Fine dining!

 

My work besties aka the Gin Queens took me out for a celebration retirement meal.  It was supposed to happen during the Summer holidays but as I was a bit tied up with 'stuff' and one of them was really ill, it didn't happen.  So we went out in Stirling to a newish restaurant called An Darna. Info HERE.  The menu changes regularly and is focussed on local seasonal produce.  They only do tasting menus so you can't actually get a 'meal.'

This is the dinner menu for last week.  With 4 teachers it was very hard not to comment on the 2 glaring spelling errors!!!  You choose a dish from each row.  You can also get a paired wine tasting option ie a different wine for each course specially chosen to compliment the dish you chose.  All sounds lovely.  I chose venison, scallop, Scottish lobster, ling and poached pear.

We started off photographing our courses but as we were chatting so much (and they were drinking the wines) we all quickly forgot.  I can't fault the quality of the food, it was all delicious.  But teeny tiny  portions just don't cut it for me.   In my first course the pickled onions were the size of the silverkin ones you buy in jars and they were cut in half!!   The apple balls were the size of petit pois!  The above venison course and lobster bhaji were served in large ramekin sized dishes.  My poached pear was about 6 wee pieces of very hard pear served with a few crumbled bits of ice cream that looked like feta cheese!

I thought they might have served some fresh steamed veggies or salad with each course, nope!  And **whispers** it wasn't that hot by the time they dramatically served it and told you about every ingredient 🙄

When I asked for a glass of Chardonnay to have with my meal instead of the wine pairings, it was as if I'd asked for the blood of a new born!!!  But they relented 🙄  It was really lovely spending a few hours with my friends.  I miss seeing them every day but hearing their stories from work makes me so happy I'm retired!! 😊 

So it was back to 'proper' food cooking this morning!  I pulled some leeks from the front garden and used up the bendy carrots I grated and froze last week to make soup.

I'd cooked a chicken and used the bones to make stock in the slowcooker.  I let it sit overnight in the fridge and skimmed off the chicken fat (schmaltz?)  to use later.  My big soup pot is full of yummy chicken and rice soup.  And I'll be serving it in a huge big soup bowl!!!  Then I'll fill my soup mugs and freeze it for lunches later in the week 😋 

This afternoon I'll be making a chicken and leek pie and rhubarb crumble with custard to use up stuff in the freezer.  Now that's fine dining to me these days!! 😂