During a recent stay at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dine in their magnificent Salon Privé. The Salon Privé offers the ultimate private dining experience, being a private room for just two guests. The room itself is in fact an opera box that can be found in a secluded area off a stone turret stairwell; and it truly is as magical as it sounds.
We began our experience with two glasses of Billecart Salmon, Brut Réserve. The bubbles served as a physical reminder of this special experience, and we savoured every mouthful as we perused the menu.
To start, I decided on the foie gras presented as a roulade of foie gras and confit duck, served with pineapple chutney, Madeira, pickeled shimeji and spiced meringue. This dish was exceptional, with each and every taste present; the meringue was a triumph. My partner opted for the crab which came served as a brown meat panna cotta with wasabi, fresh pea, dill and pepper dulce. The taste of the sea was simply divine, and took us back to lazy summer days.
“It has all the right components for an outstanding “wow” dinner.”
For our main course, we chose to share the Chateaubriand which saw a 380g roasted Scotch beef fillet completed with seasonal vegetables, potatoes, a Madeira jus and béarnaise sauce. The meat was absolutely exquisite. It simply melted in the mouth and had such an abundance of flavours.
For desserts, I chose the Balbenie DoubleWood whisky parfait served with a 70% dark chocolate cremeux and black plum. This dish was wonderfully indulgent and the perfect end to my meal. My partner chose the white chocolate Chantilly with sea buckthorn sorbet, liquorice and pine nut puff candy.
To accompany our meal we chose a rich and full bodied bottle of 2009, Château Moulin Saint-Georges, Saint-Emilion, France. This choice made for the perfect pairing and went down very smoothly indeed.
We were simply blown away once again with the Salon Privé experience, which is an absolute must if you are staying at Prestonfield House. Everything about our evening was superb, from the food to the service and especially the extra special ambiance this private dining space holds. It has all the right components for an outstanding “wow” dinner.
The Bill: £89 per head
