, by golly, it was certainly evident! Slices of the fresh, Red type were liberally sprinkled on top of the dish, with more being incorporated into the sauce; let’s just say that my body was still showing its appreciation the next morning – good job I like Chilli. For those of you with a more sedate palate, I would suggest that you request no Chilli in this dish: there was a distinct ‘tingle factor’ going on.

When the young lass had placed The Mans’ Burger before him, I grinned happily: I’d spied the Gherkin half on top and knew that that bad boy would be winging its way over to me. Sure enough, the first thing he did was remove the halved slice from the skewer and pass it across the table. I’m pleased to say that the Tomato and Lettuce remained snugly in their bun bed though; it may only be a small thing, but it’s progress in Mission: Get The Man Eating Healthier. Rome, as they say, wasn’t built in a day and I’m working on the premise that ‘slowly, slowly, catches monkey’!

The Burger patty itself was beautifully juicy and chock-full of flavour, with a satisfying chew time to it, partnered with a classic, buttery Brioche bun, crunchy, tangy Pickled Red Onion and a zingy Relish, this really was a delight to eat, according to His Nibs. In a separate pot were plenty of crisp, non-greasy stealth/skinny Fries, and even these were delightfully tasty.

Conscious that we’re out of our normal routine, we skipped dessert; although the fitness suite at the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club is more than adequate, it still isn’t our home one and we aren’t wanting to pile the excess calories in to our bodies every day.

Check-backs were done at regular intervals and the Brasserie is kept marvellously clean so, if you find yourselves at Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, I can certainly recommend giving it a go for one of your meals. Hot Wings given here.