Local chefs Dean Banks and Mark Donald have been awarded 3 AA Rosettes for their restaurants in Edinburgh and Crieff.
Dean Banks at The Pompadour and The Glenturret Lalique were both announced as recipients of the AA Hospitality Award for 2022.
It’s the second culinary accolade for Glenturret Lalique, which also received a coveted Michelin star last month.
Based in Scotland’s oldest working whisky distillery in Crieff, The Glenturret Lalique is headed by chef Mark Donald, whose dishes have won high praise in recent months.
The dining establishment offers a unique gastronomic experience in a luxurious dining room overlooking the River Turret.
Congratulations to Mark Donald and all the team at the Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, @DrinkGlenturret, on achieving 3 #AARosettes.https://t.co/MplM4AVPss #AAawards #AARatedTrips @GlenturretRes @VisitCrieff @VisitScotland @rakporcelaineu pic.twitter.com/8kfEIJbYYB
— AA Hospitality (@AAHospitality) March 2, 2022
Masterchef: The Professionals 2018 finalist Dean Banks and his team have been at The Pompadour since summer 2021.
It is located within Edinburgh’s luxury Waldorf Astoria – The Caledonian Hotel and serves fusion-style fine dining using the very best local produce from Edinburgh, Fife and beyond.
The restaurant recently launched a new nine-course lunch menu priced at £55 per head.
Dean also reopened his restaurant Haar in St Andrews in December 2021 in a new venue on the town’s Golf Place.
Dean Banks ‘delighted’
He said: “We are of course thrilled to have received our three AA rosettes for 2022 – it’s all about our amazing team here at The Pompadour and everyone has worked so hard, I’m delighted that work has been recognised with this prestigious accolade.
“To be acknowledged like this is fantastic for me and for the staff, for all the hard work that has been put in to creating an amazing customer experience, from sourcing produce direct from fishermen and farmers, all these things behind the scenes.
“We are humbled as a team to gain this award after being open for such a short period of time.”
What are AA Rosettes?
Every year, dining establishments across the UK are awarded accolades by the AA Rosette scheme.
Established in 1956, the purpose of the rosettes are to assess the quality of food served by restaurants and hotels.
According to the AA Restaurant Guide, success or failure in achieving rosettes is based on one or more visits by an AA inspector to a hotel or restaurant.
Around 10% of restaurants nationwide are of a standard that is worthy of one Rosette and above. Two rosettes are deemed excellent, three outstanding, four, among the top in the UK and five, the pinnacle.
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