Making a name for himself...and the Riverside Restaurants talented head chef Paul O'Malley (right)Game for the challenge
Although he's only been at Kirkfieldbank's Riverside Restaurant a matter of months, head chef Paul O'Malley is already 'game' for taking on the best his London counterparts have to offer.
Indeed, Paul is Scotland's only finalist in the forthcoming 2009 UK's Best Game Dish competition where he is up against two top chefs from Down South.
Hopes are high that Paul's take on a classically-cooked poached then roasted venison dish will take the top prize in the contest, sponsored by the game industry and run in the Restaurant magazine.
There's more than a little bit of local pride at stake here; Paul's arrival at the Riverside is a major step towards winning the major gamble taken by the owners when they re-opened the defunct restaurant and pub — bang in the middle of the recession in February.
With Kirkfieldbank being off the usual culinary beaten path, well outside Scotland's two main cities which seem to monopolise the attention of the food press and critics, the only way the venture was going to succeed was for the Riverside to quickly win a name as a place of excellence.
Game contest...venison dish
Paul has the experience to carry this off with spells at the likes of
the Grove Hotel in London and the Cameron House Hotel in Loch Lomond in his CV.
He's also worked with John Wood at the Burj al Arab Hotel, the only eatery in the world that boasts a seven star rating.
Now drafted into the Riverside, Paul has quickly made his mark, winning the restaurant its Eat Scotland quality accrediation in almost record time and at the very first attempt, a badge of honour many premises spend fruitless years trying to obtain.
Now comes the news that he's been judged one of the United Kingdom's top three game chefs with his entry for the Game-to-Eat competition.
Some may say that Paul will be starting with an advantage, Clydesdale producing some of the best venison inthe nation.
Of course, it is what he has done with the raw ingredients that will decide the matter.
Already a national newspaper restaurant critic has complimented him on the maturity and judgement of taste combinations he brings to his work.
The dish he is hoping will win him, and the Riverside, national fame is a poached and roasted locally-produced (of course) venison loin with quince, Jerusalem artichokes and venison and foie gras Charlotte.
Said Paul: "We have only been operating for months. Getting this recognition so early reinforces my belief that offering evening fine dining, using the best local ingredients, at a reasonable price can be a recipe for success.
"Hopefully it will encourage customers to travel from outwith our immediate area."
The result of the competition will be published in the Restaurant magazine later this month. Here's hoping that the judges favour our local hero Paul; such a result will have the restaurant critics down in London scratching their heads and asking: "Where on earth is this Kirkfieldbank place?"
They may be about to find out...
19/11/09
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