Earlier this week I lunched with my two daughters at one of our favourite places: Cafe Circa, inside the Scottish Antique and Arts Centre at Abernyte, near Dundee.
The entrance to the Scottish Antique and Arts Centre at Abernyte, displaying a selection of garden ornaments for sale.
Inside, there were signs of Christmas; our table was positioned near a decorative archway festooned with baubles.
Flora and me in Cafe Circa (Lorna took the photo).
I chose a dish I often have when I come here: a starter portion of fishcake with tartare sauce and salad. I sometimes add a bowl of chips, but Flora’s meal was coming with chips and she said I could have some of hers.
Starter size fishcake at Cafe Circa.
One of their specials of the day was beer battered haddock and chips, and that was what Flora chose. There were indeed a lot of chips, and even between the two of us we didn’t manage to finish them all.
Flora’s choice: beer battered haddock and chips.
Lorna opted for a vegan dish of leek, cavolo nero and sweet potato tart, served with a hazelnut and orange salad.
Leek, cavolo nero and sweet potato tart with hazelnut and orange salad.
All three of us very much enjoyed our meals, and didn’t have much room for anything else, but Lorna and I shared a slice of carrot cake to round things off.
Carrot cake and two forks at Cafe Circa.
It had been a slow and relaxing lunch, and as we drove home under leaden skies and falling rain, I drifted into peaceful slumber feeling replete and content.
One of our favourite spots for an interesting luncheon is The Rookery restaurant in the seaside town of Carnoustie. The restaurant is housed upstairs in Links House, the clubhouse of Carnoustie Golf Links.
Downstairs in Links House, Carnoustie.
Neither Lorna nor I have ever been golfers, but we both enjoy watching the game, and frequenting golf clubhouses. The Rookery has very good views of the golf course, as well as other points of interest.
Carnoustie Golf Links.
In addition to golf, there are trains to watch from the Rookery’s windows. The main east coast railway line runs through Carnoustie, just behind the houses seen in the picture below, beyond the 18th green. Unfortunately we don’t have any pictorial evidence, but we did see 8 trains during our recent luncheon, and once saw 13 on another visit.
The 18th green at Carnoustie Golf Links. The railway line runs just behind the houses shown.
We had a table next to a window, giving a good view of the 1st tee and the 18th green.
Happily settled in The Rookery, ready to enjoy food, golf and trains.
It was a dreich, grey, damp day and we both opted for hearty fish and chips.
Fish and chips at The Rookery.Tucking in to my lunch in The Rookery.
We very much enjoyed eating our meals with the interesting views from the window. As we sat there, what had begun as drizzle turned into heavy rain, and we were amazed by the number of golfers continuing to stream out onto the course. In fact, this was the wettest visit we’d ever had to Carnoustie and we saw far more golfers than usual.
There were a lot of Americans in the clubhouse, and I suspect many of those getting drenched outside were also from distant shores This may have been their one chance to play at Carnoustie, one of the courses that hosts the Open Championship, and I suppose they weren’t going to let a bit of rain put them off.
Our main courses had filled us up nicely but we felt we had room for something small and sweet, and both ordered one scoop of strawberry ice cream, which came all alone in a brown bowl.
Strawberry ice cream at The Rookery.
Lorna had been hoping for a wafer biscuit in her ice cream, but was pleased that the cappuccino she ordered afterwards arrived with a delicious shortbread biscuit.
I ordered an Americano, and organised it as I often like to, with the saucer turned upside down to raise the cup higher off the table.
My reason for doing this is that I find it very difficult to get my fingers in and around the cup handle if the cup is sitting inside a saucer. Turning the saucer upside down gives freedom of movement for the fingers, and is, for me, a much more comfortable experience.
When we’d finished our meal and left the building, I got into the car for a nap while Lorna took a walk to look at the sea. She had a large umbrella with her, made from clear plastic decorated with leaves, which gives the impression of standing under a tree. She didn’t stay out for long as the rain was very heavy and soaked her trousers in a few brief minutes.
View of the sea at Carnoustie from under a leafy umbrella.
Bennet McInnes 