Scottish delight

Yes, I love food. Yes, I'm passionate about food. No, I'm not a food snob. I just want my food to taste well. I want my food to do more than just fill me up. I want pure and simple. I want variation. I want delight! I want pleasure! I want warmth! In an ideal world, I also want my food to be organic and local, but I realise that you can't have everything. 

This is why I once in a while don't mind spending my savings on a good meal. During half term last week, we spent 4 days in Edinburgh. (Great place!) And one evening at the Castle Terrace Restaurant. From the first drop of Champagne to the last petit fours I enjoyed every minute.

The service from the waiters was excellent. We brought our two kids (9 & 14) and were a bit concerned about the youngest, as she can be quite a fussy eater and usually prefers a plate of plain pasta. But the waiter was very accommodating and it seemed they could make whatever she wanted. In the end she decided to have the same menu as we did, but in mini portions, so that she could have a taste of it all. (Both the kids had veal instead of hare, by the way.) And she did taste all of it. (But it wasn't exactly her cup of tea!) The rest of us, however, had a true feast. I loved the halibut, the scallops, the risotto and the lobster. Desert was heavenly and the petit fours divine. And I ate it all. Only the hare wasn't quite to my taste.

It was the first time I've had more than 4 courses, but it won't be the last. The pleasure of having one delicious dish after another put in front of you is indescribable. It can't be done every week. But I'd rather spend £100 on a meal like this than on a new pair of jeans. Just to give you an idea of the meal, here is my menu (given to us as we left the restaurant!).



CASTLE TERRACE
DOMINIC JACK
CHEF'S LAND & SEA SURPRISE TASTING MENU @CASTLETERRACE
Tuesday 25th October 2011


Appetiser
A taste of carrot and coriander finished with toasted cumin crumble
Philipponnat Brut
"Royale Reserve"
Champagne
France NV

Halibut
Ceviche of wild North Sea halibut served sushi style
Marsanne 

Chateau Tahbilk
Central Victoria
Australia, 2008
 
Scallop
Seared hand-dived Orkney scallops, with an endive tart tatin and grapefruit confit
Albarino 'Rias Baixas'
Bodegas Terras Gauda
O Rosal Spain, 2010

Spelt
Risotto of organic spelt from Doves Farm, served with crispy ox tongue and veal heart confit
Gaillac
Domaine D'Escausses
South West, France, 2010

Lobster
Newhaven lobster cooked a la plancha, with sauteed squid and Perthshire wild mushrooms, sea radish and sea lettuce
Chenin Blanc Springfontein
Walker Bay
South Africa, 2010

Hare
Hare from Buccleuch Estate 'a la royale', with chestnut cappelletti, saffron gnocchi and roasted carrots
Bandol Domaine Sorin
Provence
France, 2005

Apple
Caramelised and jellied "Cox" apples from Haddington, served with yoghurt sorbet and apple soup
Beerenauslese 'Terrassen'
Domäne Wachau, Wachau
Austria, 2009

Tea/Coffee
Served with a selection of home-made petit fours