Iona At Toravaig House - Highland

This was an interesting experience. Before dinner you are asked to come into the lounge and have a pre dinner drink if you like (not compulsory). You are given the dinner menu and wine list. You are served a pre dinner amuse bouche, then asked what you would like to eat for entree, main and desert. Also what wine you would like for each course. Once completing step 1 you can enter the restaurant proper. After being seated entree comes within seconds. Some time later your first wine arrives (in our case after we finished the entire). We had crab and I think the one crab supplied the whole restaurant I. E. It was a very small serve. There is a pleasant, but unnecessary palate cleanser served, and then main course. Again the wine comes some time after the meal is served. We both had sirloin. Not unpleasant but it required some chewing. Yet another palate cleanser unnecessary. Desert was pleasant. The cheese plate was good but the cheeses had come straight out of the fridge. The Brie was like rubber. £55 each for the food then tea or coffee were extra. Only Australian or NewZealand wines by the glass and they weren’t representative of the high quality of wines available in those countries. They are trying too hard as they have excellent raw materials. In our opinion the process needs to be more relaxed and the meals less fancy.

We arrived without a reservation and we were warmly greeting and treated like family. The food selection was good and very tasty.

The Iona Restaurant, a small dining room in the Toravaig House Hotel, is very nice and elegant with delicious food, excellent service, and a nice view but a little overpriced. We had very nice bread rolls and two magnificent appetizers (scallops and roasted breast of grouse with a few vegetables and berries), followed by excellent venison steak for each of us which was perfectly accompanied by an Argentinian Malbec wine. For dessert we shared a chocolate torte with white chocolate ice cream.

Had dinner there twice. Food was good but totally overpriced. Wine list is a rip off. Will not recommend.

Had an evening meal here whilst staying in a local B&B. Menu is above average in cost but the food was excellent and the surroundings were really nice making it worth the additional cost. We had lamb and cod followed by apricot pudding and raspberry panna cota. Portions are not too large so you can eat several courses without feeling too full. This is important as the desserts are excellent and not to be missed.