Every course a winner

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WHEN a chef ups sticks and leaves the nation’s capital behind him to set up shop in Dornoch, one might be forgiven for thinking the gentleman in question has given up on high-pressure cooking and decided to take things a little easier.

Not so Michael Carr, who won many accolades for the quaintly named 2 Quail in the town’s main street, including two AA rosettes and TV appearances.

He and his wife still run the establishment, but now concentrate on bed and breakfast without the evening meal. Michael plies his culinary trade in the kitchen of the world-famous Royal Dornoch Golf Club, and the B&B’s loss is most definitely the golfers’ gain.

Anyone who plays the game will know that standard clubhouse fare tends to be whole and hearty rather than fine dining – but not here. Michael is executive chef and, while he’s happy to cater for those who want nothing more than a beer and a burger after their round, he serves up superb food matched only by the views over the Dornoch Firth from the first-floor dining-room.

Dornoch Golf Club was formed in 1877 and has been attached to royalty for more than 100 years. The club’s own publicity says, “We aim to cater for members and our frequent visitors in a relaxed, informal environment, with an emphasis on traditional Highland hospitality”. People travel from all over the world to pit their wits against the course, which can boast Old Tom Morris as designer with enhancements down the years by the great Donald Ross, who was once professional and green keeper.

So it seems fitting that Michael is in the kitchen turning out food which befits such a magnificent setting, steeped in history.

Our visit was a golfing weekend, and a quick glance at the menu while sorting tee times for the following day convinced us it was worth a try for dinner.

At this stage, it’s worth pointing out that the club is currently catering on winter hours and that food is available to members, guests and golfers. For information on availability and opening hours, it would be wise to check on the club’s website, www.royaldornoch.com

But back to the food. The younger members of the party opted to eat from the bar menu – one choosing cheese and chive souffle followed by beer-battered haddock, chips and mushy peas, and the other selecting one of the aforementioned burgers.

For a starter, my wife opted for tagliatelle with a wild mushroom cream sauce from the bar menu, while I chose the lamb kofta with couscous and tsatziki.

Both were excellent, as was the souffle. The kofta was quite obviously home-made and the spicy meat cooled by the tsatziki. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the slightly nutty taste of the mushrooms complemented the light and creamy sauce, while the cheese and egg concoction was light, fluffy and standing proud in its dish.

On to the main course, and the children’s food first. A huge piece of fish with chunky chips and peas was polished off in record time, and was of the quality one would expect from a restaurant sitting a stone’s throw from the sea. The burger was declared to be home-made and was, without question, the best any of us had ever tasted. Indeed, we returned for lunch the following day and ordered one each.

The adults opted to eat from the evening menu. Loin of venison with brandied cherries, walnuts and thyme sounded intriguing, and I wasn’t disappointed. The meat was pink and melted in the mouth and worked wonderfully with the cherries and walnuts, set on a rich pool of what I can only assume was a red-wine reduction.

My wife chose the breast of chicken with wild mushroom risotto and a leek sauce. Again, this was fine-dining standard, with moist chicken served on the bone, perfectly cooked rice and a vivid sauce in both taste and looks.

There was only a little room left for dessert, but bread-and-butter pudding with strawberries and an Eton mess sounded too good to resist. The mess lived up to its name, but the bread-and-butter pudding was the star.

With soft drinks and a bottle of excellent Australian Shiraz, our bill for four was a very respectable £82.75. The service was warm and friendly and, while the decor is typical golf club, the view more than makes up for it.

And the golf? Fantastic. There’s no other way to describe it – the course, that is, not the standard of play.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Golf Road, Dornoch. Phone 01862 810219. Visit www.royaldornoch.com