Review: It's time we started shouting about McBain's By The River

Before a friend went a few weeks back, I don’t think I had ever heard anyone talking about McBain’s By The River, despite the rave reviews on Tripadvisor.

She is a fellow foodie and was raving about how good it was, so I was really keen to give it a go myself.

Right on the river, the small front means you could walk past it quite easily, but no more. After the meal we had there last weekend, we’ll be shouting about it to anyone who will listen.

McBain’s By The River

Even calling up to book days in advance, I could only get a table for myself and my boyfriend Aidan at 8.30pm on a Saturday night. It was busy when we arrived, with all of the 10 or so tables full or being quickly turned around for more diners.

We were taken to a table in the corner by the window. It was a little cramped with a table of six between us and the rest of the restaurant, but it is still tourist season in the city so it was fair enough that they were trying to squeeze as many people in as they could. It was quite warm which is a real pet peeve of mine in a restaurant, but again it was small and busy which explains that.

There were three members of staff working throughout our meal who seemed to be sharing the workload between them. They were all lovely and chatty, and the service was quick without feeling rushed despite how busy they were.

The food

I had looked up the menu before we went and was excited by it. It’s rare that I am not drawn to one or two dishes, but we both really struggled to decide what we wanted to have from all the delicious-sounding options.

We started with a ginger beer (£2.80) and a mojito mocktail (£6.50). The latter was a great balance of zesty and sweet, which went well with my meal. It’s also worth mentioning there was free fresh bread brought to the table with olive oil and balsamic for dipping – a real treat these days.

Aidan was thrilled with his calamari starter.

One of the specials for the evening was a deep fried panko calamari with a pickled mango, carrot and cucumber salad with a honey, mango and sweet chilli dip (£12.65), which Aidan chose for his starter.

The three rings were huge and meaty, not chewy in the slightest. They weren’t at stodgy or oily either, and the tropical accompaniments were a fresh change to the bland salad you often get with calamari. We heard someone at the table next to us tell one of the waitresses it was the best calamari they had ever had, and Aidan agreed.

I skipped a starter and went straight for a main course of Loch Ness honey and caraway duck breast with crispy polenta cake, braised white cabbage, roast purple stem broccoli, cashew nuts and a port jus (£29.95).

I was delighted to find the duck was cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth. Polenta isn’t my favourite, but this was done well and worked with the other sides. I loved the cabbage and the rich jus which was seasoned beautifully.

The cashews were a real surprise too, adding a crunch I would have loved even more of.

For his main, Aidan chose the chef’s signature dish; Speyside venison, creamy parsnip puree, Stornoway black pudding, parmentier potatoes, roasted asparagus, garlic and thyme roasted wild mushrooms and a port jus (£30.95).

The portion was huge, which isn’t something Aidan says often. The meat was tender and just the right level of pink, covered in the rich port jus. The asparagus added a fresh bite while the black pudding was deliciously savoury.

I was right in saying Aidan’s eyes were bigger than his belly when he ordered McBain’s loaded fries with steak strips, mixed peppers and onions topped with chipotle sauce and cheese (£6.95) as well as his main dish.

He didn’t manage much of it, but was happy to say they were fully loaded as promised. One thing to note is that they were very spicy, so definitely not one for anyone with a low spice tolerance.

Though we were pretty full, we can never skip dessert, so we split one.

I am so glad we did, because the white chocolate and vanilla panna cotta with a tuile biscuit, fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis (£8.50) was one of the best desserts I have had in a long time.

The texture was exactly what you want from a panna cotta, firm but not too much so. The flavour was strong but not too sweet with flecks of real vanilla clearly visible – and was balanced out by the sharp raspberry coulis.

The verdict

The only reason I can think of for why McBain’s isn’t talked about more is the fact that it is on the smaller side, so it’s maybe not the place for anyone who hasn’t booked in advance.

We will definitely be back to McBain’s By The River.

We were so impressed with the variety available on the menu, which was a lovely mix of traditional dishes with twists and sides that made them feel fresh. The bill was on the pricier side, especially considering we didn’t have alcohol or three courses each, but it was obvious that the money goes into top quality produce so we didn’t begrudge paying it.

All in all, we had a fantastic evening and have added McBain’s to the list of places we recommend.