The Isle of Skye's Scorrybreac restaurant has a new menu format

Sarah

7 days ago4 min read

The view from Scorrybreac of Portree Harbour at night — The view from Scorrybreac of Portree Harbour

We ate at Calum Munro's restaurant Scorrybreac in Portree on the Isle of Skye several times in 2024. On our second visit in the autumn we were told that he was 'away', and I said to Alex, "I bet he's going to be on The Great British Menu and is away for filming", and lo and behold there he was last month competing to represent Scotland at the banquet. Sadly he didn't win the heat, despite scoring very highly.

March is re-awakening time on Skye after a winter's rest and recharge for the hard working hospitality providers. Cafe Cuil opened on the 1st, The Stein Inn on the 2nd, Loch Bay on the 7th, and Edinbane Lodge and Scorrybreac also opened during the first week of March.

Traditional Skye cottage now housing a restaurant — The cosy and intimate Scorrybreac

I'd booked to eat at Scorrybreac on the Friday night as a treat before we needed to head back down south again. We were a little early, so settled into the little bar upstairs at Scorrybreac, where we were warmly greeted and ably looked after. We were told that there was no need to rush as our table wasn't needed after we'd finished - that's unlikely to be the case as the season gets fully into swing.

Woman seated with a cocktail in her raised hand — Cheers - a good start to the evening in the upstairs bar

Bottles on three shelves behind a bar — The small but well stocked bar in Scorrybreac

When we went downstairs to the restaurant the excellent friendly service continued, We were given a new set menu where the only choice was between lamb or halibut for the main course. This was quite different from the previous sharing concept which we had reviewed, hence the need for a new blog piece.

Calum Munro is renowned for his love of foraging and incorporating what he finds into his menus, the new set Scorrybreac menu continues this tradition incorporating fungi, herbs, and edible plants in the dishes. (We were rather pleased with ourselves to have found and identified wild watercress on our walk earlier in the day).

The menu for March

two amuse bouche on a slate — Jerusalem artichoke parfait, stout chanterelle - the first of the amuse bouche

Jerusalem artichoke parfait, stout chanterelle was a gentle start to the tasting menu, with taste that grew in complexity as we ate it. This had to eaten as one mouthful or the result would have been rather messy!

a small plate of deer tartare with crisps — Roe deer tartare, burnt heather, scurvy grass

Roe deer tartare, burnt heather, scurvy grass was the second of the amuse bouche, this was a more powerfully flavoured dish with the lean deer tartare the star of the show.

food prettily plated on a round pottery plate — BBQ elf cup, potato tortilla, miso, wild garlic

BBQ elf cup, potato tortilla, miso, wild garlic was the third of the amuse bouche. Calum's excellent palate ensured that the wild garlic was a mere hint to enhance the dish rather than over-powering it. A masterclass in less is more.

Cured monkfish, kohlrabi, almond milk, fermented Douglas fir comprised the starter. The gels and the almond milk added a real pop of flavour to the meaty monkfish. I think that this was my favourite dish of the evening.

Bread on a pottery dish with a quenelle of whipped butter — Treacle soda bread, smoked date whipped butter

I'm always a little wary of eating bread with my meal as it can fill me up too much, however the treacle soda bread with smoked date whipped butter sounded to interesting to miss. The bread looked heavy, maybe due to the colour, but was as light as a feather. There was a little sweetness from the smoked date butter - and I could see one of the chefs in the kitchen making the quenelles with a smile on his face. Delicious, but I had to hold back a bit!

North Sea Halibut, Drumfern mussels, crab bisque, celeriac, ground elder

Alex choose the North Sea Halibut, Drumfern mussels, crab bisque, celeriac, with ground elder for his main dish. We both commented on the use of ground elder, I'm constantly pulling it up from the garden, so now I know that it's edible it won't be going into the garden waste anymore. Besides looking pretty, Alex declared it the best piece of fish he'd probably ever had.

a slice of lamb and vegetables on a pottery plate — Flashadder lamb, haggis, burnt aubergine, date, sherry, clove jus

My Flashadder lamb, haggis, burnt aubergine, date, sherry, clove jus looked just like a piece of art, and tasted as good as it look. Unctuous would be the best descriptor for this dish; just look at that beautiful sear on the lamb.

Pot of dessert with a honeycomb shaped topping — Rhubarb, Fresh Crowdie sorbet, Raasay honey espuma, Woodruff

We then moved onto the pre-dessert of Rhubarb, Fresh Crowdie sorbet, Raasay honey espuma and Woodruff. This was a decadent mouthful of delightfulness.

A chocolate dessert in a pottery bowl served with plum liqueur — Seabuckthorn, dark chocolate cremeux, buckwheat.

The art-form like dessert of Seabuckthorn, dark chocolate cremeux, buckwheat came with homemade plum liqueur made with plums foraged from the garden. This was simultaneously rich but with the seabuckthorn cutting through that richness.

Yet again, Calum Monroe's Scorrybreac wowed us with the quality of ingredients and the sureness of a chef at the top of his game - we will - like Arnie - be back.

The menu costs £95 per person with optional pair wines at £55.

Address: 7 Bosville Terrace, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9DG

Booking: Bookings - Scorrybreac

The venue is intimate and has limited covers, so booking is highly recommended/essential

Closed Sundays and Mondays