Three Chimneys - Haute Cuisine Without the Attitude

Our first night of dining on Skye, September 20, was so magical that Rick and I believed that it warranted a blog post all of its own.

If our first few hours on Skye were not magical enough, Marie had booked us a dinner reservation at the Three Chimneys, the finest dining on Skye, and one of the most enchanting culinary experiences I've ever had.

After donning our "formal" wear (that means skirt, tights, and mary janes for me) we made the half-hour drive to Waternish, the westernmost peninsula of Skye, driving through some lovely rural landscapes and croft villages.  Every building here seems to be whitewashed.  We later asked Marie if there was a zoning regulation requiring all buildings be whitewashed.  Puzzled, she thought about it and then said, no there isn't.  People just don't think to do anything different.  Even she and Ian white-washed the B&B without thinking twice.  Well it works for me.

After working through island rush hour traffic (sheep) and practicing on the one-lane with pullouts road (good brakes a must), we arrived at a sweet, white-washed (of course) building, no bigger than an individual home . . . and probably much smaller than many individual residences in the US, looking out on a serene bay (or loch).   The sign indicated that it was "Three Chimneys" and, indeed, it had three chimneys.

Rush Hour Traffic - Note the Single Lane

We walked into a wonderfully warm and snug evironment of stone walls, low ceilings, decorative hearths, and fine-crafted wood tables and chairs.  The walls were adorned with tasteful abstract and landscape paintings and the lighting, glory be for Rick, was sufficiently dim. The dining area in the restaurant consisted of three rooms with a total of 11 tables.  One large table in a room by itself for big parties and the remaining 10 (seating no more than 4 each) were split evenly in the other two rooms.  This made for a very intimate dining experience.  When we arrived at the whopping early (for Skye) dinner hour of 6:30, only the large table was occupied.  Like in the US, 7:30 seems to be the preferred dinner hour.  We are just getting too old to do that and sleep well!

Landscape on the Way to Three Chimneys

We were greeted by the matire'd and shown to our table by the hearth and window.  After that, we had two waiters, a sommelier, and, for the lack of a better term, the bussboy, waiting on us.   We later learned one of the waiters, a redhead, was named Richard Dunn.  He asked about Rick's surame and relatives, wondering if they might be related.  Possibly.  He will be coming to New York when the tourist season ends in a couple of weeks for hospitality services training.

 The menu was designed so that we could order a seven course or a three course meal.  Though tempted, we did not think that we could manage to consume seven courses, so we opted for the three course meal.  I ordered the langostinos over "rocket" (arugula) and then the lobster.  Rick had the scallops and the pot roast.  While the chef prepared the meals, hearty, dense home-made bread was brought to our table along with a little appetizer of cod and haddock soup in a tomato base, presented in a "wee bit" of a bowl.  Wish there had been more.  If I could have cod and haddock that fresh and prepared so deliciously, I'd be eating it far more often.  Our wine came as well.  Rick ordered a Argentinian red and I had the good fortune to order a French white burgundy that ended up beautifully complimenting my seafood meal.

Three Chimneys . . . with three chimneys

Then came the "Starters" as they are typically called in this country.  Rick said his scallops, freshly caught on the Isle of Skye, were delicious, perfectly cooked.  My langostinos, also "just caught in the bay outside the front door", were scrumptuous but they posed a bit of a dining challenge for me.  Half the langostinos had been shelled but the other half were not, as they were a part of the presentation, and, unlike shrimp, it was not readily apparent how I was suppose to remove the succulent meat from the little suckers.  Finally, swallowing my pride, I asked one of our four waitstaff what to do with them and he showed me that the tails were split and if I just pulled them apart the meat would be for easier to remove . . . and it was.

Outdoor Dining Anyone?

Then came the entrees.  The meat in Rick's "pot roast" (it's presentation was really too refined to be called pot roast) was beef and rabbit along with some vegetables.  My lobster was unbelievably sweet and tender.  It was served in a light creamy sauce, along with some winter root vegetables.  Though not a large dish, the lobster, itself was incredibly rich and did I already say sweet?

Having cleared every speck off delicious food off our plates, we were then given the option to "rest" before ordering our dessert, which we did, thankfully, and enjoyed the atmosphere.  While we were dining on our "haute cuisine," the tables around us filled up with locals and travellers alike.  Though dressed nicely, no one was dressed formally, despite the caliber of the cuisine, which, I think could command a tux and evening gown.

Happy Me in CoseyThree Chimneys Interior

After agonizing over all of the divine choices on the dessert menu, I settled on the Three Chimney's specialty, a marmalade pudding (cake) with a drambuie custard and Rick selected a sticky pudding with two sauces (what those sauces were, we, unfortunately, cannot recall).  Like everything else, the desserts were a delight to the tastebuds.  Afterwards, Rick ordered a 21-yr old Blavenie, whiskey and I ordered a 10-yr old GlenMorangie Quinta, barrelled in port barrels.  Rick liked his whiskey so much that he searched for it in every store we visited until he found, and purchased, it.

View from Three Chimneys - Can see all the way to the Mainland

Only when we were more than amply satiated and warmed by the fine food, superb service, and savory scotch, did we look at the time and see that it was a little after 9:15 pm.  Almost 3 hours sped by in a blink of an eye.  We also noticed that there were no second seatings.  When we asked Marie about this later, she said that this is typical in the finer restaurants.  A table is reserved only once in the evening in order for the diners to fully relax and enjoy the experience . . . and what an experience it was.