Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

The picturesque and awe inspiring landscape of the town of Perth is home to the smart New County Hotel where the award winning Opus One restaurant continues to gather laurels and awards for their impeccable modern British gourmet cuisine. The hotel is located on County Place in the heart of Perth City Centre and is an ideal retreat whether you're there for business or pleasure. The marvellous adventure sports scene in Perth draws many an enthusiast, and at the end of the day the respite offered by the hotel is enough to rejuvenate even the most exhausted participant.

The light and airy bedrooms are furnished splendidly in stylish monochromatic colours, where white teams up with black for a classic look, and with beige for a more understated but elegant feel. The en-suite bedrooms are equipped with every conceivable comfort including flat screen TV, direct dial telephone, hair dryer and a well stocked hospitality tray.

The 2 AA Rosette awarded Opus One restaurant has garnered other prestigious awards too, such as a Silver Award from EatScotland at the end of 2008 and a Platinum Plate for their outstanding food with Hotel Review Scotland. And to add to that they were named the 'Rising Star Restaurant for 2009' and also achieved a runner-up place for Scottish National Hotel Restaurant of the Year in the Scottish Hotel of The Year Awards; while in 2010 they were 'Urban Restaurant of the Year' in the Scottish Restaurant Awards. Little wonder that the restaurant's popularity has been increasing from strength to strength and their Head Chef, Romuald Denesle from Normandy, who has worked in many excellent restaurants, most recently as Senior Sous Chef at The Ardeonaig Hotel on Loch Tay, is busy as ever trying to raise the bar even higher.

Opus One, we are told, could mean several things, such as the first masterpiece of an artist or composer or the famous wine from Napa Valley. The restaurant, which can be perceived as a magnum opus on its own, has been furnished with a contemporary taste where elegance combines graciously with modern style. The seasonal menu draws on the best of local produce and for lunch starters might include chicken liver parfait with red onion jam and oatcakes, or wholemeal blinis with thick cut smoked salmon with salad leaves and a grain mustards crème fraîche.

Main courses could involve delights such as slow roasted belly of pork with braised red cabbage, truffled potatoes and a sultana and thyme jus, or breast of corn fed chicken with celeriac and potato rösti, Savoy cabbage and Madeira jus. Dishes tend to become more elaborate in the evening, where meals could typically begin with goats' cheese pannacotta with caramelised beetroot and rocket salad, or carpaccio of monkfish cured in lime oil and a caviar dressing. Follow this with fresh market fish of the day or pan-fried fillet of beef.

Luscious and decadent, the desserts at Opus One could easily meet your calorific fantasies more than half way, for who can resist the pineapple and star anise mousse with roasted pineapple and green apple sorbet, or sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce? To ably accompany such excellent food be sure not to miss the selection of fine wines and spirits. Their signature wine is understandably the Opus One, a Napa Valley number that is produced meticulously as a result of the inspired collaboration between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.

There's much more information about opening times, menus and drinks lists on their elegantly designed Website and a few clicks will bring you closer to this wonderful dining destination. Do note that they do not accept children under the age of ten.

Situated in the heart of historic Perth adjacent to the River Tay which passes through the town, 63 Tay Street is a light and airy restaurant by day and dons a more sophisticated look in the evening. The 2 AA Rosette, Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide recommendations have firmly placed this restaurant as one among the most sought after places to eat in Scotland.

Head Chef Graeme Pallister's cooking displays confidence and care with a strong emphasis on seasonality. The regularly changing menu lists a choice of pressed ham, walnut bread and piccalilli, followed by aromatic cod cheeks, shrimp and pork belly, pak choi and coconut. Poached pear is undeniably an all-time favourite and here it comes with caramel sauce and pistachio ice cream.

The recently revamped wine list has a strong focus on Old World classics and an interesting and wide choice of New World wines.

Meikleour Hotel, set in the peaceful village of that name has welcomed visitors for nearly two hundred years. It was initially established as a Coaching and Posting house, for the Inverness to Edinburgh coaches to change horses, and passengers could have refreshments here. This is an ideal spot for meals at weekends, whether at the bar or the restaurant, and is popular among the locals, and country sporting people for its comfort, facilities and food.

The menu includes old and new dishes ranging from the hotel's popular signature dish of fresh haddock, coated in the hotel's own beer and spring water batter to a daily specials blackboard. The fish is delivered daily direct from the boats in Aberdeen and they have salmon available through out the year. The carefully selected wine list offers an extensive collection from all over the world, with a choice of fine wines for the connoisseurs.

At No. 1 The Bank you will certainly want a seat by the window overlooking the beautiful garden, or you might settle for a cosy spot in a corner where you could admire modern works of art on the wall. Wherever you sit the atmosphere is peaceful and that lovely bistro feel is evident.

Executive Chef Graeme Pallister and his team endeavour to create a wonderful dining experience for their guests and they take sourcing seriously, choosing only the best of Perthshire produce. The intriguing flavour of grilled meats is hard to resist and the kitchen team have done well to dedicate a menu specially for smoked dishes such as Dunkeld Smoke House smoked salmon, Stornoway black pudding and Scotch fillet steak. Ham hock, puy lentil and foie gras terrine bring in a touch of innovation and flavours of braised fennel and lemon butter spinach blend well with a poached Scottish halibut.

The wine list is aptly named 'great little list' in keeping with their philosophy of selecting just a few well-known suppliers to provide much depth to the list.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.