The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
DESK SNACKS?DINE OUT INSTEAD...
Afew weeks ago, I found myself lamenting the demise of the business lunch. Years ago, it was very much the norm to nip out of the office for an hour and meet up with a colleague, client or friend over a couple of courses in one of a number of restaurants catering for the local business community.
I don’t know if it is pressure of work or the impact of austerity, but it seems like a lifetime ago. Nowadays, I tend to grab a sandwich from a supermarket and eat it at my desk. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if there were restaurants open for lunch in the way there were in the past.
A retired friend of mine, however, assured me there were some fantastic places offering really good-value lunches.
He said he regularly dined out but told me he was far more likely to meet other retirees or tourists than local workers taking a break from the hurly burly of the office.
He listed several places he highly recommended so I decided the next day I was going to forego the Mexican chicken wrap in favour of a proper sit-down meal with a business colleague and see if we could enjoy ‘the business lunch’ experience. And so it was I found myself striding along a blustery Bank Street in Inverness with a chill wind blowing down from the Great Glen towards the Moray Firth, but with a spring in my step.
I was looking forward to meeting a colleague for lunch in The Riverside Restaurant which had been recommended to me.
The Riverside, as its name suggests, has a wonderful location on the banks of the Ness. We were given a window seat and it was lovely to watch the river flowing past as we checked out the menu.
Just as I remembered from business lunches of the past, there was a small but tempting selection to choose from.
I was tempted by the soup of the day and the west coast Blue Lipped mussels in bacon, cider and cream sauce, but finally opted for the panseared chicken with Stornoway black pudding and salad.
It was a generous portion for lunch, with a lovely varied selection of salad leaves.
The tasty morsels of chicken were moist and well flavoured, but for me the star of the show was the black pudding. It was beautifully cooked with no trace of greasiness. Delicious.
I could have happily eaten another plateful. If I was being picky, I could suggest the salad was
just a bit over dressed. It was very tasty with a good zesty flavour, but there was still a pool on my plate when I had finished.
My colleague had the goats cheese salad with beets and enjoyed it every bit as much as I enjoyed mine.
For their main course, they opted for the seabass fillet with sautéed potatoes, grilled cherry tomatoes and a brown shrimp and lemon butter sauce.
This was a very accomplished dish that left them delighted. It was exactly the sort of main course that works perfectly for a business lunch – tasty, not too heavy and just the thing to set you up for a productive afternoon back at work.
I couldn’t resist the local butcher’s sausages with mash, peas and a red wine jus.
The sausages were big and plump and had been cooked freshly to order with a deliciously caramelised skin and moist, flavour-packed filling... I devoured the mash, peas and jus which was quite perfect. This was a hearty dish that was guaranteed to put a smile on my face.
With a full afternoon’s work ahead of me I really shouldn’t have had a dessert, but as my colleague had already said they were going to try the mango panna cotta, and I have always been easily led, I quickly plumped for the mixed fruit, lemon and white chocolate loaf. Who can resist a nice piece of cake served with a sweet pouring sauce to accompany it?
Whether custard, chocolate or, as in this case, toffee, this combination must be one of the world’s most popular comfort foods. I loved it. And my dining companion’s panna cotta that had led me into temptation?
They didn’t say much as they ate it, but the appreciative noises made as they lingered over every bite seemed to confirm that it was every bit as good as my sponge.
I want business lunches to make a comeback.
They might not do much for the waistline, but they do put you in a better mood. But maybe next time I think I’ll stick to just two courses!