It was a bit of an unplanned trip to Scotland this time ,chaotic and all totally last minute. My dining buddy ” The Laird ” had to shoot off from Sellafield to Edinburgh on official work business .Not being able to do anything for himself i was summoned upon to assist and accompany….in a nutshell “Organise everything” as usual. So after battling through the snow en route to Edinburgh , attending to business in the city , the rest of the weekend was ours. ….To eat and drink to our heart`s content….. Castle Terrace , then over to Martin Wishart on Loch Lomond and after that , the old favourite – Glasgows Ubiquitous Chip.

I`d heard quite a lot about a restaurant in the city called Castle Terrace from my friends the Critical Couple…they raved about the place so it made sense that we should give it a whirl during this visit. Being a snowy January and approaching the end of the Game season Chef Dominic Jack had a surprise “Land and Sea” Tasting menu on that sounded so good it couldn`t be missed. The Tasting menu is currenty £70 and the restaurant also offers a matching wine package with a glass to accompany each course at £50. This also includes a glass of Champagne upon arrival.

Castle Terrace has only been open since the summer of 2010 and has already won its first Michelin star in such a short timespan. Dominic Jack , the head chef leads the restaurant and the cuisine is styled on the philosophy of “from Nature to plate” and based all around the very finest produce of Scotlands larder…basically the very ` best of the best` that`s available on a seasonal rotation. Chef Dominic set off his journey to excellence at 17 years old at The Gleneagles Hotel .Four years later making the move to Paris and into some of the best 3 star Michelin restaurants in the world – L`Arpege, restaurant Les Elysees and the legendary Taillevent . Dominic returned back to the UK in 2008 and continued to work alongside his good friend Tom Kitchin in Edinburghs `The Kitchin` before setting up Castle terrace in 2010.

As far as the food at Castle terrace goes , it`s clearly evident that to me that the French `Michelin experiences` have set the site standard for Dominic Jack.Finesse , meticulous attention to detail , perfectly balanced and unique flavours , utilizing the best of the seasonal produce , classic cooking techniques and styles and what seems like a young guys very hungry quest for perfection. What`s been bred in can`t be knocked out in a hurry. Chef simply doesn`t know any different , the standards are set in stone and Dominic is reaching for the stars and i can only hope that it`s going to stay like that. Watch this space and just wait and see that Second star arriving in the not too distant future. Its already there on the plates as far as i`m concerned.

           Canapes – Pizza Margherita , Salt Cod barbajuan , Caesar Salad.

Don`t go expecting all of what you see in the photos below as menu`s change with the seasons. Have a look on The Critical Couple blog for more food updates from Castle Terrace.

Appetiser – A taste of Carrot and Coriander finished off with a toasted Cumin crumble.

Freshly picked brown Crab from Newhaven served with Avocado , roasted Red Pepper and Mango.

Tartare of Loch Duart Salmon , served Sushi style.

Pate en croute of Roe Deer from Saltoun estate , served with Pear , Prune and Port.

Free range Corn fed Chicken liver parfait with Apple and Quince.

Seared hand dived Orkney Scallops with a Cannelloni of Tarragon and Lemon.

Seared hand dived Orkney Scallops with Piperade , Olive , Anchovy and Parma ham.

Ravioli of Ox Tongue , served in an Oxtail Consomme with Basil , Orange and Mooli.

Ravioli of fresh herbs and Highland Crowdie cheese , served with a light Tomato sauce and crushed Black pepper.

Risotto of Organic Spelt from Doves farm served with crispy Ox tongue and Veal heart.

Risotto of Organic Spelt from Doves farm served with Sauteed North sea Squid.

Seared fillet of North sea Hake served on a salt Cod Brandade with crisp Potato and Scottish sea Kale from Eassie farm.

Poached fillet of Loch Duart Salmon with pink “fir apple” potatoes , sauce Bearnaise , and Scottish sea Kale from Eassie farm.

Saddle of Roe Deer from Winton estate with Quince tatin , seared Pumpkin , Chestnut and Pepper sauce.

Filet Mignon of Ayrshire Organic Pork, served with braised Fennel , smoked Aubergine puree and a Basil and Olive jus.

Hare from `Brommie Bank` served `a la royale` with forgotten vegetables , quince and wild Watercress Gnocchi.

Rhubarb souffle served with Earl Grey Tea ice cream.

Chocolate and Orange pave with Orange sorbet.

Roast `conference` Pear with Scottish heather honey Panna cotta , served with Lemon Thyme sorbet.

Home made petits fours.

         To view more photos from Castle Terrace please CLICK HERE. 

As for a return trip to Castle terrace….Oh you`d better believe it. I loved the place. Watch out for this Summers foodie road trip in The Lairds ` Fire Engine` ……erm yes… I did say `Fire engine` ( he owns 2 ) – Castle terrace , The Kitchin , Loch lomonds Wallaby Island , The Inchmurrin Nudist colony and then on up the West coast to Oban , The 3 Chimmneys and the Kyles of Lochash for a Seafood extravaganza. …..should be rather…..ermmmm `Interesting` don`t you think ?