I had a stunning dinner at Inver on Loch Fyne - Pam and Rob are leaving on a high
The award-winning lochside restaurant did not disappoint, finds Rosalind Erskine.
I’m not organised enough to have a notes app on my phone, filled with lists of restaurants to try, as many people do. I do, however, have a mental list of places that I’d love to visit one day. An internal bucket list of gastronomy. These can range from the more up to date such as ‘Sunday roast at The Clarence’ as it’s nearby and everyone raves about it to restaurants that have been on that list for years.
One of these was Inver, the celebrated restaurant on the shores of Loch Fyne. I’d managed to make it to a special seafood lunch last year, where we recorded a podcast on the challenges with Scottish scallops, but my dream was to book one of the cosy bothies and stay for the night to get the full Inver experience.
For those following the restaurant, you’ll know that chef patron Pam Brunton and her partner Rob Latimer put Inver on the market last month. Speaking to The Scotsman in September Pam said: “We’ve given ourselves quite a long lead time. It can take six months to two years to sell a business, so we’re not leaving next week. We can end on a high, with love and energy and quality that people have come to expect from us.
“And all the energy that we put into this thing will not fizzle, whereas I think if we left it another year or two, situations would’ve changed in our personal lives that might actually start affecting the business. We would hope to see as many possible familiar faces and our loyal returning guests to see us say goodbye to this phase.”
While not a familiar face, this news plus a big birthday this year spurred me on to finally book Inver’s dog-friendly bothy, and dinner, and head up to Loch Fyne for a late autumn break.
Having read Pam’s book, Between Two Waters, which charts the couple’s first few years at Inver as well as musings on our relationship with our land and our food, as well as our modern food systems, I feel like I know more about Inver than most other restaurants, before we’ve even stepped over the threshold for our stay.
Visiting on a stormy weekend in October, the location was at its most beautiful and dramatic with a stunning sunset the last signs of calm before the impending storms. The bothy was a comfortable and cosy retreat from the elements with a big bed, large walk-in shower and enough tea and coffee to power us for days.
Dinner was the star of the show, as you’d expect. We started with cocktails and snacks in the bar by the roaring fire before tucking into a seven course tasting menu (not including those snacks) which was a celebration of Scotland in autumn, with a little inspiration from Japan. Standout dishes for me were the garden plate - a wondrous concoction of what can be grown on the west coast - the scallop with celeriac, pear and pine; the optional cheese course of a wedge of Lanark blue served with a grape and olive oil brioche and the black barley custard tart served with japanese quince.
I’m glad I finally ticked Inver off my bucket list, and what a way to continue to toast my big birthday. It’ll be sad to see Pam and Rob go but I can confirm that they are indeed leaving on a high if that dinner is anything to go by.
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