The lady in the paint shop tells me the pre-Christmas home decorating season is under way. When the clocks go back, we start focusing on interiors, tutting at dated wallpaper and scuffed walls. And who knows, when you’re steam stripping three layers of wallpaper, you might get lucky and uncover something amazing. That’s what happened at The Riverside, where they found a 25ft mural, The Falls Of Clyde, painted in 1969 by Alasdair Gray when the place was a pub. Two years ago, new owner, Andy Boyle, got Gray and a restorer to bring it back to its former glory.
This tableau alone makes The Riverside worth a visit, but the food is quite a draw too. The cooking of chef Paul O’Malley has freshness and maturity, so there are unusual twists, but the whole thing is harnessed by a sound palate and underpinned by a grounding in classic techniques and principles.
By way of novelty, I had never encountered wreckfish. Our waitress said it tasted like wild sea bass, and she was spot-on. The pearly-white, flaky fish, with its rosti of celeriac and Yukon Gold potatoes, tender wilted black cabbage, slightly sharp aubergine in a creamy sauce, and fine Madeira gravy, made an impeccable dish. And though it now seems blindingly obvious, I had never thought to combine venison with quince. Tender slices of fillet were flanked by perfumed slices of the baked fruit, cones of Jerusalem artichoke napped with a creamy puree and a neat amber-baked pie with a suet-like crust filled with venison forcemeat. This dish was exceptionally well thought out, the strong meat judiciously balanced by the gentler flavours of the fruits and veg.
My starter was a delicious mess. Three plump hand-dived scallops started off looking beautiful, served on a slate with cubes of tangy lemonade jelly, parmesan wafers and pine nuts, but the heat of the bivalves made the jelly melt and trickle on to the table, while the wafers were as incongruous as a troll among fairies. The main combo of luscious scallop and jelly, however, was perfect. The other starter was much better thought-out: a disc of black pudding and smooth liver served in a witty mini breakfast line-up with a rasher of cured ham roasted until crisp, French toast (made with banana bread and topped with a fresh orange “marmalade”) and a quivering jelly made from Earl Grey tea. This may sound wacky, but believe me, it was jolly good.
I sense O’Malley is not a pastry chef by training, although he makes a good fist of sweet things. I very much liked his warm orange poppyseed polenta cake, and the coffee cup half full of melting chocolate with a frothy espresso mousse on top was compelling too but, served together, they made an odd couple. I didn’t get the point of the Frangelico creme brulee either, the liqueur only adding sweetness, no obvious nuttiness; moreover, the caramel was a shade too thick. That said, the pistachio shortbreads were buttery delights.
The Riverside deserves to do well but it needs quickly to decide what it wants to be. A mute plasma screen vying with a stunning mural? Personally, I’d go down the country gastropub route and be done with it.
The Riverside, 198-200 Riverside Road, Kirkfieldbank, Lanark
(01555 663339)
Lunch £11.50-£14.50
Dinner £25-£32
Food 9/10
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