A Fyne romance
A SINGLE holiday to Scotland was all it took to draw Rolf Mueller away from his home town of St Gallen in Switzerland and relocate to the renowned Loch Fyne area in Argyll. Eight years on and Mueller, head chef and manager of the 16th-century Kilfinan hotel, is as inspired by his locality as the day he left his homeland.
Situated in the middle of the 6,000-acre Kilfinan Estate, the 11-bedroom hotel, which Mueller describes as "a rustic-style country house", boasts three AA rosettes. Some of the restaurant's beef, lamb and game originates from the estate, and appears on the menu (£28 for three courses including coffee) in dishes such as noisettes of Kilfinan venison with sloe gin and peeled grapes.
The restaurant also has the benefit of being situated just five minutes' walk from Loch Fyne, famous for its kippers, mussels and oysters, enabling Mueller to buy on demand. "I buy as much as is needed for optimum freshness," he explains. A delicate puff pastry pan filled with langoustines and mussels served as an appetiser is one example from a recent dinner menu featuring one of the loch's catches.
During the summer Mueller, who describes his culinary style as "modern cooking with the consistency and precision attained through classical training", changes the menu daily, but in the winter months menus are written as and when bookings come in, allowing him to make the most of the available ingredients. There is no lunch menu in the restaurant, but dishes such as seared scallops served on seasonal lettuce leaves and hazelnut oil, and a peppered beef steak with a brandy sauce and raisins are served bistro-style in the bar.
The Kilfinan hotel is a member of the Scottish Beef Club and the Aberdeen Angus Association, so it is no surprise that one of the house specialities is beef. In Mueller's interpretation of tournedos of beef, he has combined the meat with green peppercorns and mostarda di frutta. "The sharpness of the green peppercorn sauce is balanced by the sweetness of the mustard fruits," he says.
Natural flavours
Another favourite of Mueller's is fish, and he particularly enjoys preparing scallops. "People overcook scallops until they bounce out of the door," he says, advising that ingredients are best left to present their natural flavours. "Too many dishes disguise delicate flavours, like fish, with overpowering sauces," he adds.
Mueller usually holds the fort in the kitchen, but during the summer (the high season) another chef is hired to assist him in the kitchen while his wife, Lynne, leads a front of house team of four.
The hotel's remoteness means that, outside the peak May-August season, covers hover around the 10-12 mark, as opposed to the full capacity of 25 it achieves in the summer. n
Kilfinan Hotel, Kilfinan, near Tighnabruaich, Argyll. Tel: 01700 821201
