Deans @ Let's Eat: Everything looks so good it’s difficult to choose!

Nov 7 2008 by Lady Who Lunches

Everything looks so good it’s difficult to choose!

JUST back from a secret shopping trip to London, friend Suzy swooped into town on Wednesday evening desperate for dinner and a good gossip.

Over pre-dinner Cosmos (vodka and cranberry) at Deans @ Let's Eat, she confessed that she had finally found the perfect wedding dress – £4,000 reduced to £1,500 in the Stella McCartney sale, in case you're interested!

The only fly in the ointment is that her live-in boyfriend of FIVE YEARS hasn't actually PROPOSED!

“I hope you don't mind darling,” shrieked Suzy.

“But I asked the girl at Stella to courier the dress to your place. If James saw it in my wardrobe, he would totally spook, and I might never get him down the aisle.”

Luckily "Bridezilla" was soon distracted from all things matrimonial by the arrival of the menu.

One of the nicest aspects of eating at Deans is the pre-dinner build-up. Instead of being rushed straight to your table, diners are invited to peruse the menu over drinkies and nibbles in the squashy sofa bar area. How civilized!

On this occasion, we were given the choice of a table d'hote (great value at £22.50 for two courses), an impressive a la carte, and a tempting selection of daily specials.

It was a difficult choice as it's one of those places where everything looks good. After much deliberation, Suzy ordered the Arbroath smokie salad (from the a la carte), followed by beef collops cooked Stroganoff-style (from the daily specials).

I went for the trio of Scottish puddings (black, white and haggis) in a filo pastry parcel served with creamed potato and turnip, followed by the Blairgowrie beef.

In less accomplished hands, the pudding parcel could have been a recipe for indigestion. Chef Willie Dean, however, produced an appetiser so light and tasty that it made me wonder if I had ever actually tasted properly cooked haggis before! Suzy's salad was equally delicious, with a zingy little cucumber pickle to cut through the richness of the fish and potatoes.

Both main course beef dishes were a testament to both the skill of the chef, and the quality of Blairgowrie beef. Absolutely fabulous.

For pudding, we split a crème-brulee-topped cheesecake served with homemade (what else!) ice-cream. We then threw caution to the wind and rounded off the best meal I've had this year with espressos and Armagnac.

“I'd better quit while I'm ahead,” said a rather tipsy Suzy. “Otherwise I'll end up proposing when I get home!”