If you're like me, you're always looking for a *special* and somewhat elevated dining experience. One where you feel pampered, and each bite of food/ sip of drink makes you close your eyes to savor its goodness for an extra moment more. Places that make you feel truly present. The Downright Gabbler was exactly this.
What made this place truly special however, was the stories you hear and the warmth of this family's love.
Owned and operated as a family business, Gary and his daughter, Kirsty both made appearances as historical storyteller and chef respectively. You could see they both had a passion for their part in this places greater whole and that this place is a true pride to the family.
I loved learning about Scotland's history through the eyes of Scotch Whisky, and feel Gary did such an exceptional job explaining things in terms that were both interesting and easy to understand as someone largely unaware of Scottish history.
I also dearly loved every single bite of food. You could taste the care in the crafting of these dishes. Each was a homage to traditional Scottish dishes while also being creative and truly scrumptious. My favorite element was the thoughtful proportion of complimenting flavors- from the smokey butter and fresh bread to the carrot purée aside a pickled beet and tender bite of lamb.
The Downright Gobbler was a testament to care from top to bottom, right down to the intentionally feminist narratives sprinkled throughout the tales that gave spotlights to women of history who are often forgotten.
To this point, the finale of the evening came over coffee/ tea when told of how the family settled on the restaurant's name, sharing the story of the life of Francis Wright, another incredible woman of history who deserves to be celebrated, and rightly is in this lovely place.
