Just before Christmas, we spent a night at Duisdale House Hotel in southern Skye, where we had a festive afternoon tea on arrival and an evening meal later that day.
We started in the lounge, across from the wood-burning fire, with pre-dinner canapés whilst we perused the menu. These were: sleigh ride espuma (foam), smoked salmon on a paprika oatmeal biscuit and guinea fowl terrine.
Dinner Menu
The dinner menu is priced at £30 for a main course, £44 for 2 courses and £59 for 3 courses.
Bread and butter was provided, unusually black pudding bread, which actually looked more like a potato! We're pretty confident that this is the first time we've ever had black pudding bread, which was light and fluffy with a hint of black pudding about it. It was served with delicious salted butter.
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Starters
Firstly, Orkney smoked cheddar soufflé. An airy soufflé that didn't deflate and was importantly cheesy, very cheesy. The mixture of fruits (raspberry and grape) alongside strangely worked with the cheesiness.
Our other starter was cherry wood smoked scallops with cauliflower textures. A cloche was lifted to release the smoky goodness. It actually looked pretty dainty, possibly making this the prettiest scallop dish we've ever eaten! The scallops were crisp and salty with the textures of the cauliflower a pleasant contrast to the scallop meat.
Mains
As we visited during the festive period, turkey was on the menu and so to get into the spirit of things we had crown of turkey with rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes, pigs in blankets and parsnip foam. Turkey isn't our favourite if truth be told as it can be pretty dry but there was plenty of gravy here. The sausage was also pretty meaty and the parsnip foam was a bit different, a mixture of non-traditional veggies like sugar snap peas and broccoli was also in the mix. There were also two types of potato, both roasted and mashed, which was smooth and buttery. The roasties could've been crispier though.
Our other main was the ribeye of beef, dauphinoise potatoes and onion puree (£5.50 supplement). Cooked medium, this was a tender piece of steak with earthy flavours thanks to the beetroot and carrot. The dauphinoise was also lovely and creamy but for a main on a 3-course menu with a supplement, it was on the small side.
Desserts
Another one for that festive feeling - Salted caramel and pecan yule log with Drambuie Ice Cream. A posh Swiss roll with soft sponge, crunchy nut pieces and whisky liqueur ice cream so sweet and boozy (Did you know that Drambuie was originally made and sold on the isle of Skye?).
Cheeseboard (£4.50 supplement) - a busy cheeseboard comprising a selection of four different Scottish cheeses served with oatcakes, fruit, nuts, chutney and quince. The cheeses were: Strathdon Blue, Connage gouda with nettle and garlic, Clava Brie and Orkney smoked cheddar with garlic. All really good cheeses, especially the smoked cheddar and gouda, which we also had at home over the festive period.
Overall
Dinner was excellent; starting with enticing fine dining starters then moving onto hearty main courses and finishing with a sweet boozy dessert and great cheeses. Service was well-paced and the waiting staff were friendly and attentive.
Skye has plenty of well-regarded restaurants including the nearby Kinloch Lodge and The Three Chimneys, which we have both visited when they held Michelin Stars, but Duisdale House Hotel can also be considered to be within the top bracket restaurants on the island. They have two AA rosettes but the quality was as good as some three rosette restaurants we've eaten in. They also won the Informal Fine Dining Award at the 2020 Scottish Hotel Awards.
You can also read about our stay at Duisdale House Hotel and our afternoon tea experience.
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