Were we served an 'ace' for lunch at Andy Murray’s Cromlix hotel?

After a tennis mad summer, and given that it was likely to be Andy Murray’s last competitive season, I thought it was a good time to try the menu at his hotel near Dunblane.

I am an avid menu-checker before I visit anywhere, so I was pleasantly surprised that the five-star hotel offered a set menu of three courses for just £37, making it a great way to enjoy some fine dining without a hefty price tag.

What is Cromlix Hotel like?

Set in acres of wooded grounds, Cromlix is a hidden haven.

But once you traverse the long driveway, the trees part and you see this amazing historic building, which was brought back to life lovingly.

In front of the hotel is a croquet lawn, which also had a beautiful tent area to sit in when we visited. And walking inside, old meets new as the decor is a mix of dark and vivid tones.

But it’s not teeming with Andy Murray pictures and memorabilia. In fact aside from the purple and green tennis court next to the car park there’s no visible signs of the sporting legend anywhere.

We were warmly greeted and offered a drink at the bar while we looked at the menus, but we chose to go straight to our table, which was in a lovely sunny area of the building.

Game (set, match) on the Cromlix hotel menu

For my starter I had the wood pigeon terrine, which was served with Perthshire rhubarb, braised chicory and a small saffron milk bread.

It was a beautiful square of terrine, that was incredibly silky and smooth.

It was well seasoned and just the right amount.

Wood pigeon terrine at the Cromlix House Hotel.

Next to it on the plate was a small round of the saffron milk bread, which was nicely warmed and so soft when I opened it up.

I just wish there had been one more – the ratio of terrine to bread was a wee bit off.

And cutting through the rich creaminess of the terrine and the fluffiness of the bread was the fresh rhubarb and braised chicory.

My mum, who I just had to bring for this dining experience, went for the grilled mackerel fillet with coconut and chilli salad, avocado and pickled ginger.

Grilled mackerel fillet with coconut and chilli salad, avocado and pickled ginger.

She happily tucked in and after a few silent moments to savour those first couple of bites she told me that the fish was extremely succulent and tender, with a lot of subtle flavours.

The avocado was served as a puree on the plate, which was well paired with the fresh and strong flavours of the coconut and chilli salad.

Good ramen can be hard to find – did we find it our our Cromlix hotel review?

For her main course mum chose the vegetarian option – ramen with tofu, spring vegetables and a poached egg on top.

When she had been ordering she had questioned how spicy the ramen broth was and the chef couldn’t be more helpful in making sure it wasn’t going to be too hot for her.

They even offered to give her a wee taste before she put the order in.

Good ramen can be hard to find and I’ll be honest, we weren’t expecting to find it at Cromlix.

But the vegetables were nice and crunchy, the egg was perfectly poached and although there were spices in the broth, it brought a warm and depth of flavour as opposed to a straight heat.

My glazed pork cheek and fillet with harissa spiced sweet potato, served atop a bowl of braised lentils, was about as far from mum’s light and fresh ramen as you can get.

glazed pork cheek and fillet with braised lentils and harissa spiced sweet potato.

But not in a bad way, just that it was such an earthy and decadent dish – and when was the last time you saw braised lentils on a menu?

The pork was so well cooked, it just fell apart and I could have used a spoon to eat the whole dish (I didn’t!).

The lentils were braised in a broth that was so flavourful that it didn’t just serve as a “missable” side. It was an integral part of the dish that paired perfectly with the pork.

Was dessert a ‘fault’?

And then it was onto dessert.

I have a slight fear that if your starter and mains are amazing, there’s a real risk of puddings being a letdown.

My fears were quelled, however, by the dishes we were served.

My Valrhona dulcey chocolate with green apple, miso and palmier was so beautiful when it was presented.

It truly was like a work of art and as I ate I realised how much work had gone into concocting this dish.

The crunch of the pastry palmier along with the tartness of the apple, was the ideal counterbalance to the thick, rich chocolate.

I’d never thought about putting chocolate and apples together (other than the odd toffee apple alternative on Halloween) but it worked so well. It was unusual but so satisfying.

As I was enjoying that mum was tucking into her orange and olive oil cake, with candied pistachios and citrus labneh.