NEWS All the news on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

from DRAM June 2022

COVER STORY: WHISPERING ANGEL ... Archiestown welcomes 1881

Whispering Angel, the Côtes-de-Provence French rosé wine responsible for igniting the Rosé Revolution worldwide, and the Official Wine of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant has launched its striking new terrace at Tigerlily, Edinburgh. Created by Chateau d’Esclans, a magical property and one of the grandest Chateau in all of Provence, Whispering Angel is welcoming rosé lovers to its terrace at Tigerlily now until the end of September. Oozing a glamorous, playful spirit reminiscent of Saint-Tropez, the Whispering Angel terrace, with its beautiful Provence-themed décor, distinctive pink parasols and a swing seat for spontaneous fun, will offer an exceptional social hotspot for summer in the company of friends and loved ones. To celebrate the arrival of the terrace, Tigerlily has launched two new decadent experiences: Whispering Angel Afternoon Tea and Whispering Angel Brunch. A limited-edition Platinum Jubilee bottle of Whispering Angel will also be available at Tigerlily. This very special release will see Whispering Angel’s distinctive white label become a beautifully embossed Platinum shade over the Platinum Jubilee celebrations summer period. Hotel 1881 at Archiestown in Speyside is now open following a £1.5m investment by the Shawfern Group, which also own the Dowans Hotel in Aberlour. The business, owned by the Murray family launched the hotel last month with a series of parties. The hotel, which was purchased in 2018, has been refurbished from top to toe, and had the pandemic not occurred would have opened two years ago. But it has certainly been worth the wait. 1881 also boasts a restaurant and a bar, private dining room and large outside terrace with a herb garden, all of which have been finished to the families usual high standards. Daughters Steph and Lauren also revealed that their parents Michael and Marie will soon be stepping back from the day to day business.

The Rabbit and The Seal launch

The Rabbit restaurant and its sister bar The Seal have opened at the Marine Troon hotel, which is now part of the Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts Collection. The 78-cover restaurant is designed with large comfortable wicker chairs; sapphire blue velvet dining booths; opulent printed wallpaper in shades of blue and green that echoes the landscape; and coastal driftwood chandeliers also feature. Diners and guests can enjoy views across the Royal Troon golf course, the restaurant’s namesake and trickiest par three, Hole 17, and out towards the islands of Arran and Ailsa Craig. The Rabbit restaurant will sit alongside its dog-friendly sister bar, The Seal, providing a relaxed option for all-day dining, cocktails and light bites. The menus are led by Rusacks St Andrews’ Executive Chef and Masterchef The Professionals winner, Derek Johnstone,showcasing hyper-seasonal ingredients and local suppliers from Ayrshire and across Scotland.

REVAMP FOR HISTORIC INN AT SOUTH QUEENSFERRY

The Hawes Inn, a Vintage Inns venue, owned by M&B, is undergoing a revamp and will open later this month. The Queensferry pub, which has great views of the Forth Bridges, is to get a new private dining area, new garden as well as benefitting from and exterior and interior refresh. The Inn, which also has 14 bedrooms, has strong connections with Robert Louis Stevenson, who was born in Edinburgh on the 13th November 1850. It is said that he stayed in the Inn and actually wrote part of the famous novel ‘Kidnapped’ in one of the rooms. Indeed the book actually includes a passage about the Hawes Inn. Gillian Newman, general manager at The Hawes Inn, said, “The changes that are currently underway are all centred around creating an original country pub with a real difference. The new Hawes Inn will provide both our regulars and first-time guests with an exciting location to enjoy highquality dining in beautiful surroundings.”

NEWS

POPULAR NORTH BERWICK HOTEL ON THE MARKET

MANORVIEW SAILS INTO LARGS WITH ACQUISITON OF BRISBANE HOUSE

Manorview Hotel & Leisure Group have purchased The Brisbane House Hotel in Largs from the Fitzsimmons Group, who also own the Fenwick Hotel and the Riverside Lodge in Irvine. The hotel, which is situated on Largs waterfront has 24 bedrooms, functions suites and a bar and restaurant. It brings the number of hotels under the Manorview umbrella to ten. The group’s estate includes The Busby Hotel, The Redhurst, Cornhill Castle, and Boclair House Hotel. “Brisbane House is a fantastic fit for our varied portfolio of boutique hotels” says Steve Graham, Founder and Director of Manorview. “We have admired it for a long time and many of the team have been frequent customers themselves. It mirrors the venues that we already operate in lots of ways. But like everything in our collection, it also has something unique that we didn’t already have for our expanding customer base.” “The location is fantastic.” Steve continued “Largs has so much to offer both the local people and visitors from near and far. And with its coastal setting, the hotel itself not only boasts stunning views, but we feel it also gives guests a real sense of escape and relaxation. We are delighted to become the custodians of this iconic Largs venue. We look forward to working with the existing team and greeting regular and new customers.” The group will continue to operate the venue as it is, and all bookings made at the hotel will be honoured. The Brisbane House Hotel is pictured right.

IX Restaurant at The Chester Hotel in the west end of Aberdeen reopens this month after being closed for two years due to the impact of the pandemic. The IX Restaurant will now open Thursdays to Saturdays from 6.30pm serving an all new three course table d’hôte menu. It will also be open for Sunday lunches. At the centre of the Restaurant is the theatre kitchen where diners can watch the Chester chefs at work creating fine dining dishes. Head chef Chris Gray says, “The whole team in the kitchen is looking forward to welcoming back diners, We’ve been working on the development of new dishes with a real and increased focus on local and Scottish suppliers where at all possible – local seafood, beef, pork, cheeses and soft fruits will all be stars of the show.” The reopening follows recent news that the hotel will once again play host to the Signature Food Festival in autumn with six Michelin star guest chefs including Marcus Wareing and Ken Hom. Signature has raised more than £803k for local charities since its inception in 2017. Stephen Gow, general manager at The Chester Hotel says, “Closing the restaurant during the last two years was the right and only decision. But the time is definitely right for us to expand our food offering again.”

Jela and Stirling Stewart have put The Nether Abbey Hotel, in North Berwick on the market. The hotel, known locally as The Nethers, has been in the Stewart family for over 60 years, is one of only two hotels in the town. The four-star hotel has 12 ensuite-bedrooms, a popular bar and restaurant and a south facing patio area, and is on the market for offers over £2.6m. Brian Sheldon, Regional Director at Christie & Co, who is handling the sale, said: “The chance to buy an established and highlycoveted hotel in the heart of Scotland’s golfing country, which captures local, national and international clientele, doesn’t come around very often. This is the first time the hotel has come on the market in 62 years. It’s an opportunity not to be missed.” n Aberdeen is to get a new restaurant in the shape of Tarragon by Graham Mitchell which will be located at 137 Rosemount Place. Graham who is currently Head chef of The Scullery at the Newmachar Hotel, and also Chef Patron of Tarragon Catering, was formerly Head Chef at Trump International, and the Cock and Bull and the Rox Hotel, both in Aberdeen.

n Marco Giannasi has just completed a sympathetic refurbishment of The Battlefield Rest in Glasgow’s Southside. He engaged Paul Hodgekiss Design to breathe fresh life into the building. Just prior to closing for the refurbishment the Battlefield crew held a fundraising day and invited a team of five Ukranian volunteers into the kitchen to serve 250 customers to raise funds for Ukraine. They raised £11,252. More on the refurbishment next month.

n Robert Hicks, Helen Chalmers, and the team at The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool are celebrating their Five Gold Star standard awarded by AA Hospitality, the highest accolade to be achieved by a restaurant with rooms. It denotes “luxurious accommodation and public areas with a high-quality menu and wine list’. Robert and Helen said, “We’re absolutely delighted with this recognition from the AA. As soon as we saw it, we felt this place could be special and we’re thrilled that the AA agree. There has been a lot of hard work and dedication by the whole team that has got The Dipping Lugger to where it is now, and we’re so proud to be able to provide a wonderful bolthole to match the picturesque location.”