Eating in Glencoe: The Gathering

One of the attractions of the Caravan Club site at Bunree is it's proximity to Glencoe.

This spectacular valley, with it's stunning views and rich if tragic history is one of our very favorite places and there are few things we love more than settling down to eat lunch in the midst of this spectacular scenery. But until now, for us eating in Glencoe meant a picnic. Now, well, now we're not entirely sure. I suspect you'll see why as you read on.

The Glencoe Gathering is a new enterprise, but we spotted it immediately as we drove past on the way to the Bunree site and were immediately attracted to the pale blue wooden structure. It's an inviting place which fits in well with its surroundings, in spite of the fact that it looks as though it was designed more for a Cornish sea front than a highland glen.

The front of the building, facing the A82, is an informal bar, complete with pool table and tolerance of muddy walking boots. The slightly raised rear of the property presents as a slightly more refined restaurant area - the sign in the carpark sends you to the front with muddy boots and to the back with fancy shoes.

This is actually rather clever because the carpark is at the rear, so customers arriving at the back will almost certainly have driven there, while customers approaching from the front are likely to be walkers, while those approaching from the rear have probably arrived in a car, as we did.

We dined there on a rather overcast and drizzly day, so we didn't feel inclined to make use of the extensive decking area outside the restaurant, but I can see that on a suitable day having your meal on the deck would be most agreeable. As it was we took our seats inside - which was an equally agreeable space. High ceilinged and painted in pleasing pastels, I found the surfer chic image rather refreshing - in such an iconicly Scottish location it takes balls to eshew the tyranny of tartan and I applaud the Glencoe Gathering for not taking the obvious route.

So, it was with a spring in our step that we took our seats and perused the menus which our slightly surly young waitress brought over.

I don't want to make too much of the miserable attitude of one member of staff, however. Her Chuck Taylor baseball boots and the pen sticking up antenna like from one of her platts suggested the sort of fun, cool, slightly kooky personality the Gathering seemed to be trying to present - and after all, anybody can have an off day. She might also have been new to the job and inexperienced - she did seem very young. The other staff were all lovely, so that's probably what it was.

Regular readers will be astonished to learn that I chose their Heritage Burger. Made with beef that had been aged for twenty eight days, the way it used to be back in the old days when food still tasted of something. It was served in a rather dry cakey sort of roll, which was nicer than it sounded, the ubiquitous salad garnish aioli and chips.

It was delicious.

The chips (and, to their immense credit that's what they called them - none of your "fries" nonsense) were lightly golden, crispy on the outside, fluffy and white on the inside and frankly a joy to eat. The burger patty was juicy, well seasoned and full of flavour. In many ways though, the star of the show was the garnish and the aioli.

The salad garnish is pretty much ubiquitous these days. It seems to be served everywhere with everything, I don't think anyone ever eats it. I shudder to think how many tonnes of leaves are discarded every year. I'm delighted to say that at the Glencoe Gathering has found an inspired alternative.

The diner is presented with a mix of samphire and rocket, the saltiness of the samphire perfectly complimenting the pepperiness of the rocket. I've never come across such a thing before, but the concept of a "salt and pepper salad" strikes me as sheer genius.

The aioli was equally impressive. It was thick, rich and packed a garlicky punch that would take your head off. I can't think when I've had better, and if there is a substance more perfectly suited to the dipping of chips I have yet to find it.

Mrs Snail opted for the Garlicky Chicken Skewers. Big chunks of chicken, sharing their eponymous skewers with bite sized chunks of pepper and onion, then char grilled. Served again with that inspired rocket and samphire salad and those awesome chips. Oddly, given these were Garlicky Chicken Skewers, they arrived not with a pot of that unctuous aioli, but with a delightfully firey chilli jam.

Again, the combination was delicious.

It is unfortunate in the extreme therefore that one of those chunks of chargrilled chicken wasn't properly cooked.

In defence of the chef I should stress that it looked cooked, and had clearly been shielded from the heat of the grill by a chunk of pepper. But still, semi raw chicken is never good.

And yet, and yet, we'd still go back. Think about that for a second. Yes, our experience at the Glencoe Gathering was a bit of a Curate's egg - good in parts. I can't think of any other time when a mardy looking waitress and half cooked ckicken would elicit anything other than the harshest possible review. But I just can't bring myself to be negative about this place. I just liked it too much. The ideas behind the food and the general ambience were such threat the place deserves another chance.

I really do suggest that you try it - we might just see you there.