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THE STAR & GARTER, LINLITHGOW


some relatively interesting starters such as cullen skink (not available on our visit) and smoked salmon fishcakes, plus mains of salmon salsa verde, cold ham and fried eggs and a large selection of specialist steaks and burgers. Partner chose the soup of the day (pea and ham, (£3.95), and I went for a king prawn cocktail (£4.95), always a benchmark dish. Both were adequate but not particularly


aiming for the stars: the soup, served in a big white bowl, was thick and velvety, and nicely punctuated with lots of little pieces of ham; despite this, it was rather bland and lacking in depth of flavour. There could have been a little more effort put into shredding the large salad leaves of my dish, for they made eating a little difficult; and though the serving of prawns was generous, I could have done with a little more of the Marie Rose sauce. But it was fresh and cool and tasty, and hit the spot. Partner’s steak-and-ale pie (£8.95) was a bit


of a taste sensation. It arrived looking more like a parcel, a flaky wrap of puff pastry containing a generous helping of lean, tender slow-cooked beef in a gravy that almost had him singing all the way home. Mashed potato and some rather old-fashioned vegetables (didn’t mangetout and baby sweetcorn go out with the ark?) completed this classic dish. By contrast I wouldn’t say my Linlithgow fish


pie (£11.45) was exactly classic. It was more of a ragout, and was all the better for it. There were lots of chunks of smoked haddock, salmon and prawns, with crunchy baby sweetcorn in a deeply flavoured, slinky cheese sauce, all topped not by mash but by veritable boulders of boiled baby potatoes under heavily toasted breadcrumbs. Here was an inventive take on a classic, and it was the highlight of our meal. I’m going to skip past the Belgian waffles


FIELD FACTS


PRICE Lunch for two, without drinks: £39.60 RATING


 The Star & Garter, 1 High Street, Linlithgow Tel: 01506 845647 www.starandgarter


hotel.co.uk wCate Devine is food


riter at The Herald


(£4.45) I chose for dessert as it was an awful mistake. I’m not a fan of heavy, deep-fried batter covered in icing sugar and drizzled with caramel syrup, so it’s unfair to make further comment. Better by far was partner’s choice from the specials blackboard: a pecan roulade (£4.45) made of sponge that was lighter than light and filled with caramel-flavoured fresh cream, the nuts adding a much-needed crunch. The perfect balance of this dish was, however, tipped by the unnecessary addition of lashings of yet more caramel sauce. Too sweet for us, but the families and groups of friends occupying the tables around us seemed to lap it up. We left feeling satisfied and well disposed to


this friendly and popular local. While I might not make a point of rushing back, the Star & Garter remains a worthy stop-off for the hungry traveller looking for a satisfying, very reasonably priced meal at any time of the day.


chef’sCHOICE Chef, Graeme Pallister, of 63 Tay Street in the heart of Perth, on six of his favourite restaurants


ONDINE, EDINBURGH A top class fish restaurant totally


committed to sustainable seafood. Chef Roy Brett has trained with the likes of Rick Stein and Mark Hix and certainly lives


up to these high standards with the best seafood in Scotland, let alone Edinburgh. 0131 226 1888; www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk


MONACHYLE MHOR, BALQUHIDDER, PERTHSHIRE


Scotland’s most talkative chef, the wonderful Tom Lewis, takes his produce straight from the family-run estate, a real champion of the slow food movement.


01877 384622; www.mhor.net


MHOR FISH, CALLANDER, PERTHSIRE A fantastic fishmonger-cum-cafe also run by the Mhor estate. Offers traditional fish suppers but you can also select your fish from the counter and ask for it to be


grilled, seared, baked or fried. 01877 330213; www.mhor.net/fish


DUSIT, EDINBURGH One of the best contemporary Thai restaurants around. It has a fantastic and varied menu using fresh local produce but combining it with Asian herbs and spices


imported directly from Thailand. 0131 220 6846; www.dusit.co.uk


PANEVINO, GLASGOW This unassuming little Italian may not look so great from the outside but their seasonal menu explodes with proper, slow cooked European flavours.


Reasonably priced and a lively atmosphere. I would recommend the Osso Bucco. 0141 221 1136; www.panevino.co.uk


COCKTAIL & BURGER, GLASGOW This American style burger joint does what it says on the tin and does it well. The menu is simple: burgers, sausages and salads, with wonderful cocktails. Not


somewhere to take the little ones though, as it is for over-18s only. 0141 353 0953; www.cocktailandburger.com


YOURSAY


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GRAEME pallister’s choices? let US KNOW ON OUR FORUM AT WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK


WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 129


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