Cail Bruich — Restaurant in Scotland

This New Year’s Eve meal was the best meal of my life, better even than than (phenomenal) meals at restaurants with more Michelin stars… because the overall experience was just… perfect and yet personal. The night was magical and elevated and seamlessly comfortable… Was is it the whole staff working seamlessly as a unit? Chef Lorna McNee’s brilliance and love for Scotland? Glasgow itself? All of these, maybe.

This is a long overdue review for a stunning, perfect New Year’s Eve tasting menu experience for my husband’s 50th birthday. I say experience rather than meal, because the entire night was expertly crafted and executed to ensure sublime culinary revelations while managing to feel perfectly intimate, comfortable, and warm. How is it possible to have so much work put into each dish and the highest quality of service and yet everything seem… relaxed and delightful?

The wine pairing was the best any of us have ever had, even from 3 star Michelin restaurants, which is directly due to their phenomenal sommelier’s clear passion deep joy for finding wines that enhance the dishes while shining on their own- this is not a job, but a calling. I’ve had great sommeliers before, but this was a PERSONAL wine pairing in the best way- so much thought and love for the art went into every choice.

Each dish was perfect and surprising yet also like, “OF COURSE this works!” for flavor combinations I would not have imagined. The attention to detail is far beyond a one-star restaurant, and I can’t figure out why it doesn’t have 2 Michelin stars. Here is an example of the level of care taken for the diners: my friend hates beets, which was the side dish to one small dish (I don’t remember details because I am writing this 4 months late), and not only did they substitute a different side, they made a complicated and completely different yet perfectly complementary side that must have taken quite a bit of labor on its own… for one person! Fine dining is an art form. An exacting art form that demands the best out of every single person involved in the evening, and this was a perfect execution of an experience that felt… effortless perfect and JOYFUL. What a way to ring in the new year, with an unforgettable experience and genuine warmth. You know it had to be something extraordinary if I am still thinking about it enough four months later to be compelled to write this review, typing it out with two fingers on my iPhone, no less. I would love to return to Glasgow and Cail Bruich. Both are tremendously underrated, even though they are...

Mixed Experience at Cail Bruich – Excellent Food, Poor Service

Today, I visited Cail Bruich to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday, expecting a memorable experience given its Michelin star status. I booked the five-course set lunch menu with a wine pairing, and the bill for two exceeded £500—an amount not unusual for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The food itself was outstanding—the flavors and presentation were top-notch. I’ve enjoyed similar quality at other Michelin-starred establishments for less money and with greater flexibility. However, the service and management left a lot to be desired.

Upon arrival, a man, whom I overheard identifying as the Operations Manager, handed us the menu and explained the options. The menu was a set menu along with a separate piece of paper that included the supplementary charges. Notably, on the main menu, there was an option for Deer OR Grouse for the main course. The second piece of paper stated that there was a £10 per person supplement for the grouse. Both menus made it seem like an option available to each individual diner—particularly since, on a set menu, one would expect to be able to order it if dining alone.

This however was not the case; I chose the grouse for myself, and my mum opted for the deer. When the manager returned, he told us both had to order the grouse if we wanted it, as it wasn’t available per person but only as a set choice for both diners. When I asked why, he explained it was due to how the dish was cooked. I then inquired what would happen if an individual diner, or three people wanted the grouse—he barely responded and quickly left, offering no clear explanation.

This inflexible and opaque approach felt unnecessary and disappointing, especially at such a premium price point. It seemed they were trying to limit orders for cost-saving reasons, which is not what I would expect from a Michelin-starred venue. Had I been dining alone or with more guests, I believe I could have ordered the grouse freely.

While the food was truly excellent, the lack of transparency and flexibility in handling menu choices detracted significantly from the overall experience. For the price, I expect higher standards of service, clear communication, and respect for guests’ preferences.

Would I return? Unlikely. The culinary quality is there, but the service and management approach fell short of the standards I associate with a Michelin-starred restaurant. I hope they reconsider their policies to better serve their patrons...

On Saturday the 18th.June 2016 My wife and I had a reservation for a table at this restaurant for our wedding anniversary. As I was using AA rosette vouchers (£50) to pay for part of the meal my wife emailed the restaurant to ensure this was acceptable, she received a reply confirming that they the restaurant would except the vouchers. We had asked for a table for 19.30 but were informed that the restaurant good only give us a table at 18.30,a little bit earlier than we would have liked but we accepted the time. At 18.20 we arrived and were shown to our table after ordering drinks we were ready to place our order, my wife and I decided we would have the tasting menu at £55 per head,our intention was also have the wines that accompanied each course at £35 per person. So you can imagine our surprise at the waitress stating that she would have to ask if we could have the tasting menu. On her return she said we could not have it, as it needed to be booked in advance also they required the table and there would be insufficient time to serve us our dinner and have the table ready for the next booking,but we could order from the al a carte menu. We thought strange but plausible so we ordered our starter and main course. Whilst we were eating our starter a couple sat at the table next to us and they asked for the tasting menu on que the waitress said she would enquire if that was possible, on her return she said that the couple could indeed have the tasting menu (see wife start to boil). It then transpired that the couple on the other side of us were also eating from the tasting menu (see wife nearly explode). We then decided to eat up and leave, on paying the bill my wife asked why we were told we could not have the tasting menu but the couples either side were allowed. After flaffing and apologising the owner said they need the table but if we had booked for 20.00 we wouldn't have been refused also we should have stated we intended to have the tasting menu!!!!. My wife then asked was it down to our using vouchers once again the owner could only apologise and stated it was down to needing the table. No where on the web site does it say to pre book the tasting menu, so thank you for spoiling our wedding anniversary night and we certainly will...