The Observer
Jay Rayner suffered for his art at a restaurant in a “fancy hotel” overlooking the 18th hole of the Old Course, a place of pilgrimage for golfers. This meant the place was heaving with “a certain kind of middle-aged man, most of them American… not just seated at the tables but thronging between them and leaning over the shoulders of friends at other tables to bark with laughter at each other’s jokes and war stories”.
The restaurant has hired Billy Boyter, previously chef-patron at the Cellar in nearby Anstruther, presumably to do “ornate and detailed things with the best ingredients”. All to little avail: “The core clientele didn’t get the memo. What this lot want – and what they get – is cow. An awful lot of grilled cow.”
While Jay didn’t mention him, it was difficult not to think of a certain large, orange US presidential candidate when reading his review. “Rarely have I punched the lift button down to ground with such a profound eagerness and glee”, he noted, as he fled the “smells of newly pumped testosterone”.
Jay rayner - 2024-09-29
