Loft conversion
The dream of returning to one's native soil and opening a restaurant has become reality for young chef Douglas Wright, who opened the Loft restaurant and brasserie this summer in Blair Atholl, near Pitlochry.
With just 30 covers, a brigade of three, and open only five days a week, the restaurant might seem an uncertain business proposition. But Wright is a canny Scot and is chef-manager and partner in the eaterie with businessman Stuart Richardson, who is developing the surrounding site into a holiday complex, complete with log cabins and leisure facilities.
Appealing both to locals and to waves of tourists from south of the border and Europe, Wright and Richardson have created a rustic venue with an old-world feel.
Dishes come on Villeroy & Boch crockery and punters enjoy the benefits of Wright's experience - his CV includes stints at Cliveden, Berkshire; Llangoed Hall in North Wales; and Stanneylands, near Manchester - in the modern, straightforward dishes on the small, 11-choice menu.
"We're a small restaurant. I think it's much more important to have everything on the menu absolutely fresh and top quality than to compromise on these two aspects just to be offering more choices."
Colour and texture is stressed in the dishes on Wright's menu, which is continually tweaked to fit in with changes in the seasons. Recent best sellers - and personal favourites - include a starter of langoustine and sole broth with a saffron rouille (£3.75); and a dish of mignons of beef fillet with leek confit and potato and celeriac rösti (£15). Currently, average spend per head is running at £30 including wine.
Accessing good-quality local produce is Wright's biggest hobbyhorse. Used to the best at his former kitchens, he laments the difficulty facing the small operator in rural Scotland.
"People think that Scottish restaurants have the best available produce. But it's just not true. You have to fight with the suppliers to get quality. They want to send it all down south where they'll get higher prices. My supplier comes here only twice a week from Perth. That's only 45 miles away."
But he takes a firm line on quality control, and says: "If the fish isn't as fresh as it should be, it goes back. The suppliers can be very casual until you get recognised. They'll just try to palm you off with something less than the best available."
Wright's quest for top standards has already paid off. A few months after launching the restaurant from what was a derelict building, the AA has awarded him two rosettes.
He says, wryly: "The award has helped me when dealing with suppliers. I'll be trying for three rosettes next year!"
The Loft restaurant, Blair Atholl by Pitlochry, Perthshire PH18 5TE. Tel: 01796 481377.
