Review: Tinto House Hotel, Symington, near Biggar

I WAS PLEASED to be heading down to Biggar for another review after a successful trip to the Elphinstone Hotel a few weeks back, not just because I was hungry but because I got my car back from the garage this week after someone carelessly bashed into me.  Aside my obvious love of food, I’m also a bit of a petrol head and love a swift jaunt out to the country, observing every speed limit on the way, of course. The Tinto Hotel was completely unknown to us – but would we end up wishing it had stayed that way?

Built in 1914, this country house hotel is located just outside Biggar in Lanarkshire. First impressions were positive as we admired the tasteful interior of the lounge with a cocktail whilst perusing the menu. The offerings were appealing, meaning it required some deliberation before making our choices.

We made our way into an elegant dining room where tables were adorned with white table cloths, and we chatted with the MD of the hotel, who had just about recovered from a busy Edinburgh Festival period.  It was good to hear of the hotel’s ambition and visions for the future, which included modernising the rooms and adding to the current facilities.

I opened with the eight-hour braised ham hock, set in its own jelly with homemade piccalilli, apple puree and bread thins (£4.95).  My usual quibble with this sort of terrine is that the chef assumes that it’s naturally salty, which it is. I’m more than happy to get my recommended 6g of salt a day, and was pleased that this effort was well-seasoned.  It was a generous chunk of tender pork and the accompanying piccalilli was delicious – a little more of it would have been ideal.  The apple puree was delicate and worked well alone with the pork; however, it was overwhelmed by the spice of the piccalilli.

To begin, Sarah had smoked haddock, pea and chive fishcakes with citrus hollandaise and spinach (£5.25). The portion was generous to say the least: two giant pucks served with a smear of a well-crafted hollandaise that had a good zing to it. The exterior of the fishcakes was crunchy and not greasy. They packed a pleasing smoked fish taste to them, but there was little evidence of any of the promised peas.  The spinach provided an earthiness and an additional textural element.

I was hungry given it was a fairly late booking so the 14oz rib-eye steak was tempting, but I was glad I ordered the roast chump of lamb with braised root vegetable puy lentils, crispy kale and sauce vierge (£14.50). The lamb was beautifully cooked and worked perfectly with the sharp liveliness of the sauce vierge. The danger with crispy kale is that it just becomes a grease-fest, but this was expertly executed and brought the promised crunch, as well as a slight bitter edge that I loved.  The lentils were ideally portioned for the dish and still had the desired texture to them.  A very enjoyable main course for under £15.

Sarah decided upon pan-fried duck supreme with celeriac and potato dauphinoise, charred chicory and a cherry reduction for the sum of £14.95. The meat was superbly cooked and tender and the dauphinoise was superb, with visible layers cut easily with a creamy decadence and whack of garlic.  The cherry reduction didn’t quite reach the heights of the other parts, as it was on the thin side and more like redcurrant jelly with cherry pieces added to it. It brought a slight sharpness to the dish and wasn’t too sweet. She really enjoyed the chicory, which contributed a bitterness to the sweet meat, as well as a bit of crunch.

Our server was efficient and clued-up with both the menu and the hotel.  We placed our dessert orders.  Mine was sticky toffee pudding (£4.95) and Sarah’s was warm vanilla poached pear and frangipane tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for the same price.

My pudding was neatly presented; the sponge was moist and enhanced when bathed in sweet caramel with the contrasting temperature of the ice cream.  The best thing about this was that it wasn’t sickly sweet and it was light enough to polish off the whole thing.

Over the table, Sarah’s tart sported some tidy pastry work, although it was a tad dry.  However, there was a soft, juicy pear in the centre and a sufficient amount of almond flavour to please. The ice cream was smooth and silky.

On reflection, this was food that I want to eat – tasty, well executed and unpretentious.  The surroundings and service were warm and ticked all the boxes.  My only regret is that we didn’t just stay the night.

Next time.

Web: http://www.tintohouse.com/

Phone: (01899) 308 454

Twitter: @TintoHouse

Address: 44 Biggar Road, Symington, near Biggar, South Lanarkshire, ML12 6FT