Culinary gem by banks of the Tay
iT lies a short stroll from an impressive 19th century courthouse, by a river once compared to the Tiber by the romans.
but 63 Tay Street would be easy for a passer-by to miss, nestled among office blocks by the Tay.
Tucked away in a single groundfloor room the restaurant, launched in 2007, has fast become one of Scotland’s culinary gems.
During a two-night stay we tried a surprise tasting menu accompanied by specially chosen wines.
it was only when each course was ferried to the table that our waiter explained what they were and how the ingredients had been sourced – removing the need to agonise over the menu.
The opener was Edinburgh raspberry liqueur and prosecco with fresh raspberries, followed by sourdough bread with lemon pepper and butter hummus, then onion bhaji and pea soup with scallops – accompanied by champagne.
The sensory onslaught continued with sweetcorn risotto with girolles and a little sauvignon blanc – then a delicious smoked beef salad with savoury granola and chardonnay.
The restaurant is relaxed with a tremendous sense of intimacy – perfect surroundings for the delicacies by Perthshire-born former Gleneagles chef Graeme Pallister and a small, dedicated team.
They use the best ingredients from local suppliers and did not disappoint. Next up on our tasting menu was guinea fowl with potato, schnitzel and black pudding, washed down with zinfandel.
Cheese and port rounded off proceedings, with poached peach, blackberry sorbet and white chocolate mousse – followed by a revitalising nightcap of limoncello.
it was fortunate the Parklands Hotel – our bolthole for our stay – was only a ten-minute walk away.
in fact, 63 Tay Street is the sister restaurant of two others at the hotel: 63@Parklands and No1 The bank, both overseen by mr Pallister and head chef mark Glancey.
The hotel sources much of its food from local producers, such as Dunkeld smoked salmon and eggs from Gloagburn Farm.
located near the railway station and with spectacular views of the South inch – a huge expanse of parkland by the Tay – the four-star, 15-bedroom hotel, owned by Scott and Penny Edwards, is friendly, informal and in a prime location.
our walk around town took us to fairly new bar The Venue, which has more than 200 gins. after winetasting at 63 Tay Street, sampling spirits may be daunting for some but we rose to the challenge.