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Should you be so unfortunate as to be unable to book in to Andrew Fairlies at The Gleneagles, there is a very creditable alternative in the form of The Strathearn Restaurant. Indeed you may well wish to dine there anyway since it is open for breakfast, dinner and Sunday lunch. The room is constructed on heroic lines, Edwardian in scale, but never ponderous. Dress code is flexible.

The menus pay ample service to the excellence of Scottish ingredients and style and an aura of tartan well-being surrounds the culinary disciplines. So it comes as no surprise to find eleven starters, of which no less than five are of the country. Arbroath smokie brandade with a poached duck egg and a sauce mousseline leads the charge for the starters, closely followed by pan seared Crinan scallops with Clonakilty white pudding and apple, or a classic Caesar salad of great integrity.

Main courses of baked Stonehaven halibut with Jerusalem artichoke barigoule, grilled rib-eye of veal, and that King of dishes, roast Highland venison with sauce grand veneur serve to confirm the style.

Desserts raise the flag for the now-rare savoury in the form of devils on horseback or a croque monsieur, as well rhubarb tipsy laird, or a warm cloutie dumpling with cranachan ice cream.

A pleasant little afterthought is the six malt whisky truffles served with the coffee or tea, the latter being very much a Scots inclination. There are no less than seven sommeliers, with a wine cellar and list to match, and service is professional.

Providing stunning views of the city quay, Metro Brasserie and Restaurant is an informal dining out option to relax and unwind after a tough day at work or to simply linger over coffee with friends. Situated in the well-appointed Apex City Quay Hotel, Metro Brasserie has a stylish, contemporary and airy interior along with comfortable booth seating.

The menu is decidedly global and takes a modern route to encompass dishes with prominent influences from Italy, South America, the Pacific Rim, and of course Scotland. Expect the likes of beer battered fish and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce, Thai spiced chicken curry, lemon grass and jasmine rice, or fillet of farmed cod, sunblush tomato and basil risotto. Dark chocolate tart served with Grand Marnier ice cream and sticky toffee pudding topped with butterscotch sauce are two classic options for a perfect finish.

Yet another of those superb family-run hotels in Scotland, in superb locations, efficiently managed and a real joy to the discerning. Kinloch House was built in 1840 when it was fashionable for successful jute merchants to build themselves a country retreat well away from the scene of their commercial toil, but near enough to be handy in case of trouble at the mill. How richly they rested from their labours and how fortunate we are that people like the Allen family run their houses now with such quiet skill.

Such matters as napery, service and décor are, as one would expect, faultless and provide the right setting for pleasures to come. Amongst the starters are pigeon breast with foie gras and onion chutney, or Highland salmon marinated in whiskey, an interesting and evocative combination likely to fire you up for river or hill if the time is right. It tends to become a truism these days in writing about quality Scottish hotels to go on about the locally produced, grown, shot, caught, snared, reared whatever, but happily it is true and thankful we should be for it. Nor is it confined to the larger hotels and restaurants. In passing, a tribute to A Taste of Scotland, that wonderful institution set up by Lester Borley and his team so many years ago, is certainly in order.

Kinloch House provides steaks for men of gargantuan proportions (steaks, not men, that is - generally) which lose nothing of quality in their proportions, quite the reverse, and the accompanying sauces are in keeping. Since there is normally a soup course between starter and mains an energetic day beforehand on the hill or elsewhere is recommended. For others there is the lamb, served with its sweetbreads or a grilled halibut fillet with tarragon and foie gras ravioli on roast garlic mash and an exuberant mussel sauce.

The blueberries from the surrounding hills have a flavour all their own; try them in a tart accompanied by a cinnamon ice cream. Kinloch House is a haven for those with a penchant for claret, and the Burgundies are not far behind. House wines range from £16.95 or £3.75 a glass.

Reviewed by Michael Tebbutt

The husband and wife team of Willie and Margo Deans have taken up the reins of this prestigious Perth restaurant, Let's Eat, since October 2005 and retained the previous AA Rosette status; a member of the Master Chefs of Great Britain, Willie, has a good repertoire of recipes which have brought him some top notch awards in his 25 years in the industry.

Willie describes his cooking as vibrant modern Scottish. The focus is firmly on flavour and seasonality, most of his ingredients at Let's Eat are sourced locally and quality is not compromised. All aspects of the dishes are freshly made with great attention to detail and shown in the homemade breads, sauces and chocolates to name but a few.