I’m a great fan of Twitter, as you probably know. If you glance across this page, you can see our latest tweets scrolling away. The reason I mention it, today, is that if it hadn’t been for Twitter, we wouldn’t have ended up at Hewat’s, as it was through that medium that we booked, following their recent call for re-tweets to build their followers.
Black pudding, haggis risotto, pancetta
It was a place that had been on our radar for a while, but it’s located just a whisker off my regularly beaten track, so I hadn’t found the occasion to pop in.
I was joined by Patrick, a regular quester, who was visiting from Istanbul for a few days. Upon arrival, the wonderfully friendly waitresses showed us to our table in their elegant dining room, that was lit by small and twinkly chandelier lights.
Cullen skink
Their midweek set menu offers two courses for £18.50 and three for £22.50. We contemplated the menu, and had quite a struggle, as a number of the dishes, particularly the starters, sounded outstanding. I settled upon the black pudding with haggis risotto, topped with pancetta, while Patrick opted for the Cullen skink with mussels.
Dishes arrived promptly, and looked rather bonnie. I had to try Patrick’s skink, of course, and thought it rather good, with a lovely rustic soup, filled with smokily chunky goodness. I’m not entirely sure what the mussels added to the dish, though.
Tenderloin boar
My black pudding wasn’t quite as satisfying. The black pudding itself was fine, but the haggis risotto was rather gluey.
I think Patrick had the better of the main courses, too, with his duck very nicely prepared, and accompaniments rather tasty. It was a very generous portion, which entirely defeated him.
Duck
My boar dish featured some similar elements to the duck, with a profusion of lovely buttery mash providing the starch element. My boar was a little characterless, though, making forkfuls satisfying enough, without really hitting the heights.
We were both way too full to even contemplate desserts, so rounded things out with coffees, then toddled off down the road.
So overall, the setting, service and presentation of dishes at Hewat’s were all very good, and gave the impression that the food would be outstandingly delicious. Dishes were prepared with skill and care, but a couple of them, namely the two I had, failed to hit the mark. Their portion sizes were too big for this style of food, also, so that could use a rethink.
It’s a truly lovely place with an extremely warm welcome, and maybe if we’d made more judicious menu choices it would have resulted in a better overall experience. I’m glad we visited, as I found it very charming, but I’m not sure it’s somewhere I’ll be rushing back.
Scores
Blythe scores Hewat’s
3.5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 15.5/20
Today’s questers were: Patrick, Blythe
We ate: Cullen skink, black pudding with haggis risotto, duck breast, tenderloin of boar
We drank: water, sparkly water, red wine, white wine
We wore: formal wear, casual wear
Total bill: £53.50
