Tales of magical dishes from deep in the woods have intrigued me since Killiecrankie House opened near Pitlochry last year. As the hotel begins its second season, we drove up the A9 hungry to find out more.
Owners Matilda and Tom Tsappis re-opened Killiecrankie House, bringing a new lease of life to this handsome five-room hotel. Tom is a Leith trained chef, with sommelier Matilda leading front of house.
We start with a cocktail at the elegant art deco bar. Every room is painted a dark moody blue with vintage record players in all social rooms: it’s timeless, soothing and fun. The cocktail list is short and compelling.
My ‘Sloe Day in Manhattan’ errs just the right side of winter spice, with mulled vermouth, sloe-whisky and a pineapple weed infusion adding brighter notes.
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With our cocktails, the first snack courses arrive: a tiny bramble taco with salt-baked beetroot and confit garlic, and a Blue Murder custard croustade with chewy, almost candied, root vegetables hidden under a cheese foam.
The detail in these miniature bites give us a heady thrill for what’s to come.
We move to the restaurant and discover we’ll be sitting at the chef’s table, perched like a pair of hungry birds peeking into the kitchen and being fed delicious morsels.
The menu spans 14 courses, including those delicate snacks, and it’s recommended diners allow three hours for the experience. The time flies by.
We opt for the ‘Discovery’ paired drinks, there’s also ‘Signature’ (more classic, all wine) and a non-alcoholic version.
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The pairings begin with a crisp cider by Naughton in Fife, it’s aged in champagne casks and shares many of the dry, biscuitty notes. North Sea squid in its ink is paired with a crisp dry-hopped lager, made specially by local brewery Wasted Degrees.
With braised daikon, we sip a full-bodied floral saké from Fukushima. The open-minded approach to pairing is bold and inventive – it’s very refreshing.
The menu too is full of surprises. Porridge appears twice: first as a tender fried nugget with pickled walnuts, buried in a flurry of Isle of Mull cheddar.
Later is an austere sounding but delicious Orkney bere porridge: creamy like risotto with a good bite, pine nuts and leeks adding sweetness, and powdered preserved plum and shiso giving a zesty lift. There are no puffs of smoke or embarrassing theatricals but the attention to every tiny detail is delightful.
From a handmade ceramic rockpool we spoon delicate scallop tartare in a gently floral elderflower and pine broth. Brown crab is served as a smooth custard, the white mixed with sea buckthorn hot sauce, perched on the empty shell.
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Japanese influences weave through the menu: Matilda’s mum is Japanese and the couple met working in Japan. A sea trout and roe tartlet is lifted with sour sudachi, and brown butter baked kohlrabi comes with plump Hokkaido-style milk bread. Scotland and Japan meet in a deeply umami Arbroath Smokie broth, with simple steamed haddock and seaweed, anointed with tiny jasmine flowers. On the side are Taiyaki, the traditional Japanese fish-shaped cake. Usually a sweet street snack, here the little fish are filled with delicious Arbroath Smokie.
I used to write for a publication that demanded reviewers keep their cards very close to their chests: never hinting whether you were writing a glowing review or slating them. I would have been hopeless at Killiecrankie. Every dish demanded swoons and exclamations, admittedly more effusive as the paired drinks continued.
The front of house staff are a joy: highly skilled but without excessive formality or the swift clattering through a prepared script. Service is personal and chatty: they know they have something special here and are excited to share it.
At the end of the meal you are given a menu, details of your drinks pairings and, charmingly, the playlist. Then it’s through to the lounge for a nightcap and to put another record on.
Pitlochry, PH16 5LG
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