My own definition of the difference is simple:
- Are you likely to choose the place because of the food - even staying in cheaper accommodation nearby just to be able to eat there?
- When you read about the place in guidebooks and listings or when local people recommend it, do they talk about the food rather than the rooms?
Recently on Orkney, where every hole in the wall cafe serves superb crab cakes, crab salads and shellfish, I sampled two restaurants with rooms and heard about a third that is making an international name for itself.
Here's the lowdown:
The Sands Hotel
- Address: Burray, Orkney KW17 2SS
- Tel:(from US 011) 44 (0)1856 731298
- Email: info@thesandshotel.co.uk
- Information and booking:
- Prices: Dining, moderate to high; rooms moderate
Overlooking Burray Harbour and Watersound Bay, this was a 19th century herring store. It served a variety of purposes before the current owners took over and turned it into a 4-star small hotel and restaurant.
Dining: The colorful dining room has a marine theme and feels a bit like being on the saloon deck of an old yacht. The menu emphasizes local ingredients and very well prepared seafood. We tried creamy garlic mushrooms to start followed by the sweetest scallops ever, with bacon and leeks, in an orange butter sauce. The scallops were locally dived. Everything was well prepared and presented. Top marks.
Rooms: Owner Evelyn Gunn recently redecorated the simple, tranquil rooms in soft natural colours and pastels. They are fresh and comfortably contemporary. There are six double and twin B&B rooms and two self-catering suites that sleep six each.
Foveran Hotel and Restaurant
- Address: St. Ola, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1SF
- Tel:(from US 011) 44 (0)1856 872389
- Email: foveranhotel@aol.com
- Information and booking:
- Prices: Dining, moderate to high; rooms moderate to high
A Scandinavian-style restaurant hotel with good views of Scapa Flow and the southern islands. This family-owned hotel is winner of a Taste of Scotland award, a Gold Award for Green Tourism and two crossed forks from Michelin.
Dining: Before dinner, aperitifs are served in a relaxed sitting room beside a blazing hearth. Very cosy. Although it's hard to resist seafood on Orkney, islanders are also proud of their locally grown, grass-fed, organic beef. So after some yummy crab cakes to start, I opted for a filet of beef under a pastry lattice with a touch of haggis. I'd never tasted haggis before and I have to report that it's not bad. The steak was gorgeous (something, I must confess, I can't always say about steaks in the UK), as were the parade of vegetables that appeared for us to share. And then, for a surprise, several platters of fat, juicy oysters were presented.
Rooms: Furniture is Scandinavian influenced with soft colors, gentle prints and lots of wood. The rooms are simple but modern and comfortable. Overall the hotel is run to a very high standard.
The Creel
We never made it to The Creel, which recently added rooms. But we felt we could not leave this topic without mentioning a restaurant with an international reputation that even Londoners make special trips to Orkney for. Chef Alan Craigie was named Scottish Restaurant Chef of the Year by the Scottish Chefs Association and the restaurant has two AA rosettes and Michelin crossed forks. Specialties include hand dived local scallops, seaweed-fed North Ronaldsey lamb and Orkney grown fruit and vegetables. Something to look forward to for next time, I guess. Meanwhile, if you're lucky enough to visit it, send us your comments, and we'll share them here.
