The kitchen at The Three Chimneys was not a mad house, it was very quiet, I only heard the word service once the entire evening. Award winning Chef Scott Davies was the conductor of a high skilled orchestra of talented people serving nothing but locally sourced food and flavors.
The chefs table is located in the kitchen it seats six, you are off to the side and one can choose to walk around and watch the cooking up close or just sit with your new friends and enjoy your meal.
The evening started with a suggested early arrival, 30 minutes to be exact, you are greeted by a man called Gordon who is basically a butler. He gets you drinks and whatever else you need as you wait for your reservation in a comfortable lounge area not attached to the restaurant.
All the guests for the chefs table seating had arrived at least 15 minutes early and "Gordon" introduced every one. Finally after 30 minutes of jovial small talk and getting to know our "dinner dates," if you will, we were all taken into the kitchen and seated.
We would thusly begin enjoying 7 different courses and 7 different selected pairings of wine, this was going to take 3 and a half hours, the new friends were fun and we talked about many things, then we were presented with the first tasting, a small bowl of very light langostino tea broth with local oyster and sea herbs paired with a light French Chardonnay,
The next course was Waternish rabbit, which is from Skye of course, Waternish is sub peninsula, one over from the the Duirinish peninsula on Loch Dunvegan, that is where the restaurant is located, a place famous for the Talisker Distillery. The rabbit was served with a Californian Chardonnay, these were light Chardonnay's.
Now people who are out of the loop like to poo poo chardonnays because of some bad ones made in America in the 70s. I love a good heavy Chardonnay, but that's another story. Pairing food with drink is an art form itself. When a restaurant attempts this they take a gamble by saying we know the best ways to serve our food and drink together, and there are few that get it even close. The Three Chimneys is only the second restaurant to have accomplished this, for me.
Our dinning partners were all from the Netherlands, longtime friends themselves, the four were traveling Scotland together, the one fellow fancied himself an expert on alcoholic beverages, the other was a tech guy. Their partners were great, one worked for Stuckeys, which is an American truck stop I believe, in a corporate position back in the day, she was a buyer and said one of the biggest sellers they had was a thing called a hillbilly tongue depressor, her husband who was kind of uptight, looked at her with disapproval at her comment, I laughed and said how great it was that a person actually was able to be on to the market so well, we all laughed, except her husband.
The next courses came one after another. From smoked trout to ewe and lamb the courses kept coming all local and all unreal.
The restaurant is world famous for a reason, because its just that good. The business is now very different from how it all began in 1984 as a seasonal, stand alone restaurant. Some restaurants time passes by, and they are left to die on the vine as happy memories of days gone by, The Three Chimneys is still cutting edge. Still winning awards like being named UK restaurant of the year in 2018 in the good food guide.
Chef Scott Davies became head chef at The Three Chimneys in Skye at the invitation of owners Shirley and Eddie Spear, spearheading a changing of the guard at this prestigious restaurant. Scott’s clean, pure style has proved to be a wonderful match for the Isle of Skye – where he makes the most of the island’s incredible bounty of produce.
Its a destination as much as the Isle of Skye itself
Imagine if you will a restaurant located far away from everything where everything is twice as far away. Imagine a journey to another planet, to its hinterlands, and their like a beacon in the distance is a white crofters house.
Thats the mystique of Three Chimneys, you leave as if walking out of dream. The roads to and fro are dark, the star filled sky is undaunted by mans earth light, located in a place so old, its a gift in and of itself and for the endeavor of the business owners to attempt it a go.
Come forward to today and that the genius of the owners- its so obvious, but they were the visionaries.
Opened in 1984 the people came, as would I in 2018, if you really want to experience something special, a true wonder of creation and epicurean lust, The Three Chimneys is that portal.
Getting there is the challenge worth every bit in the reward. I've dined around the world, and this restaurant is for total experience, number one.
To Love, Eat, Sleep and Retreat on Skye requires a spirit of adventure, an often epic journey, and now some essential forward planning.
The Three Chimneys is located
You can book a table here