I recently took a weekend break up in Inverness and, naturally, surveyed the area for good food and drink.

Rocpool was number 1 on my list of places to eat in Inverness, but was actually the last we went to as they close on Sundays. In the run up to my meal here, everyone cooed over Rocpool and told us how much we’d enjoy it – I was almost worried about having such high hopes.

We took a look at the menu and decided we weren’t hungry enough for main courses, but in addition to that I have to say I wasn’t massively drawn to the main course section. From 8 options, only three were seafood which I found odd for a restaurant called Rocpool! With that said, the options we took were absolutely flawless.

Shetland Mussels with Thai Red Curry Cream, Spring Onions & Coriander

The mussels were absolutely beautiful and the portion was ridiculously generous! We had to team-attack it and even then we didn’t finish it between us! The Thai Red Curry cream was really sweet and light.

Hand Dived West Coast King Scallops with Baby Chorizo Sausages,
Spring Onion Crème Fraiche, Garlic & Parsley butter & Lemon

These made me SO happy. The teeny little chorizo flavoured sausages were beautiful – they weren’t pure chorizo so they had a lovely soft texture which accompanied the perfectly cooked scallops. I thought at the time that the  creme fraiche was actually tzatziki – it was so cooling and refreshing. The combination of flavoured just worked so beautifully – I was genuinely sad when I was finished!

Risotto Nero with Grilled King Prawns & Stir Fry of Baby Calamari with Lemon, Garlic & Chilli

For a risotto, this was amazing. I generally avoid risottos as they bore me very quickly. This one straight away had a tangy lemon and smooth garlic taste – I didn’t really detect the chilli. It was really nice, and I loved the big plump prawns which were so rich in flavour.

Crisp Fried Gnocchi with Slow Cooked Tuscan Duck Ragu, Wild Mushroom & Pancetta with Shaved Parmesan & Parsley

This was the absolute winner. I cannot even begin to tell you how rich and gorgeous and absolutely WONDERFUL this tasted. I’ll start with the Tuscan Duck Ragu – the duck was absolutely flawlessly tender. No fat to be seen. The sauce was a mixture of vegetables in the rich jus and I’ll imagine some wine was used for such richness in the flavour. The gnocchi was fried until both crisp and the caramelised flavour had developed. For a small plate it was very rich and filling, but I’m sure if I’d had more I would have force-fed myself it. Absolutely glorious.

I would totally recommend that if you’re wanting to treat yourself whilst in Inverness then come here – it’s a small but bright and modern restaurant with lovely staff and as you’ve seen, amazing food. Definitely one for your ‘must-try list’!

*

Rocpool Restaurant

1 Ness Walk

Inverness

IV3 5NE

01463 717274

http://www.rocpoolrestaurant.com

@Rocpool

*