Iglu

Iglu has a very admirable food policy - sustainably caught fish, organic produce where possible, and sourcing food from small, local suppliers wherever they can. This was one of the reasons we chose to dine there on a Thursday night; the other reason being their position on the Hit List. We had booked a table in the upstairs restaurant but it was closed when we arrived so we ate in the bar. I assume they did not have enough bookings to justify opening the restaurant and we were happy dining downstairs.

The menu had plenty on it that looked appetising and we were very much looking forward to the meal. The waiting staff were very polite and knowledgable and brought us water without us having to ask, something that doesn't happen at every restaurant. We chose our dishes and ordered drinks, slightly disappointed that only four of the many red wines on offer could be purchased by the glass. To see Black Isle beers on tap here was tempting enough for me while my wife went for a Montepulciano.

The starters arrived and my pan roasted loin of hare with potato scone, foraged herbs and spiced bramble jus looked very pretty on the plate, if a bit miniscule. The hare was nicely cooked and the little tattie scones added some texture to the dish. The jus was very tasty but a little scarce. Overall this was a nice start to the meal. My wife ordered wild Scottish mushrooms on organic garlic & herb toast with a thyme and lemon sauce. The dish was a little lacking in finesse but we were both looking forward to tasting it as we'd only recently seen a programme on wild British mushrooms. Unfortunately the flavour of the mushrooms was so slight as to barely taste of anything. A couple of cracks of seasoning were required to lift the flavour to something only vaguely discernable as wild mushroom. A shame really.

We eagerly awaited the mains, hoping there was a little more consistency in the cooking but unfortunately this was not to be the case. My wife ordered the loin of wild Highland venison with onion compote, sauteed cabbage, fondant potatoes & red wine jus. Again it looked very nicely presented on the plate and smelled great. For £18 perhaps a little more venison could be expected - the amount of meat was veering towards meagre. It was very well cooked, nicely pink, and the rest of the elements created a well-rounded dish. I ordered the whole roasted Scottish wild pigeon which came with braised red cabbage, confit celeriac and potato puree. On the menu it specifically mentioned that the bird would be 'served pink unless requested otherwise' and so it was surprising to find the pigeon overcooked. It was probably only a couple of minutes over but there was nary a glimpse of pink to be seen. This was disappointing but when I mentioned it to the waiting staff they offered to cook me something else which was very good of them. I declined as I don't like to waste food plus I have an aversion to animals dying for nothing so I persevered. The flavours on the plate were very good indeed despite the overcooked bird and the red cabbage was especially tasty. The unspecified sauce, perhaps the roasting juices, were also very good although they disappeared rather quickly, soaking into the nicely prepared celeriac.

So far so frustrating. We really wanted the food to match the reviews we'd read and the glowing feedback from The List but so far it was not reaching those heights. The ingredients were high quality but the cooking seemed lacking in focus which was surprising on such a quiet night. We opted for dessert as we were still not sated and both plumped for the caramel & apple tart, served with a butterscotch mousse and nougatine crumb. Sounded delicious and an unctuously sweet way to end the meal but what we were served was, again, not what was described on the menu. This was, by far, the feeblest dish of the meal. Undercooked pale pastry and crunchy apple and not a hint of the promised caramel. We searched high and low but there was no caramel to be found. Mary Berry would be apopleptic (or as apopleptic as she ever gets) and I doubt she would have finished off the pud. We did but only because we were hungry. The butterscotch mousse was not mousse but a tasteless aerated cream concoction and the nougatine crumb added a welcome hit of sweetness to what was a blah dessert.

As I said before the ethos of the restaurant and the way it chooses to source its ingredients are very admirable and many other eating establishments could learn from Iglu in this regard. We so wanted what was on the menu to translate into great food but, on this particular evening, there was no great food eaten. For such a highly regarded eatery to have a heavy hand in the kitchen is unusual but for four of our six plates of food to be under par is such a shame. We are foodies and so tend to judge the food we eat rather fastidiously but we do judge the food as per the expectations set by the establishment itself. A great burger is as satisfying as a great fine dining experience.

If you visit a restaurant for the first time and have a disappointing experience all of the great reviews you read beforehand really mean nothing. Similarly somebody might read this after they've dined at Iglu and completely disagree. That's fine. If you enjoyed eating here then I guess eat here again. The quality of the food on our first dining experience at Iglu ensures that we, however, won't be returning for anything more than a pint of Black Isle IPA.

We went for an early dinner during the week, the place is really nice and the place is generally nice for a pint but I must say I was quite disappointed with the food/service.

The girl who served us didn't even know what was on the menu and the food wasn't as great as I thought it would be.

We were freezing as the heating wasn't turned on, and even though we mentioned this, she didn't bother too much. We had to move ourselves to another table away from the window and next to the bar, and realized how filthy it was below the bar and the coffee making machine. Some cleaning would be good!

In terms of the food, the starters were quite good but beyond small, the main course was good enough and the dessert tasted as if it was literally out of a supermarket box.

The price was ok because we got the set menu, but otherwise it would be a bit expensive for not such great food.

Can't believe the mixed reviews this place gets. IT IS EXCELLENT. We went for a three course meal and could only manage two courses. The scallops delish, the ham with pease pudding very tasty and fresh. My well done steak was to my liking however the medium rare was a tad overdone. The garlic butter on the steak was not to my liking so I took it off - I would ask for it to be left out next time. The service was very friendly, relaxed and atmosphere easy going with no one rushing us out as we ordered more wine (very nice) and tea. We paid £40 for all our food.

Relaxed, friendly and good foodvery enjoyable. Nice choice of beers and the food was very good. We ate in the bar for lunch and I'd definitely go back. Freshly made fishcakes, bean soup and boar burgers were great! Good size portions too. Yum!

Iglu is an outstanding Venue! I can't believe the comment left above! Did the people actually go to the same Iglu ?- The Service that my partner and I received was first-class and the members of staff could not go out of there way any more to make us feel welcome. The staff were also particularly knowledgeable especially on the choice of wine - something I rarely find in restaurants these days! The vension was cooked to perfection! A truly wonderful experience - I would recommend Iglu to anyone who likes good food and a warm, cosy and friendly atmosphere.

Nice place. Interesting menu. Good burger. Veggie Risotto fairly good. Veggie haggis was worst ever - like a luke warm badly prepared curry. Would come again for bar food - but otherwise meals are not worth the money.

Brilliant! Had a meal there using my new List Card and the venison was amazing. I found myself taking so much time over it as I didnt want it to end!

I'd definitely recommend Iglu to people looking for some great Scottish food, and the cosy ambience of the little upstairs room added to the experience.

Definitely a hit!