John McNab’s, Inverness

Menu looked expensive but selected a Rib eye steak and asked waitress if they had a Caesar salad. They didn’t but she would ask chef to see if he could make one. Message came back – no anchovies. I’ll have one without anchovies then. Wine was Chilean merlot and surprisingly expensive and a touch raw. The meal itself was excellent. The steak was from a local butcher (Duncan Fraser of Inverness) and I asked for medium. It arrived medium rare but was one of the best steaks I’ve had in years. One and a half inches high, solid meat, beautifully black in parts and rare in others. There were handmade chips, vegetable crisps and tasty mushrooms. There was white space on the plate. In addition there was a Caesar salad. No anchovies and no parmesan but a very tasty salad with bacon lardons that wasn’t even on the menu. And they only charged £1-75 for it. £32 for one person. Expensive wine being most of the bill. Still 9/10 for the salad and 10/10 for the steak.