Restaurant review: Smokin'!: The Three Chimneys

Published on Friday 20 March 2009 14:12

A TRIP to the Isle of Skye will prove the Three Chimneys deserves all the good things that are said about it.

THIS year marks the 25th anniversary of the decision Eddie and Shirley Spear made to quit the rat race and head to Skye. In the intervening quarter of a century, a couple with no experience of running a professional kitchen have fashioned one of the more unlikely success stories in Scottish gastronomy, turning two whitewashed crofters' cottages in the back of beyond into an internationally acclaimed restaurant.

That status has recently been underlined again, by Hotel Review, which voted it the Scottish restaurant of the year. The unprepossessing little restaurant, on the shores of Loch Dunvegan in the north-west of the island, has also enjoyed celebrity endorsement, although Shirley just laughs in exasperation at "silly local gossip" that has the likes of Russell Crowe and Madonna jetting in for their tea.

It's easy to see the appeal of the location. Getting to the Three Chimneys means a drive across some of the most stunning scenery in the country, which culminates in a meandering single-track road along the shores of the sea loch, complete with otters frolicking along the waterline. Once there, you enter the cosiest of houses, one where the fire in the grate and 3ft-thick stone walls combine to envelop you in a fug of comfort. The windows in bothies like these are never huge, but on a clear day you can see across the Minch to the mountains of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

The Three Chimneys made its name by using fresh local produce – most of it from Skye itself. And that's still the case for the menu today. My thick Moonen Bay lobster bisque was remarkably tangy and fishy (and, no, that's not a given), yet it wasn't too rich or overpowering. It was a classic example of one of my favourite dishes.

Vicky was equally enamoured of her starter, a huge plate of slightly smoky organic salmon cured at the nearby Talisker distillery. Gloriously dry, it was served with sweet-and-sour cucumber and a local quail's egg, plus some nasturtiums – a flowering plant in use all over Skye, supplied by a smallholder on the southern end of the island – which injected a peppery edge to the dish.

The starters were strong, but our main courses reached another level entirely. My pan-fried saddle of venison was melt-in-the-mouth tender and came with golden pearl barley, young neeps and greens, plus a beautifully subtle beetroot game gravy. It was difficult to imagine a better rendition of the dish. But even that was trumped by Vicky's baked Highland Blue cheesecake with rocket, apple, pumpkin seeds, honey and a tarragon dressing. Calling it a cheesecake is misleading: it was more like a fantastically light souffl, in which the flavours of the cheese meshed with the tartness of the apple to produce a dish of rare quality and texture.

It seems that Shirley Spear, who only hung up her pinny after 20 years in the Three Chimneys' kitchen, has found in Michael Smith a chef worthy of taking on her mantle. The menu here can change twice, or even three times, during the course of a day – in line with whatever ingredients become available, and it's no mean feat to maintain the level of excellence we encountered.

As if we needed further proof of Smith's genius, it came with a selection of puddings that were almost flawless. It says something that we were so enticed by the options that we decided to try all three. Vicky's face was a picture of delight as she savoured every mouthful of the first, a super-light iced whisky and lemon parfait that came with strawberries, a poppy-seed tuile and an aniseed brittle, which somehow drew out the flavours of the parfait.

My puddings were every bit as good. I felt duty-bound to try the house signature dish of hot marmalade pudding with Drambuie custard, which has been on the menu every day for the past 25 years, and while the rich pudding was a joy, the custard didn't taste of Drambuie – a rare failure to deliver. I was, however, prepared to forgive all after I had tried the dark chocolate and blaeberry mousse cake. As a kid, I spent many happy weekends clambering across Dartmoor in search of wild whortleberries (as blaeberries are called in England's south-west), and to find them here combined with the bitterest chocolate in an airy mousse with homemade crme frache as thick and velvety as the best clotted cream was a joyous surprise.

My only regret was not trying Smith's tour de force, the seven-course tasting menu. But there's plenty of time for that, as there's no doubt I'll go back.

VITAL STATISTICS

The Three Chimneys

Colbost, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye (01470 511258, www.threechimneys.co.uk)

Out of pocket

Dinner 50 (three courses); 65 (seven courses); Lunch 25 (two courses); 32 (three courses).

Rating 9/10