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One of the great things about working for Small City is that we‘re always chatting with local businesses and finding out about all the exciting projects they’ve got going on. Plus, it’s our job to trawl the internet and social media so we like to think we don’t miss much! So, when we found out that 63 Tay Street were having a big makeover we couldn’t wait to see the revamped restaurant.
We sent Cain off with his camera to create a Small City Gallery just after they reopened, and it had such a great response that Graeme invited us for a team night out and a chance to soak up the full 63 Tay Street experience by trying out their new five course tasting menu, aptly named ‘Just Feed Us Graeme!”. We didn’t require much persuasion and after a busy day in the office Rhona, Nicki, Cain and I headed along with hungry, growling bellies ready to be fed!
I must admit, that despite living in Perth for most of my life I had never dined at 63 Tay Street. I always thought of it as a posh, expensive restaurant that you would only really visit on a special occasion. I am pleased to say that this preconceived idea of what 63 Tay Street was all about, was quickly quashed as soon as I stepped inside.
The newly refreshed décor is neutral, earthy and minimalistic which harnessed the relaxed atmosphere without being overpowering. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table at the window where we enjoyed a gorgeous view of Moncrieffe Island and the Tay glistening in the reflection of the street lights. There was a large table next to us with a lively family including two young children. They were laughing, joking and clearly just enjoying a good family catch up which added a warmth and relaxed ambience to the restaurant.
After getting settled at the table the lovely Lukas came over and took a drinks order. The Tasting menu can be ordered with a flight of wines, hand-picked to perfectly match each course. Unfortunately, Rhona and I were driving but Cain was only too happy to take one for the team and ordered the House Flight. It was well deserved mind you; he’s been super busy this summer designing our first ever Small City Recipes magazine, a map of Perth City Centre and loads of other great bits and bobs so he deserved a good slug of vino!
The Tasting Menu is the perfect way to experience Graeme’s passion for seasonal Ingredients. Each course is a surprise and described to you as it’s served. Before each course, Lukas came over with his choice of wine for Cain and explained why it was the perfect accompaniment for the upcoming dish. Now, don’t worry, this is not a full on pompous wine description that is going to leave you baffled. It’s quick, informative and fun without any long flowery wine-words!
Our first course was the Chiang Mai broth with coconut and a prawn dumpling. This aromatic broth had a sweet and sour taste and went perfectly with the crispy prawn dumpling. Graeme was inspired to make this recipe after visiting his cousin in Thailand and trying their delicious, local street food. The flavours definitely bring an authentic and exotic taste of Thailand to Perth and we all lapped it up!
This was followed by a rich onion and cider risotto with a juicy, plump scallop in the middle and topped off with a parmesan crisp. I must admit that this was my favourite course and I could’ve quite easily eaten it all night! It was creamy, moreish and so, so tasty.
The scallops that Graeme uses are hand-dived in Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland then packed up and delivered within hours of being caught. Utterly delicious and super fresh!
Next up was a light partridge, beetroot and pine nut salad that was dainty and flavoursome and the perfect dish to counter-balance the richness of the risotto.
Our main course was a plaice fillet with hazelnut, carrots and apple. The combination of flavours and textures in this course was absolutely delicious. In fact, Cain went with the bold statement that this was best fish he had ever tasted and none of us disagreed! The dish, was indeed, superb.
Lukas offered a cheese course before dessert for an additional £6.50 per head. Obviosuly, we didn’t want to miss out and so it was ‘Yes please!” all round!
We scoffed this delicious selection of artisan Scottish cheeses, Peter’s Yard biscuits, chutney and grapes over a good chat and giggle. Cheese was followed by a delicious dessert of pistachio cake, raspberries and homemade ice-cream which soon silenced us all as we tucked in enthusiastically!
Funnily enough, although I had just eaten six courses, I didn’t feel uncomfortably full, instead I was perfectly satisfied with just enough room for the handmade petits fours that came out with our coffee.
As service came to an end, Graeme came round to find out if that night’s guests had all enjoyed their meal. Despite being a bit cheesy (like clapping when the plane lands!) our table greeted him with rapturous applause. Even without wine, we were all a bit giddy from six delicious courses of food.
With a fresh approach to the menu and a more casual, bistro feel to the atmosphere you can expect a tasty and affordable night at 63 Tay Street. Of course, the same exacting standards are met for sourcing their ingredients and Graeme’s mantra of ‘Local, Honest, Simple’ will always be at the heart of what they do.
However, they've listened to the fact that people would like to visit more often - not just the special occasions – and this has resulted in a more affordable menu, a less formal ambience and a larger choice of specials so that you can have something different each time you visit.
For me, they’ve reached a perfect compromise: a fabulous bistro menu created using Graeme’s favourite ingredients, with daily specials for plenty of choice and main courses starting at £16. Of course, they’re still here for that special treat and for a true foodie experience I can wholly recommend the 'Just feed us, Graeme!' tasting menu. Five delicious courses of Graeme's choice for only £45.
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*Please note, our menu was more orientated towards fish and seafood than may be typical as we requested this in advance. We were offered a discount on our bill as thanks for our review.
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SCBP20th September 2016
Perthshire's only online magazine