END OF AN AFFAIR
Our reviewer used to love Osso in Peebles, but the romance has abruptly stopped
The Mystery Diner has fallen out of love with Osso in Peebles
The first time that Osso blipped onto my culinary radar screen was shortly after it opened up in late 2007. I was heading through Peebles and in a hurry to get to a meeting, but still clocked it and screeched to a halt to have a quick peek at the menu in the window.
I liked what I saw and, for virtually the only time in fifteen years of weekly reviews, booked a table without any external recommendation telling me that it was worth trying. By the time I hit pudding that evening, I’d concluded that it was possibly my best ever gastronomic punt.
Even now I can recall that meal. Specifically, I can remember the bright purple beetroot risotto produced by chef-patron Ally McGrath, a simple dish so magnificent that it still intrudes when I’m faced with an inferior version. I also remember Lewis, the earnest young vegetarian who was one of my two companions that evening, cooing lovingly over one aspect of his meal until I pointed out that it looked like fois gras. Sure enough, that’s exactly what it was, even if the menu made no mention of it.
As you can probably tell, I have fond memories of this unprepossessing little bistro. So when I realised how long it was since I’d last been, I scooted down the road in anticipation of a stellar meal courtesy of Mr McGrath. Peebles and the surrounding area now has lots of decent places to eat – there’s the wonderful Horseshoe Inn in nearby Eddleston and the equally chichi Cringletie House, plus more day-to-day eateries such as Coltman’s Deli – but Osso, which has now held a Bib Gourmand from Michelin for six years, has a special place in my heart.
So we were, it’s fair to say, a little disappointed to find that owner McGrath has temporarily decanted to their new Broughton restaurant, leaving head chef Stuart Smith in charge. Not to worry, best to keep an open mind.
Sadly, that approach only lasted as long as it took for a starter of artichoke risotto with crispy skins to arrive accompanied by some completely incinerated charred topping – we think it was the truffle and black trompette tapenade – that ruined the effect. The other starter of peppers, chorizo, black pudding, manchego, organic egg and sourdough, which was all served in a deep ramekin, sounded like an alluring melange of flavours but was devastatingly bland.
So far so bad, but at least our main courses were a step up the gastronomic scale. Two beautifully cooked crimson strips of beef were accompanied by a golf ball-sized chunk of succulent braised beef, while the plate was spotted with salsify, mushroom and watercress, with smooth potato mash and gloriously pungent, rich gravy rounding off a decent dish.
The crab and cheddar tart would have been even better had it been hot or even warm, but it bore the telltale signs of having been prepared earlier and hurriedly heated through – few pies taste good when browned on top, lukewarm on one side and stone cold in the middle. It was a pity; it would clearly have been very good.
Pudding was another mixed bag. The rosewater panna cotta with pistachio, honeycomb and pomegranate hit the spot, but the peanut butter pot au chocolat was cloyingly, gloopily inedible. Sure, the banana sorbet that accompanied it was gorgeous, but had the Walls of Jericho been built using this unfeasibly dense peanut butter confection as mortar, the Israelites could have marched around it for centuries without a crack appearing. It was the first time in 25 years that my wife has seen me leave a pudding unfinished, let alone barely started.
Still, on the plus side, our glasses of viognier were not only very good value, but really quite an exceptional house wine. Indeed, for the quality of food Osso is trying to produce, the prices on offer represent great value.
Unfortunately, people tend to vote with their feet, and to find Osso with just two other tables occupied on a Friday night does not augur well, even if it was mid-January and several of the dishes were off the menu, which could indicate that people had eaten before we arrived at 8.30. I hope so, because I’ve always held a torch for this ambitious little restaurant. Sadly, unless the chef pays a little more attention to detail and starts serving the quality of food that made Osso great, I wonder how much longer it will remain a beacon of rural excellence.