Castle Terrace

Booked my wife's birthday dinner a couple months ahead. The staff was amazingly helpful coordinating with me by email ahead of time while I was still in the states. Working around one of our family members diet restrictions and allergies was surprisingly easy.

On arrival, the ambience was classy and we felt instantly immersed. The wait staff and sommelier were great at describing each course and wine pairing.

The canapés were each wonderfully tasty and uniquely presented. The Caesar salad looked like a tiny pastry with a splash of flavor tucked inside. The salted cod was flaky and delicious inside a crisp wafer.

The salmon sushi was deconstructed and the soy sauce transformed in to small flavor packed cubes. This dish was a treat!

My favorite came next which was an Orkney scallop perfectly seared with a curry sauce.

Dessert was a raspberry parfait on a macaroon paired smartly with a pink moscato. It was the first wine my daughter actually finished completely!

Best meal I've had so far in the UK!

Roe deer, rabbit, partridge, grouse. Yes, we ate Disney's Bambi and it was delicious!

All joking aside, Castle Terrace, a Michelin one star and part of the Paul Kitchin family of restaurants, delivers. Where the Kitchin focused on the sea, Castle Terrace is about the land. Outstanding sourcing of ingredients prepared with great respect to elevate their natural flavors. A charming ambiance and friendly, proper service round out a near perfect dining experience.

The menu is seasonal. Two prestarters whet the palette. A trio of amuse deceptions (they look nothing like they are supposed to be). The best being a liquefied Caesar salad. Like the liquefied olive, this one filled with the essence of romaine, egg, anchovies, sitting atop a crouton of parmesan. Popped in the mouth the flavor of a true Caesar salad burst forth. The second prestarter, an intense, acidic roasted tomato soup with a crisp olive stick. A refreshing start to the meal to come.

The starters; a stunning ravioli of partridge atop seared foie, caramelized pear, braised celery in a partridge consume. Mind blowing.. The distinct rich, mineral flavor of the foie brings out the game flavor of the partridge and harmonizes it perfectly with the sweetness of the tender pear. Balance beyond belief in a simple dish.

Not to be out shown, a simple broccoli volute with goat cheese ravioli. The clean vegetal flavor punched up by tangy, creamy goat cheese pillows and walnuts. Perfect.

For mains, the grouse with chanterelles, bread sauce and watercress puree, simply outstanding. Very gamy, lean, and fork tender grouse pairs perfectly with all accompaniments. The watercress puree adds a green vibrancy that brightens the palate between bites. The legs are plated separately. Cooked in the bird with the innards, it has a pronounced game flavor. Outstanding.

The roasted north sea cod presented topped with finely diced mushrooms and basil atop root veg, mushrooms and a "pasta sheet" of broccoli stems a harmonious blend of texture and flavor. Perfectly cooked, the essence of cod elevated by the use of root veg once again.

Finally, a barbecued and braised shoulder of Ayrshire pork. Barbecue equals Asian flavors. A crispy piece of belly, a playful interpretation of a pulled pork sandwich in a chickpea bun. All told, the deep, sweet porky flavor explodes in this dish.

Dessert is not to be missed. The caramel soufflé with popcorn ice cream, decadently rich. Distinct caramel aroma. Caramel coated popcorn adds a good textural foil, the distinct popcorn flavored ice cream, the perfect foil to reduce the sweetness of the caramel.

Great selection of cheeses with an emphasis on Scottish producers from the cart. Quince jelly a nice touch.

Very good wine list although lacking vintage depth. Heavy focus on old world producers. Fair pricing with average bottle £100.

Service is unhurried, friendly, knowledgeable, and very professional.

Somewhat of a splurge, dinner for three £650.

Three month advance booking required. Credit card to warranty reservation. Well worth the effort.

My husband surprised me on my birthday with a trip to Scotland and a six course dinner with wine pairing at the wonderful Castle Terrace. We arrived with a party of 8 at 6pm and were amazed at how beautiful the restaurant was. The service was impeccable. We had a complementary starter of Champagne as well as two appetizers before the courses started. Everything about this meal was delicious and beautifully prepared. I highly recommend the surprise tasting. The wine pairings complimented the dishes perfectly. The sommelier came and described each of the wines before we tasted. This will probably be the best meal on my two week vacation and believe me we had some wonderful meals on this trip but this is by far the best. Thank you for such hospitality and for your wonderful dishes tonight Castle Terrace, you made my birthday unforgettable.

Service was quite slow between courses. Although the staff were friendly I am not sure why the gap between courses was so long. In one case I think we waited over 20 minutes before an amuse bouche came out.

The polypore was perfect with just the right balance of ingredients and wonderful flavors. I was not too keen on the cod or the cannelloni. The cod lacked flavor and the cannelloni was odd in both taste and texture.

