Address: The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder PH3 1NF
Visit: November 17, 2024
Price: ***
Awards: 2 AA Rosettes
Website: https://www.gleneagles.com/dine-drink/the-strathearn/
The Review:
Sunday lunch at The Strathearn is a regular treat when we visit Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.
Please see my previous review
It is classical fine dining in a grand dining room with the theatre of silver service, walnut gueridon trolleys, silver cloches, butler trays, and a pianist. In the past, most of the diners would dress elegantly, but now many of the younger guests prefer to wear jeans and tee shirts.
The wine list is as extensive as you would expect, and they use Coravin so you can access some very expensive wines by the glass. Our sommelier was very friendly and knowledgeable, and introduced us to some excellent wines and ports.
The Head Chef is Stavros Bampatsikos and Restaurant Manager is Simon Fache.
The three course Sunday lunch cost £79 per person, including a dessert.
We started with an amuse bouche of pumpkin soup with pumpkin seeds and finely chopped chives. We ordered the starter of crab with apple and citrus on a brioche, which was tasty but very small. Our other starter was the veal sweetbread with mooli, lentils and sauce Robert (chopped onions cooked in butter without colour, a reduction of white wine, pepper, an addition of demi-glace, finished with mustard). There were four or five small pieces of sweetbread and some were perfectly cooked, melting in the mouth, while others were overcooked and rubbery.
For main course we both chose the Tweed Valley sirloin roast beef which was served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, crushed carrots, cabbage and broccoli, horseradish cream and a red wine jus. Cauliflower cheese gratin was an optional extra (£9). The beef is served from a trolley at your table. Interestingly, after the waiter carved the beef, he slathered each piece in a pan of cooking juices, which is a very nice touch and something I am going to start to do myself.
The cheese trolley consisted of a selection of hard and soft cheeses which appeared in good condition. We both chose a different selection. This was accompanied by homemade quince jelly, honey from the garden at Gleneagles, and homemade cheese crackers.
Having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here on previous visits, this Sunday lunch was less memorable. I was surprised how many guests hadn’t bothered to dress up for what was once a special occasion. Although the beef was very nice, our starters were a disappointment. It’s unfortunate because this was once a very good restaurant serving excellent food. Restaurants have an aura, and this is a grand, traditional restaurant, with exceptionally high standards, a little bit like the restaurant at The Ritz. On this visit, I felt as if the aura had diminished.
The menus:
