The small town of Pitlochry has a lot going for it.
There’s plenty of hotels and places to stay, various restaurant options and there’s lots of little shops to pick up trinkets and all sorts.
Just up the road on the A924 you’ll find Moulin, an even smaller village which lies in the Tummel Valley.
Moulin Hotel
Driving along my boyfriend and I were met by a huge white building which read “The Moulin Hotel” and decided to pull in around the back to park up and grab a bite to eat. Funnily enough, just a few days prior I’d watched a TikTok video of a man showing off the hotel’s brewery (open Monday to Friday), which we were now parked in front of.
Heading back around to the front entrance, I couldn’t help but appreciate the history this building will hold. According to their website the hotel has been serving up Highland hospitality since 1695.
We visited on a Sunday lunchtime just before Christmas so I fully expected it to be too busy, however, we were in luck as there weren’t too many people in the bar area at all. It was decked in festive decorations, many of them reminding me of my family’s 90s Christmas gear.
The man who greeted us advised we could sit anywhere, and because it was cold we opted for one of the, hopefully, cosy booths.
We were handed a menu each and ordered two pints of Diet Coke. The interior was quite traditional. Old patterned carpets, wooden fixtures, old golf clubs on the wall and lights made from wood shaped into antlers. There were pictures of animals like dogs and birds along the walls, and multiple stained glass windows on the booth sections.
The food
He shortly returned with our drinks and told us what the soup of the day was. I’d eyed up the Highland game madras curry but couldn’t figure out what was in it from the menu. I asked one of the team passing by and she recited the meats used. I fancied something comforting and warming and thought I’d try it as it was a little bit different.
For starters though, I couldn’t see past the prawn cocktail. My other half decided on the haggis nachos, knowing fine well my mitts would no doubt make their way to his plate at some point.
We ordered with the lady and only had a short wait until they arrived.
The cheddar cheese on the haggis nachos was completely melted, almost molten, over the tortilla crisps. The MacDonald’s haggis was peppery, and there was plenty of it. Some of the crisps had gone soggy as he made his way through the stringy cheese, but the ones around the edges were crisp – a much-needed balance when devouring nachos.
The oiliness of some of the ingredients meant it was a little wet at the bottom and the salsa had also been heated up which I think had a part to play, too. Ramekins of guacamole and sour cream were served on the side.
My prawn cocktail had plenty of prawns, all of which had been smothered in a creamy Marie Rose sauce. It wasn’t as zingy as I like, but there was plenty of it.
The peppery rocket within the leaves added a freshness to it all, and there was half a cherry tomato and a wedge of lemon on the side. I didn’t bother squeezing the lemon over it as I really enjoyed the sauce as it was. A piece of multi-seed bread had been cut in half and buttered, so I used this to get all the sauce off the glass bowl.
A couple of tables of groups of people had joined us in the bar area, with plenty of them enjoying a drink or two. A couple beside us had their dog, and I couldn’t help but overhear they were both having braised onion soup.
Our mains weren’t far behind the starters, with Calum’s chicken and Stornoway black pudding gracing the table first.
The large breast of chicken had been split in half and stuffed with black pudding and was served with boiled sliced carrots and sugar snap peas. He’d requested to get it with chips, which were nice and fluffy, and most of the plate had been covered with the grain mustard cream sauce.
He adored the sauce which was incredibly rich and the mustard seeds added a lovely depth to it as well as texture.
The only downfall was that the chicken was too dry, however the black pudding was juicy and packed full of flavour. It was a real highlight for him.
I had high hopes for my Highland curry as it was something a bit different. The sauce very heavy on the tomato side and lacked any real flavour other than tomato and onion.
The various peppers (red, green, yellow) were possibly culprits to the added water that maybe toned the madras sauce down, and I felt all of the game including the venison, mallard (duck), pigeon and rabbit was all a little overdone. It is hard to make sure that all these meats are treated individually, so I wasn’t sure if bringing them all together in the one pot had worked as well as I was hoping.
While the rice was boiled well, I felt it didn’t add much to the flavour either.
There were two big poppadoms hanging from the side of the dish. I was looking forward to these but they were both quite chewy and didn’t snap as you’d expect a poppadom to. I ate almost one and left the other. Mango chutney was served in a ramekin in the middle of the bowl.
Calum fancied ending our experience with something sweet.
Our apple and cinnamon homemade crumble was served in a bowl with a large jug of cream, which he lapped up. It had been toasted on top under the grill and we both appreciated the crunchy top. The cinnamon was utterly delicious and Calum couldn’t get enough of the soft apples inside.
It came served piping hot and really helped warm us up before we ventured back outside into the cold.
The verdict
There’s a wide variety of dishes available on the menu, with home cooking clearly at the forefront of the offering.
It was great to see lots of people enjoying the bar space with their dogs, which makes the Moulin Hotel an easy option for those who love hiking with their four-legged friends.
The portion sizes were all really generous and so the venue is good value for money.
Information
Address: The Moulin Hotel, 11-13 Kirkmichael Road, Moulin, Pitlochry PH16 5EW
T: 01796 472196
Price: £62.05 for two starters, two mains, one dessert and two soft drinks (pint size)
Scores:
- Food: 3/5
- Service: 3/5
- Surroundings: 3/5
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