ROMAN CAMP COUNTRY house hotel was originally built in the
17th century as a hunting lodge for the Dukes of Perth. Now
operating as a 15-bed hotel and restaurant in Callander, near Stirling, the
eatery has held a respectable three AA rosettes for over 20 years. With that
reputation and the truly stunning surroundings, things were looking promising.
Arriving slightly early, we were
escorted through to the beautiful drawing room where an open fire crackled away
as we deliberated whether to go à la carte or tasting menu. I’m not a huge fan of tasting menus, so a more
traditional three course it was. We ordered a bottle of wine and a plate of
nibbles appeared. A smartly suited restaurant manager informed us that “the à
la carte menu takes a little longer to prepare so your table will be ready
shortly”. I had expected our drinks to
appear or to be offered an aperitif as we waited, but no such luck. In fact, it
would be 40 minutes before we got as much as a glass of water.
After an interesting pre-starter of foie gras and mango
espuma, I officially started with halibut and squid with chorizo in a parmesan
velouté priced at an eye-watering £23.90. A hefty portion consisted of a
fist-sized hunk of halibut that melted on the tongue. The squid was tender enough, but I’m not
convinced it needed to be there. There was no sign of the billed parmesan
velouté; instead, hiding under the fish was a perfectly al dente squid ink
risotto. Unfortunately, everything individually was bland and unseasoned; it
would have benefitted from the cheesy soup. The smoke and spice from the
sausage thankfully managed to add a bit of life.
Sarah opened with deep fried duck egg, and mushroom and
pancetta fricassee with a grain mustard jus priced at £14.80. The egg was runny
and featured a crispy bread-crumbed exterior and the baby onions provided a
tangy foil that sliced through the rich egg. The mushrooms were tasty but were
a tad undercooked for her liking. Like my starter, it was severely
under-seasoned.
My main was breast of guinea fowl with pressed leg,
fermented blackberries and sweetcorn in a sage jus (£31.50). This was more like
it. The breast looked like it had been
water bathed with juice sweating out from the soft flesh. The leg was pâté-like
and I loved the burst of the corn when you chomped on a forkful of everything.
The fermented blueberries were amazing and really got the mind working. The best part was a slab of warm gingerbread
as it just bound every component together with a warm touch of spice. The only
negative was I couldn’t detect any sage from the sauce. 
Over the table, Sarah’s main consisted of loin of red deer,
braised shoulder and cherry croustillant with chocolate jelly and carraway
caramel (£31.20). The loin was just pink enough with the sharp, fruity cherry a
neat pairing. The pastry cigar was, again, executed perfectly but just lacked
flavour and cried out for salt and pepper. The chocolate part was very intense
and technically flawless.
I’m a sucker for a chocolate delice. This version was a
well-balanced milk chocolate version with the right amount of salted caramel
(£12.90). The base was suitably biscuity
and the accompanying toffee ice cream was tasty and not too sweet. Most
importantly, the delice itself was smooth rather than grainy. The best part was
the world class honeycomb which always evokes memories of going to the Link’s
Market as a kid.
The apple tart tatin (£11.50) was a popular option in the
dining room and showed this pastry chef has some skill. The apples gave way yet maintained enough
structure with the pastry crisp. The classic pairing of vanilla ice cream
accompanied the dish and brought a satisfying chill to the piping hot tart
tatin. Unfortunately, the caramel had
started to solidify on the plate. and the prunes had no point to them.The highlight of the service was the enthusiasm of a young gentleman from the Wirral starting his career in hospitality. He was polite and keen to learn. It didn’t particularly start well, but staff were attentive and efficient once service got underway.
Bit of a mixed bag here. Hard to explain the early faults as
staff knew what they were doing. The pastry work was strong and technique in
the kitchen apparent, but it was as if nobody bothered to taste the food, which
wasn’t exactly cheap. Beautiful surroundings for sure and I appreciated the
level of service in the end but the food won't live long in the memory.
Phone: (01877) 330003
Address: Roman Camp, Main Street, Callander, Perthshire, FK17 8BG
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