Dinner In The Pentland Restaurant At The Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club Near Edinburgh
Published On Saturday 1 Feb 2025 by Sticky Beak
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On what was [supposed to be, until storm Eowyn had other ideas!] our last night, we’d booked a table for dinner in the Pentland Restaurant. The Pentland Restaurant also serves as the breakfast area, so we were well acquainted with the layout and decor. It has, as you’d expect, much more traditional styling than the Brasserie; think Wilton carpets, huge swags and drapes at the full-length windows, and impressive pendant lights. The dark wood tables were partnered by high-back, thickly padded chairs that were upholstered in tonal fabric to the curtains, creating a seamless impression and calm ambience.
We were escorted over to our table, this time on the lower level rather our customary breakfast spot on the upper space. Water was offered without needing to be asked for, and we both ordered soft drinks to go with our meals. As you would expect, the menu was more adventurous and wide-reaching than the brasserie and The Man and I took our time in choosing our dishes. Well, I say we took our time, but as soon as His Nibs spied the Haggis Scotch Egg (£10) on the starter selection, that was him sorted! I vacillated between the Goats Cheese and Beetroot (£8) and the Cullen Skink (£10); in the end, I went for the Goats Cheese morsel as I had opted for the Lamb Rump for my main course and thought that the Cullen Skink might be a tad too hearty.
A very smartly attired young gent came to take our food order, removing the superfluous wine glasses from the table to give us more space. To say that there had been a rash of folks checking out early (ahead of incoming storm Eowyn), there were still plenty of tables occupied in the Pentland Restaurant and some of the dishes passing us looked delicious.
It wasn’t an overly long wait until our starters were being placed carefully before us. Against the pale tones of the plates, both our choices popped with colour and it was a fierce discussion as to which took the accolade of being prettiest (a little competition that we always have). Eventually, I conceded that the Haggis Scotch Egg just inched ahead as there were more colours and textures within it.
At the centre of The Mans’ choice was a perfectly soft-boiled egg that had a marvellously rich flavour to its unctuous yolk. Surrounding the egg’s sunny tones was a generous layer of Haggis-enhanced Sausage meat that had been coated in crumb and fried to golden, crispy perfection. Providing a lovely bed for the Scotch Eggs to perch on were the finely julienned strips of the Celeriac, Fennel and Granny Smith Apple Remoulade, and their gently mustardy zing. The layers of flavour were excellent and, with the protein content, made for a jolly satiating dish.
Chef had whipped the Goats Cheese until fluffy and then piped it into tiny towers on my plate, decorating each one with a piece of Candied Walnut. Within this dish were both Golden- and Ruby- Beetroot chunks and my palate really appreciated the difference in their tastes: the Golden type is much more subtle, with a sweeter tint to its profile, whereas the Ruby variety is your typically earthy, richer minx. In the middle of all this beauty were both halves of a caramelised Fig that had been drizzled with more of the whipped Goats Cheese and decorated with tiny Nasturtium leaves.
Our server had come to check on our progress and make sure that we were happy with our food, and when he came back he was rewarded with a pair of spotlessly clean plates. Before he went back to the kitchen, he took that little bit of extra time to ask if we needed more drinks.
My Lamb Rump was served pink [absolutely as it should be, in my book] and had been sliced into pieces for presentation purposes, which made it easier to navigate with my cutlery. If the happiness of a life can be gauged by the resulting flavour of the flesh, then this particular Lamb had been a very happy chap; it was a super piece of meat. Complementing its sweet flesh was a delightfully buttery Pea Fricassee [and corresponding purée] and gently crisped, golden cubes of Polenta. I had also ordered a side of Tomato and Basil Salad (£5) and this was surprisingly eye-catching! Large Heritage Tomatoes had all been sliced horizontally to present their intricate workings, their slices artfully arranged around the circumference of the plate, and in the centre of them, nestled perfectly, was a verdant carpet of torn Basil and Mixed Leaves. This was a simple, yet flavoursome accompaniment, and one whose clean, bright character would enhance any choice of dish.
The Man Bird had gone for slow-cooked Ox Cheek (£25) and both of us were in awe of the size of this super-tender, intensely tasty treat. As the cheek was pierced by The Mans’ knife, you could literally see the flesh part in ribbons, it was that soft and juicy. Chef had cut the Heritage Carrots lengthways to make the most of their colour and they popped against the darker hue of the intense-tasting burnt Onion puree – this was moreish! Creamy Celeriac and al-dente Sprouting Broccoli made up the rest of the vegetable elements on His Nibs’ plate, and the whole dish was bound together by a bewitchingly good Red Wine Jus.
By this point in the evening, we were both feeling fully satisfied but, as usual, couldn’t resist the lure of pudding! I fancied the Apple and Cinnamon Crumble with Date Puree and Brandy Cream (£12), whilst The Man pounced upon the Chocolate Delice with Morello Cherries, Honeycomb and Chocolate Tuile (£9).
After a short interlude, our server came over bearing the bowls of scrumptiousness in his hands and smiled when we both grinned in happiness as we clapped eyes on them! Chef is definitely a feeder if the size of my crumble portion was anything to go by and the aromas wafting up to my nose on the steam tendrils were very tempting. Thick slices of Apple had been cooked to soft - not mushy – perfection and, at the bottom of the dish was the wickedly fragrant Date Purée, whose perfume had my palate swooning in delight. A deep layer of buttery, nicely textural, crumble crunched gently to the bite and its butter content melted in the heat of my mouth quickly. The top-most element was quenelle of pale, Brandy Cream which paired with the fruit magnificently; Apple and Brandy are a classic partnering, and it worked fabulously here.
Where my pudding was ethereally pale, His Nibs’ Chocolate Delice was dark and dramatic. Even if you were blindfolded, there would be no mistaking the heavy Cocoa content of the Delice: it walloped the taste buds boldly and lit up the brains’ pleasure centre like one of those muscle-man machines you see at a fairground. The Morello Cherries were nearly as dark as the Delice and their taste was sweet, perfumed and intoxicating as it brought some contrast against the cocoa. Crunch came via the chunks of Honeycomb, and was very welcome in what was an otherwise smooth dessert.
This had been a superb meal from start to finish, matched by the attentive service the team had afforded us. Hot Wings happily given to the Pentland Restaurant within Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club. Call 0131 3331845 to book a table. Visit the website www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk and hit the menu tab on the left; then hit the food and drink button to discover more about the restaurant. You can also book a room online, too, if you fancy staying over (and why wouldn’t you?).
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