Hullabaloo, Robert Burns Centre, Mill Road, