The Riverhouse, Stirling

After passing the Riverhouse on many occasions, I'd often made a mental reminder to pay it a visit and when that time came, I was not dissapointed.

It was a Wednesday night, over a year ago. Tub picked me up at work and we had the idea of going as a spur of moment kind of thing. Now the Riverhouse has a good reputation in this area and is apparently owned by TV presenter Carol Smiley's husband.

Set on what the website discribes as a 'Loch side setting', The building is close to the motorway and nestles in the shadow of Stirling Castle. When you walk into the restaurant, you just know it's going to be expensive but satisifying.

We opted for a drink before our meal in the small bar area where we were shown the menu. As it was only 5pm there was a special early menu, offering two courses and a drink for £12.95 each.

Around ten minutes later we were shown to a quiet table with a view of what they call a loch (in my opinion, a pond.)

We decided to order a salad for starters, with salmon for me and chicken for Tub for mains. The starter arrived and was very well presented, but slightly over-priced for the size.

The mains made up for this though. My Salmon came topped with a slice of smoked salmon in a delicious creamy sauce and a shared side serving of fresh veg. The chicken looked promising two, complete with haggis and a whiskey sauce. Both were a little small, but Tub admitted he wished he had picked the salmon when I told him it was the best I had tasted.

We finished off the meal with a small portion of cheesecake between us which presentation wise, was excellent, but the taste left a lot to be desired.

All together, the Riverhouse was everything I expected it to be. The overall taste of the food was excellent, but portion size was small. I'm sure I will visit again for a special occasion or to try the lunch menu.

Food 9/10
Price 7/10 A little pretentious
Service 8/10

Riverhouse Restaurant,
Castle Business Park,
Stirling
http://www.riverhouserestaurant.co.uk/home.htm