The Cristal restaurant at Mar Hall reflects the upscale surroundings of the parent hotel. The decoration is nice and traditional and the standards set high.
The dining room is a very formal affair, with high ceilings, crisp white linen and the hushed quiet of a professional front-of-house staff. That said, it wasn’t stuffy, it wasn’t pretentious and it wasn’t anything negative at all. The atmosphere was friendly, relaxed and a great place to enjoy dinner.
The menu is a celebration of Scottish produce. With the exception of the Suffolk lamb, almost everything came from around the area and was a great example of what local producers can deliver.
We began with starters of risotto of wild Scottish mushroom and the soup of the day which was tomato and red pepper. The risotto was cooked perfectly. The mushrooms gave everything a rich, earthy flavour that felt fresh and delivered a real treat to the taste buds.
The soup of the day, tomato and red pepper was also fresh and vibrant. The acidity of the tomato was offset nicely by the sweetness of the pepper. It was a nice, well balanced dish.
“The Cristal restaurant at Mar Hall was friendly, relaxed and a great place to enjoy dinner.”
Mains were fillet of Angus beef teriyaki with wasabi and pickled ginger, and sweet potato lentil and coriander cake with spinach cream. We also had sides of buttered new potatoes and olive oil mash.
The beef teriyaki was a unique take on Scottish meat, but one that worked well. It’s all too easy to over-sugar the sauce, but this was delivered perfectly. The beef was rich, succulent and the sauce complemented it perfectly.
The sweet potato lentil and coriander cake came with a side of spinach cream which added a richness to a delicate dish. It’s an original and worthy vegetarian option that would bring us back for more.
Dessert was Madagascar vanilla ice cream brulee and a coconut tart with mango coulis The brulee was light, decadent and full of fragrant vanilla flavour. It was ideal after the richness of the teriyaki and to round of a great meal. The coconut tart was rich in coconut but not overpowering. The contrast of the mango added more tart to the tart, but in a delicious way.
Our experience at the Cristal restaurant at Mar Hall was entirely repeatable. The food was great, the service professional and the atmosphere conducive.
The Bill: £87 per head
