Inn at Kippen, The

The Inn at Kippen may be almost unrecognisable to former habitués of the Crown, as it was until 2003, but by today's standards most would welcome a change for the better. The exterior has been brought up to scratch in a manner that must have caused great delight within the serried ranks of Scottish Heritage, not to mention purveyors of Farrow and Ball's paints.

Inside the same approach has been applied to the décor and the overall impression is of city cooking within a country setting. Outside is a little beer garden, upstairs are four comfortable bedrooms. You may wake up with a hangover but the views are sensational.

Unlike those establishments who make a great thing of Scottish produce and cooking and then fall over on the actuality, Kippen Inn performs outstandingly well on both fronts.

Amongst the starters expect to find a trio of Dingwall puddings, haggis, white and black, served on rumbledethump (no, just go to Google - oh, alright, mashed root vegetables), with Drambuie cream, little venison bridies served with homemade ketchup, or warm partridge, orange and crispy pancetta salad.

Main courses offer breast of pheasant, stuffed with cognac, raisin and apple and served with a Calvados gravy, haunch of Highland venison with cherry relish and celeriac puree, or, a concession coming up here, lamb and spinach curry with basmati rice. Mind you the number of curry houses in Glasgow would suggest an adopted cuisine. There is the customary array of steaks, all pan-fried on the bone with a fine selection of sauces, green Madagascar, peppercorn, béarnaise, malt whisky and mustard, and rich claret gravy.

Amongst puddings expect top find the celebrated clootie dumpling with caramel sauce and cream, or drunken trifle with lashings of Drambuie.

Service is crisp and warm, and in a part of Scotland formerly renowned for its vinery it would be demeaning not to find a wine list that is both imaginative, well-priced and offers hours of exciting and pleasureable drinking. Scottish Field pronounced, "if people want simple and basic, there it is, but if they want fine, market inspired dishes, they get that too".