Legends and landmarks
A desire to get his hands dirty behind the stove again prompted David Kinnes to give up his position as executive chef of Edinburgh's Caledonian hotel and move to the home of golf at the Old Course hotel in St Andrews, to head the kitchen at the Road Hole Grill.
"I became a chef to cook and was trained to cook, so I missed it greatly when I wasn't doing it any more," he explains. "That's why I came here - it gave me the opportunity to focus entirely on the food."
It didn't hurt, either, that the Old Course's new general manager, Jonathan Stapleton, who joined in December, had great ambitions for the restaurant, wanting it to win three AA rosettes and become the area's "landmark dining room".
Kinnes says: "There's nothing else in St Andrews that's top-end fine dining - the Peat Inn being the only real competition in the area. That means I have the chance to really put the Road Hole Grill on the map."
Kinnes, who joined the hotel in February, is basing his menus at the 60-seat, dinner-only restaurant on top-quality local produce, prepared along classical lines but presented in a modern way. For example, his starter of day-fresh, hand-dived Oban scallops involves the shellfish being delicately seared, moated by a pea purée and then enhanced with a sharp accompaniment of juicy capers, coated in a tempura batter, and a lime froth.
Of the six main courses he is currently offering, Kinnes admits to a particular fondness for a dish of Colonsay organic Black Face lamb, spring cabbage and pancetta, fondant potatoes and basil sauce. The lamb, which he serves very pink, has a stronger flavour than the meat of other breeds. "The sheep are reared in the mountains and this gives the meat a flavour closer to mutton," Kinnes says, "although it still has the most fantastic tender texture."
Other strong sellers at main course, meanwhile, are the tournedos of organic veal, fricasée of wild mushrooms, young vegetables and natural jus, and the lobster nage with caviar noodles.
Generally, all diners at the Road Hole indulge in one of the five desserts, which include passion fruit bavarois, kumquat compote and orange-and-lime syrup, and iced mango parfait, marshmallow and bitter chocolate. Kinnes's own preference is a peach melba, which he makes with either white or yellow peaches, poached in liqueur before being served with vanilla ice-cream, and a flood of raspberry coulis around the edge. "A caramel cage is placed over the top," he says. "It really looks stunning."
The plan is to change the menu seasonally (it offers three courses for £39.50 and four for £45), and Kinnes admits to being particularly excited about the autumn and winter months because of the plentiful supply of game in the area, which he intends to showcase.
Kinnes and Stapleton aim to push covers from the current rate of 35-40 up to 50 in future, with more locals joining the hotel residents. "My long-term dream is for us to have a month-long waiting list for a table," Kinnes says. "That would be fantastic."
The Road Hole Grill, the Old Course hotel, St Andrews Golf Resort & Spa, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 9SP. Tel: 01334 474371. Fax: 01334 477668.www.k-grm.com
A selection from the menu at the Road Hole Grill
Three courses for £39.50, four for £45
Velouté of artichoke, poached quail egg
Carpaccio of beef fillet, petit herb salad, truffle dressing, tête de moine
Marbled foie gras terrine, confit duck, home-made pain de mie
Pan-fried John Dory, garlic mash, oyster beignet, chive butter sauce
Ravioli of woodland mushrooms and tian of proven‡ale vegetables
Pot-roasted black chicken, lemon thyme broth
Tarte tatin with Calvados ice-cream
Prune and Armagnac soufflé
