Casa Mia

Casa Mia has rapidly earned a reputation as one of Dumfries and Galloway's better restaurants, serving a consistently good quality of cuisine with a decidedly modern European twist.

Open seven days and situated literally minutes from Dumfries town centre, this delightful place is set in a secluded corner on the bank of the River Nith. Casa Mia has about it a distinctive level of elegance, refinement and sophistication.

You can either choose from their extensive a la carte menu or, if you are looking for excellent value, then try an early evening or lunchtime special, running seven days a week. For that special occasion, whether for business or pleasure, it is worth noting that their function room holds up to one hundred and twenty guests.

A choice of fifteen starters includes warm salad of bacon, black pudding, chorizo sausage, mushroom, onion and freshly poached egg and piri piri black tiger prawn tails on stir fried vegetables with a passion fruit and orange dipping sauce. Located where it is, hardly surprising that a tower of haggis, neeps and tatties with creamy whisky sauce and deep fried red onions also attracts appreciative attention.

Rare grilled venison haunch steak is served with red currant, mint jam and deep fried potatoes and with shallow waters of the Solway Firth only a couple of casts away, give or take, the Spanish style paella with prawn, squid, sea bass, chicken and chorizo sausage finished with whole langoustine and fresh parsley, truly reflect the best landings in the locality.

After epic lists of choices for the first two courses, a sense of deprivation threatens when only five items appear amongst the desserts until common sense reminds you that this is more than adequate, with such delights as the raspberry and mango pavlova with passion fruit coulis and warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate and marshmallow sauce readily available.

A lunch menu could start with chunky North Atlantic fish soup with char grilled bread, before moving on to a delicious seared fillet of sea bass served with vegetables, rice noodles and red Thai and shellfish sauce.

They also offer a two or three course set menu at lunchtimes and late evenings a fine example of how a restaurant that offers high quality can produce the same, but by good management can reduce the prices to a 'neighbourhood' level.  Deep fried brie wedges on mixed salad with sweet chilli sauce, char grilled minute steak with peppercorn sauce and chips, white and dark chocolate cheesecake with Chantilly cream are available at fantastic value.

A highly credible wine list is priced appropriately, and has refreshing house white and red at very good rates. For more details about their menus and events their Website proves to be a mine of information.