I tried 'fantastic' new tasting menu in cosy Scottish restaurant - it's a celebration of the Highlands
A brand new, hidden, restaurant has opened in a whisky hotel in Speyside and it’s well worth making a reservation finds Rosalind Erskine.
When the “oldest and greatest” whisky hotel signs up the “single malt chef” to head up its kitchens under a new management, that sounds like a recipe for success especially for whisky fans. The Craigellachie hotel, a historic abode in its namesake village which opened in 1893, is now home to head chef Pawel Sowa who joined the team earlier this year from the Macallan alongside general manager Tom Jolly.
After a settling in period, the duo have now launched Geamair (pronounced Ge-med and meaning gamekeeper in Gaelic), a tasting menu concept located in a space next to the main dining room and Spey Inn pub, which transforms when the menu is available (Wednesday to Saturday). There’s a window into the kitchen, which gets covered up with a wooden panel, and the table decor and seating gets arranged back to how it was when the Geamair menu isn’t being served. This speakeasy use of space may mean, if you visit without knowing this small restaurant space exists, you might miss it and that’d be a real shame.
Thankfully we did know Geamair was available - it launched in early October - and we booked on a busy Friday night during the Dramathon weekend in mid-October. The cosy space was lit with candles, giving it a serene atmosphere and, after a welcome glass of champagne, we had time to look over the compact tasting menu of seven courses which encompasses the region’s fish, game, vegetables and autumnal foraged produce.
Dishes on the menu included: Scoffs (small bites) of tattie and skirlie croquette served with caviar and cured duck and elderberry tart; an amuse bouche of bull shot tea, served with a slightly spiced potato and haggis panettone, whisky butter and venison charcuterie; fermented barley, an unctuous dish that’s one of chef Powel’s signature dishes.
This dish signifies whisky and “completely blew the mind” of general manager Mr Jolly. The dish is made with wort from the first part of the whisky process, and combines it with fermented barley, water, toasted yeast, fermented onion and an acorn, soy cured egg finished with a barley crisp with acorn balsamic and toasted yeast sprinkles.
Next there’s the river Spey dish that uses cured pike, a fish that’s seen as a pest in the river and is caught not to be sold but to be gotten rid of. This bony fish is hard to work with but here it’s sliced thinly and served with wood sorrel emulsion, river roes and a delicate smoked trout mousse. The next dish is pigeon served with cherry plums, pickled pig nuts, acorn miso and bark jus before a refreshing pre-dessert called Polly’s tipple that has Tormore new make spirit and Douglas fir gel. Dessert of a vernal grass mousse is followed by a small trunk of petit fours - pine macarons and chestnut shortbread - of which diners can eat as many as they’d like, or can after seven courses.
Geamair was born out of chef Sowa’s love of whisky and ‘whisky cuisine’ but also a frustration and desire to make Speyside a culinary destination much like champagne and cognac. Speaking of this, he said: “When I came to Scotland, the only whisky I’d had - and it wasn’t really a whisky - was Jack Daniels and Coke.
“When I started with Macallan, we wanted to do something that makes sense. Not just with food but with whisky. Scotland has got such good produce. I was kind of angry when I got here and I couldn’t buy girolles and all these Scottish things, but I’d cooked them in Hong Kong before. But the place where they come from, no one seems to get them. Nachos or quesadillas yes but no venison or pike. The mission was born to use the local produce but also to tell the story of whisky.
“The main goal here is to try and establish the area for its foods at the same level as it’s established for its whisky.”
The foraged nature of a lot of the ingredients keeps chef Powel on his toes as nothing is guaranteed as “nature dedicates where and when” certain produce becomes available. “It can be there one week and we come back and the squirrels have maybe eaten everything,” he laughed, “so you always need a plan B and C. These plans can be pickling and fermenting produce so it is available for longer periods then when it’s picked fresh. The hotel’s forager will also alway offer alternatives if what he’s gone to collect isn’t available.
Having worked closely with local distilleries on this concept, chef Pawal has a deep understanding of how to use whisky as a core ingredient and not just a pairing. He expertly weaves the spirit’s complex notes, from its rich, smoky tones to its fruity and floral characteristics, into his dishes.
Take the fermented barley dish with its malt vinaigrette; the Polly’s tipple pre-dessert with the Tormore new make spirit granita and the stunning vernal grass mousse with cask trim ice cream. Instead of using vanilla, freshly cut and roasted shards of whisky cask are steeped with cream and milk, then strained to make this flavourful, utterly delicious - with hints of coconut - ice cream that blends seamlessly with the light and fresh mousse.
With such an inventive menu that lets the flavours - albeit some very unexpected - sing, Geamair is off to a flying start when it comes to putting Speyside’s food up there with its whisky. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next season brings for the next chapter of this historic location.
Geamair’s tasting menu is £90 per person with optional wine and whisky pairings. To book a table visit the Craigellachie Hotel website.
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