Giant Polypore- Locally foraged, pan-fried polypore mushrooms served with cod cheeks, pork collar, and persillade
Ravioli of Dexter beef from Blackford Farm with majoram, orange confit, and mooli
Cod-Poached fillet of North Sea cod, with squid cannelloni, garlic and parsley
Venison

Absolutely loved our experience! My husband and I celebrated an early 22-year wedding anniversary in this wonderful establishment. We did have to reserve our Saturday evening dinner months in advance, and credit card was required to reserve the table. I also wrote a note to let them know we were celebrating our anniversary and requested a corner table.

Fast forward 3 months later, and 2 lovely young ladies greeted us warmly. One took our jackets, and the other took us to our corner table. Once we were situated, I noticed a card was waiting for us to be opened. It was an anniversary note from Chef Dominic Jack and the team at Castle Terrace. The evening certainly felt extra special from the start.

We opted to do the Chef's Land & Sea Surprise Tasting Menu with wine pairings. It consisted of 9 courses and 7 wine, the first one we chose was a lovely Royale Reserve Champagne. Thereafter, it was a continuous glass of one great wine after another. Unfortunately, this woman had to give her last glass of wine to hubby if she was to walk unwobbly back to the flat. It would be impossible for me to describe all 9 courses. I suppose I could, but then this review would read like a War & Peace novel, all 1300 pages of it. I do have to say that the Caesar salad was unbelievable because we had never tasted anything like it, or seen anything like it either. It looked like a green gum drop to me.

To finish the evening, someone brought out a dessert with Happy Anniversary written on it. That made it into a 10 course meal, and needless to say, we were stuffed to the gills. Service was beyond excellent. Each wine was described by a French gentleman with such vividness that we had images of New Zealand, Morrocco, and Bulgaria in our heads. Our experience lasted 3 hours and it was simply exquisite. It was an evening we will always cherish and grateful we had the opportunity to do it. To say we had a wonderful wedding anniversary would simply be an understatement.....

Wow. What can I say about Castle Terrace? Just Wow.

Now, I have only ever eaten at one other Michelin starred venue in my life and that was so long ago I don't even remember what I had. I'm pretty sure I will remember my meal at Castle Terrace forever.

We had opted for the "Chef's Land And Sea Surprise" 7 course menu with the bolt on of the wine tasting package. Now, this isn't cheap and the two together will set you back around £130 per person for the whole experience. That being said, it's not the kind of place you would just "pop out for dinner" too, so is best suited for a grand celebration or a really special treat.

We were greeted as soon as we walked to the door and shown our table. Whilst we waited for the rest of our party to arrive, we indulged in a cocktail each. I went for the Penicillin (whisky based) which wasn't cheap at £12.75, but it was a masterpiece of flavour. Served with a little silver duck as a decoration, I felt it was worth paying for.

Every dish we ate was a marvel. From the tiny burger in the appetiser course right to the mousse for dessert; all the food was gorgeously presented and delicious. The wines were expertly paired and I enjoyed hearing about the history, background and flavour matching of each one as we went along.

Now, our table was pretty noisy (that's what happens when you get a group of overexcited CM's together), but the staff were gracious when they very fairly asked us to keep it down and the service we experienced was amazing.

This wasn't a cheap dining experience, but it certainly was an experience. A feast for the eyes and palate, I would love to do this again sometime (but I'll definitely be saving my pennies first)!

To sum it up: Decent food, terrible service, not worth it.

Our appetizers (spelt risotto and curry scallops) were good, but nothing to write home about. Boyfriend got the lamb dish for entree while I got the seasonal salmon dish. The lamb was excellent, but the salmon left something to be desired. Again, nothing to write home about. Dessert was beautiful, delicate, and possibly the best part of the meal.

Service started off great but the server disappeared in the middle of the meal and was nowhere to be found. In the end, we had to wait close to 30 min for the check despite asking multiple people. A different server finally gave us our check and there was no acknowledgement or apologies for the long wait.

Never again.

Waitstaff stuffy and unable or unwilling to answer simple, direct questions regarding portion size. Unfortunately, after being blown off and made to feel uncomfortable while asking about how large the main courses are, we ended up with too much food and were not allowed to take it with us. An entire dish was wasted. The waiter's response was, "I don't know what you want me to say". Obviously, I wanted you to answer my questions regarding portion size that were dismissed while ordering. The food was good, however I would recommend their more casual sister restaurant in Stockbridge. There is a reason this restaurant does not have a Michelin Star. My husband and I are no strangers to fine dining. This experience fell below the mark.

From the minute you walk in through the front door, you can tell your evening will be special. Now, for starters, the price is very high. But, if you know that going in, expect to be impressed and you will be. I did the chef's tasting and wine pairing. I was not disappointed as each course was perfectly cooked, seasoned and paired. The wine selection was amped up to meet the food. Plenty of "i love this one" was heard by many guests. I will recommend going here at least once to treat yourself or a friend to a amazing evening and food.

The service was great except main dish a bit salty. It is very convenient to visit Castle. Moreover, drinks are fantastic. I will recommend this restaurant to my friend.