Eating out has always been an absolute joy for me. I love the whole experience and have always felt relaxed and at home in restaurants. Three weeks ago, I gave birth to a delicious baby girl and although my world is now flooded with love and excitement, I have been terrified that my eating-out experience has been changed forever.
I love to cook at home and have cherished having time “nesting” but it was time to take a leap of faith and re-join civilisation.
Not yet ready to leave baby, and not wanting to go anywhere dedicated to high chairs and ball pools just yet, we decided to be mighty adventurous and have lunch at a rather lovely, sophisticated yet relaxed restaurant in Perth.
North Port has a comforting feel to it; the dark wood panelling and exposed floorboards give a rustic vibe and the candles in the fireplaces add to the old-world cosiness. The welcome from the ladies serving was delightful and they didn’t retreat in horror when they saw the bundle I had brought with me but instead made more than just polite cooing noises.
The lunch menu was presented to us and although the options were limited to four choices per course, they were all interesting and I could have picked any of them. The arrival of the home baked bread with a complimentary flavoured butter and vibrant carrot dip was a delightful surprise and set the tone for things to come.
I chose mushroom soup as my starter which I always think is tricky to make look attractive due to it’s unfortunate grey colour. The texture though was smooth and velvety and the taste deep and earthy. The addition of the rapeseed oil drizzled on top didn’t really add anything and so the dish was fairly one-dimensional but lovely and comforting nonetheless.
Mr Kerry’s starter of haggis, neeps and tatties had no bells and whistles but was simple and tasty. None of the elements of the dish were dry per se but it could perhaps have been lifted by some kind of sauce. Having said that, the plate was attractive and satisfying on a wintry day.
As a main course, I chose the hake fillet. The portion size was delicate and each component had been cooked with care. The crispy-skinned fish was meaty and dense and was complimented by the buttery leeks, chive oil and earthy roasted jerusalem artichokes which I absolutely love. I devoured the dish in minutes and was pleased I had opted for a starter even though I had already eyed-up the desserts.
Mr Kerry’s chicken supreme was far more refined than I had pictured. The sliced breast was moist, the skin crisp and the accompanying spelt, celeriac and savoy was surrounded by a pool of proper gravy. As winter warmers go, this was wholesome yet elegant.
Mr Kerry’s chocolate ganache dessert was predictably rich and decadent and the coffee, cocoa crumb and ice cream added further dimensions but the main event was most definitely the dark, moussy quenelle.
My dessert was my only real disappointment with the meal. Described as Thistly Cross poached apple, malt custard, hazelnut crumble, burnt apple puree, I had visions of a steaming bowl of autumnal loveliness and was crushed when the refined bowl of chilled components was presented.
The malted custard was familiarly Horlicksy and delicious but was sparse and the slices of cold apple lacked the flavour and softness that poaching would ordinarily create. Overall it was fine but compared to the chocolate pudding across the table form me, it was overshadowed.
Our meal at North Port was lovely. The atmosphere was warm, the staff were a delight and the set lunch menu priced at £15.95 for three courses was, in my opinion, very good value. Despite my calm exterior, my panicked inner pleas of “please don’t cry, please don’t cry” (directed at the baby, not my delicate emotional state) seemed to do the trick as my beautiful ticking time bomb didn’t make a sound for the entirety of our lunch.
Maybe there is hope after all of my continuing on my culinary journey and eventually experiencing food for the first time all over again through fresh, excited eyes.
Info
Price: Lunch menu: 2 courses for £12.95, 3 courses for £15.95; pre-theatre menu: 2 courses for £15.95, 3 courses £18.95; a la carte starters: £4.97 – £7.45, main courses: £12.95 – £21.95, desserts: £6.45 – £10.95
Value: 8/10
Menu: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 40/50
Info: North Port
Address: 8 North Port, Perth, PH1 5LU
Tel: 01738 580867
