Good Scottish Eats: Three Chimneys

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a foodie.  Before coming to Scotland, I had decided I would try all the various Scottish foods that were available to me.  In my trip planning I saw that the famous Three Chimneys restaurant was on Skye.  Curious, I checked out their web site (I like reading menus of great restaurants to see how they are using ingredients in their dishes).  They have won over 30 major awards and in July 2010, was named as one of the New York food critic Frank Bruni's top five favorite restaurants. It was included in the Restaurant magazine list of the world's 50 best restaurants.  

That’s good stuff.  

It was when I was reading the menu I realized that while they are a bit spendy… it was not outrageous – especially at lunch.  With that discovery, Three Chimneys went on my ‘to do’ list!

From the outside it looks like many of the 100+ year old croft homes on Skye. 

And the inside combines that history with modern furnishings that blend perfectly. 

The restaurant menu is fixed price, with a supplement for the more expensive seafood platter.  Himself had the grouse and I went with the seafood platter. 

The grouse.

My seafood platter.  Are you wondering what that is on the left side of my plate?  They are winkles.

Let’s look a little closer at them.  Yes… you’re seeing it right.  They are sea snails.  A much loved treat in Scotland.

And you dig them out with this pin.  Yes… I’m serious. 

And this is what you get.  Yes… I had to do some thinking on my resolve to try ‘all things Scottish’. 

Uh-huh, sea snails.  Yes… I ate them.  Didn’t think about it… just ate them.  

They weren’t bad.  Weren’t good… but they weren’t bad either.  Not much flavor to them and you sure don’t get much for your efforts.   

When I talked to various Scots about this culinary adventure, every single one of them was excited about my trying winkles.  And each had a dreamy look on their face as they told me how much they enjoyed tucking into a big plate of them.  

They can have them…

We finished our meal with ‘pudding’ (dessert).  Himself had “Dark Chocolate and Blaeberry Moussecake with Issy’s Crème Fraiche.  I had a sampling of local cheeses and oatcakes.  Yes, cheese is considered a dessert in Scotland. 

We also had hot tea and various little sweet bites.  

The whole dining experience was perfection.  The food was imaginative and beautifully cooked.  The wait staff was attentive without being annoying.  The atmosphere was chic yet comfy.  I would happily return for another meal!