The Rookery — Restaurant in Scotland

I really want to like The Rookery. Carnoustie really needs a top-quality restaurant and this place has everything going for it. It has a great setting, great views and it's smart and stylish. The only problem is every time I go there it ends in disappointment. Two visits previously. It was a waiter who failed to get a simple order for a bacon and egg roll right, twice! Last time. I ordered fish and chips. The fish had more grease in it than an average-size North Sea oil field, and the chips had been fried to oblivion: there was literally no potato left in them: they were just shells of deep-fried nothing. This time we arrived to find a one-man band starting up in the bar area. He was loud. To be honest I nearly turned around and left but we had booked and we needed to eat. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to have mediocre pop music blasted at the diners constantly for 2 hours, but whoever it was needs to have a serious think about what they're trying to achieve. He wasn't terrible, but he should have been in the pub up the road, not in the Rookery. The restaurant is just a long tunnel and there was nowhere to hide. Despite our table being at the far end, conversation was still next to impossible. The food was decidedly average and unmemorable and certainly didn't justify the ever-increasing prices on the new menu. The Pave desert was so tiny we had a laugh about it when it arrived. Service from the two young members of staff was excellent at first but, as the restaurant emptied, they became increasingly hard to track down. Sad to say then, for the third time in a row I left the rookery disappointed. I doubt we'll be...

My partner and I recently visited The Rookery in Carnoustie for a Valentine's meal, and while the first impressions were lovely, the overall experience fell short. The ambience was charming, with a solo guitar player adding a relaxing touch to the evening, which we truly appreciated. We began with the meat and cheese selection, which was beautiful - a great sharing platter that we both enjoyed. However, things took a turn when, about 10 minutes into our meal, the waitress asked if we were finished, even though it was clear we were still eating. Shortly after, she came back to inform us that we needed to order our mains soon, as the kitchen would be closing. It was only 8 pm, and other diners were still arriving, so we felt incredibly rushed, which really affected our experience. When our mains arrived, unfortunately, the quality didn't match the expectation. The chicken on the risotto was awful - soggy with burnt areas underneath , and the meat itself was dry. My pork belly, which looked promising, was disappointing; it wasn't crispy on top and was overly fatty. Given the rushed atmosphere and the poor quality of the food, I'm afraid I won't be returning. It's a shame because the setting had potential, but the service and food...

A nice entrance and welcome from the Maitre. Had reservation and promptly seated with coats taken to cloakroom. Chilled flask of water provided immediately. Decent amount of time allowed to settle in and appreciate the surroundings and the view over one of the best golf courses in the world before offered to order drinks. No pressure. Quite a short menu for both food and drink but what is offered is top quality. Ordered 2 mains; duck and venison. Portions were small but meat and accompanying vegetables, sauces etc were fantastic. No rubber ducks or overcooked venison here - and Daphne knows her tatties. Sticky toffee pudding to follow. A bit disappointing in amount and flavour. A bit dry. The adage that you can serve mediocre food but finish with a great pudding forgotten. And this was not mediocre food. A lovely Argentinian Malbec completed the experience. The other slight negative was that there was a persistent cold draft. We were frozen when we arrived, thus the choice of pudding, and regretted surrendering our coats. Other diners seemed unconcerned. Maybe it was our table location, which was worth the suffering. A memorable meal, more for the location than...