The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
First look at Christie’s
New restaurant is tapping into sharing vibe by offering Scottish tapas selections, writes
Anew restaurant specialising in Scottish tapas is set to open its doors in Dunfermline next month. Christie’s Scottish Tapas will launch in the town on Friday June 3 after successfully establishing its first venue in Falkirk which opened in April 2021.
Owners David Blackwood, 43, and Tom Malloy, 63 were inspired by the local community’s reaction to their inaugural venue and wanted to expand the business further.
The restaurant is based in the former Bella Italia venue and David and Tom have invested £250,000 into the new eatery, which will boast a peacock theme, a nod to the birds that have had “Freedom of the City” since 1907.
After three months of refurbishing and decorating, the eatery bosses are awaiting its alcohol licence approval before they introduce their unique dining experience to locals next month.
SHARING AND SOCIALISING AT ITS CORE
The tapas dishes are designed to be shared and David says that guests at each table will be served at the same time so that everyone can eat together.
“It is so that our customers can share and talk about each dish.
“It has been a great success and the local community has really embraced the experience and concept,” said David.
While not every dish is of Scottish origin, each has its own Scottish influence – for example a fiery bruschetta as the feta is from a local cheese supplier.
THE FOOD
With a mixture of “Wee Yin” starters, “Big Yin” mains and desserts, the venue has a mixture of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan options available.
Christie’s “Big Yins” dishes include sirloin steak, fish and chips, roasted gnocchi, pork chop and Balmoral chicken served with vegetables and mash.
For dessert, choices like creme brulee, sticky toffee pudding, apple and pear crumble and a Scottish cheeseboard can be enjoyed.
The suggested serving of small plates is six to nine between two and diners can take advantage of an offer of three starter plates for £12.
PEACOCK THEMED
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE ONE OF OUR CELEBRATION TABLES NAMED BY A LOCAL
The idea for the peacock theme developed after a post on Facebook asked locals what they would name a celebration table that seats six or more.
After receiving numerous suggestions, the owners investigated the reasoning behind the suggestion for the peacock.
David added: “I had no idea that the peacock was the local bird of Dunfermline.
“We thought it would be a good idea to have one of our celebration tables named by a local and this was a nice tie to the local area.”
The owners also had plans to have real peacock feathers as decoration, but upon realising many people saw them as bad luck, opted for painted peacock feathers as a feature wall instead.
• Address: 7a Whimbrel Place, Fife Leisure Park, Dunfermline, KY11 8EX