wayneaS3035SM
Google
I'm writing this review in the hope our views are passed directly to the chef and management team. ||Firstly, I'd like to start by explaining that we had been travelling through Scotland after getting married in the Isle of Skye. ||We are both avid food lovers and have had the privilege of eating at some of the UKs finest restaurants. We are not pretentious and work very hard to pay for some of these amazing experiences. We had also recently dined at LOMA and the Three Chimneys which are also mentioned in the Michelin Guide. The service and quality of cuisine at these establishments was second to none! ||We chose to stay at the Pier house after reading about an award for chef of the year and recommendations from previous patrons. ||The Pier house is set in one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland and on a good day there are few places that can match the scenic views and tranquillity. ||On arrival we were greeted by staff who were pleasant and welcoming. Staff had also been made aware of our recent marriage by the previous venue, and they passed on their congratulations. A small but lovely gesture that had not gone unnoticed. ||We were shown to our room which was beautifully presented and had all the necessary accompaniments. The shower was a little cosy with the doors closed and I was thankful I wasn't a bigger gentleman, but this did not detract from our stay.||The dining experience on the 14th of September 2025. I include the date as I'm hoping that somewhere in the reply from the management team there are some explanations for where things may have gone wrong. ||Initially we chose to get a drink in the lounge prior to dinner. Bar staff kindly offered to find us once they had prepared them due to orders that were waiting. Once seated in our comfy chairs and prior to drinks arriving there appeared to be an urgency to get us seated for our evening meal. Staff were not relaxed or particularly engaging and the specials originally showcased by front of house staff were no longer available. Not perturbed we obliged to the request to be seated 5 minutes prior to our evening meal slot assuming the dining room was to be run with a certain level of efficiency. We were hopeful this was the case as could hear the chef calling out tickets with some level of direction and oversight.||We had olives / anchovies as an appetiser, mussels, and gnocchi to start. My mussels were plentiful, and we had an assortment of bread which was very nice and great for mopping up the sauce. My partner asked me to taste her gnocchi which is not unusual as we do share food but on tasting it was evident the dish was severely over salted. On further inspection the bottom of gnocchi had been burnt and there were black flecks of charcoal throughout the plate. We are not ones to complain and wanted to believe that this was a one-off mistake. Staff asked if the food was to our liking and we reluctantly offered our feedback. The dish was taken to the chef, and he admitted that the food was not up to his usual standard and offered a complete refund on this dish. A very kind gesture and gave us some peace of mind that subsequent dishes would at least be checked more closely before calling service. Main meals included steak in Whiskey sauce and monkfish. The steak was cooked to perfection (medium rare) although there was plenty of gristle. Not something I mind but perhaps not something you expect when paying premium prices. The sauce which was like a gravy lacked any flavour of whiskey although I'm aware everyone's palette is different. The steak was accompanied by chips alone in a separate bowl. Chips because like the specials, the menu accompaniment of pave potatoes were no longer available. One piece of steak in the middle of a plate is not something I've not been presented with in any dining experience, local pub, or Michelin star. My partner's dish was beautifully presented, and flavours were well balanced. However, the complete dish was completely cold and as a result we had to saw through the flesh of the fish where it had contracted into a tight ball. At this point we felt embarrassed to complain and I offered to be a human dustbin for my partner swapping out some of my steak. We decided to end our evening prematurely as clearly the food had not lived up to expectation. As a gesture of our early departure and obvious dissatisfaction the waiter gave us two complimentary glasses of port which we had previously and gratefully declined. We departed for our room disappointed and deflated. Unbeknownst to ourselves, staff had also arranged a congratulations plate with two chocolates which were brought to our room. Another kind gesture not overlooked. Ever the optimists we hoped a new day, and breakfast would restore some faith, and we could put the previous evening behind us. We did however take a conservative approach ordering simple food without complexities.|I ordered porridge and seeds / honey and my partner order compote and yogurt on French toast. The French toast appeared with lashings of jam, no compote / yogurt as ordered, and the porridge was cold! ||It's a shame to say we could not wait to leave. My concern is that these failings are not one off and were consistent throughout are stay despite a chance to rectify. Service staff although polite and obviously wanting to do the right thing seemed on edge, not relaxed and were reluctant to engage. There seems to be a clear lack of checking / tasting food and or basic food prep such as ensuring dishes are not burnt or keeping dishes hot. No amount of shouting out orders across a filled dining room or appearing to hold the helm (so to speak) should take precedence over quality assurance. If a chef receives a complaint and admits fault surely you would ensure all other dishes were executed well. An obvious turn around point was instead filled with what can only be presumed as arrogance or a lack of culinary awareness. More sadly is that the venue was highly recommended by its sister restaurant who were faultless at all levels, and I feel they would be bitterly disappointed in their performance. ||I really do feel that this is a chef still aspiring and I have no doubt that some meals were executed well. But culinary excellence is about consistency in quality of food and inspiring confidence in the team around you and that was not evident during our stay. We have paid double the price for meals during our stay in Scotland, but we felt the food at the Pier House was overpriced considering the poor level of food quality.
