Sunday Lunch at The Adamson, St. Andrews.

I HAVE LONG sought after a restaurant in Fife that offers a decent Sunday lunch. It seems I’m always complaining about being served a tough piece of beef with some horrid packet gravy; so when I saw The Adamson offering a rib eye roast lunch, I was intrigued.

This new eatery opened in St. Andrews in April this year under the stewardship of an ambitious team who boast a wealth of experience and success in the hospitality industry. 

The building was formerly the old Post Office building in the town and has been tastefully transformed into a modern brasserie, whilst still keeping the history of the building alive (John Adamson was a physicist and pioneering photographer).

The bubbly greeter, who turned out to be one of the owners, chatted warmly as he presented us our table.  The dining room was half full and sported some interesting abstract pieces from Scottish artist William Johnstone that reminded me of an inkblot test, which I rather liked (not that I know anything about art).

I browsed the menu despite knowing I was having the Sunday roast, admiring the open brickwork and the natural light provided by a sky light at the rear of the restaurant.  I peered into the open kitchen and having had a rant about seeing a chef in unironed whites (my pet hate) earlier that day, was pleased to see a neat and professional brigade calmly going about their work.

Anyway, the menu was a good solid brasserie one that I could see being very successful in St. Andrews, and I think maybe the standard of restaurant that part of the town was lacking. The wine list, showcasing mostly French wines, was reasonably priced and well thought out.

We were not asked how we like our beef when we ordered; I knew (well hoped) it would be served pink anyway but this makes me wonder if the lovely meat was cooked sous-vide.  Not saying there’s anything wrong with that but I did wonder.

Our plates were delivered by another happy and genuine server and we were delighted with both the aroma and the portion presented to us – my search for a perfectly pink roast dinner was over.

The carrots and green beans were beautifully trimmed to equal sizes and were perfectly cooked - soft but still with a slight bite.  The roast potatoes again were uniform, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  Consistency.  I like this.  Something a lot of kitchens lack much to my annoyance.

If I had one criticism, and it’s a very minor one, it’s that there maybe could have been a bit more gravy on the plate. Still, for £13.50 this was most worth it.

I watched the other dishes come out of the sparklingly clean kitchen, the food well-presented and put on the plate with care and passion whilst the servers and the chefs interacted well together like they’d been there for years.

I was impressed with the waitress as she chatted away to me about the restaurant and other establishments in the area.  She was most knowledgeable about the menu too and it was evident that she enjoyed her job and cared about her customers.

I shall most definitely be back to sample the full array of dishes at The Adamson and very much look forward to doing so.  In the meantime, I can rest easy knowing that there is a great Sunday lunch out there and look forward to hearing of the future success of the restaurant.

http://theadamson.com/athome