The Adamson, St Andrews

Sunday lunch is always a good idea isn’t it? Especially in St Andrews.

I was invited to review The Adamson on South Street and, as a girl who loves to eat (not just chocolate), I accepted without hesitation! I had heard only good things about The Adamson, particularly following the success of their former chef on hit TV show, Masterchef.

We arrived to a warm welcome; the staff smiled (you’d think this would be a given, but not always) and were quick to make us comfortable, while our surroundings were elegant but not pretentious. Once we were settled at our table, our waitress (by far the best that I have experienced locally) brought us iced water and offered us a mini loaf with olives. The bread was fresh (so much so that it was still warm, and spongy) and dunking it into the oils and spreading it generously with olive paste was my idea of pre-lunch heaven. We also had a bowl of olives and almonds which suited us perfectly; he ate the nuts, I ate the olives (which were, rather surprisingly, as tasty as those found in warmer climates).

We washed them down with a lime and soda (stupidly, we took the car) and a Lychee Martini, the sweetness of which was counteracted by the sharpness of lemon. I could happily have had another; it was refreshing and the white rum reminded me of hot holidays spent on the beach, with sand in my toes and salt in my hair.

Soon afterwards, our starters arrived: mussels for him, tomato gazpacho for me. Two dishes as different as could be, yet equally as delicious. The mussels were enormous and there were loads of them (don’t you hate when there aren’t enough?), with plenty of light sauce for dipping the crusty bread in. (I know, more carbs – but Sundays were made for carbicide.) The day we visited The Adamson was bright and warm, so my gazpacho was a good selection. The tomatoes were served in a shallow bowl, with cucumber and avocado cream and fresh basil, and the gazpacho came in a jug on the side. The waitress poured, and I devoured.

At this point we were both stuffed, but we did have a good plan for accommodating a large lunch – no breakfast, no dinner. So we continued. Out came a fillet steak, medium rare (for him) and a whole lobster (for me). The steak was cooked superbly – a plump piece of meat without a shred of fat, seared on the outside and soft and pink on the inside. Mr Man chose the ‘Surf and Turf’, the option to add king prawns in garlic butter to any of the grilled dishes, and my goodness, they were mouth-watering. Yes, I nicked a couple. My lobster was meaty, but light. It tasted fresh and full of flavour and was complemented nicely by the rocket and parmesan salad it was served with. Both dishes came with the salad and french fries and both lasted no more than fifteen minutes.

To finish, we shared two desserts; creme brulee with salted caramel ice cream, and coconut pannacotta. The creme brulee was quite small, so we did feel less guilty about ordering dessert, but you wouldn’t want too much of it as it was very creamy. The texture was just right, both inside and on top, while the ice cream was divine. Salted caramel anything is just the BEST. The coconut pannacotta was interesting, but when enjoyed with a spoonful of raspberry sorbet it made total sense, sending our taste buds into a frenzied dance of joy! The mini meringues and strawberries added some romance and detail to an otherwise simple (but elegant) dessert.

Final thought? 10 out of 10. No question.

With thanks to The Adamson for having us for lunch. You can view the main menu here, or, if you’re in St Andrews for The Open this week, why not try The Adamson’s Open Championship menu for lunch? Or, pop in to the new cocktail bar (it’s so chic!) for a Lychee Martini, or try The 19th Tee, a cocktail of hickory smoked Eden Mill golf gin, earl grey ‘tee’ syrup, benedictine & orange bitters. I’d seriously recommend the cocktail bar, as one of the cocktail waiters is winning awards and competitions left, right and centre.

Images: Kris Miller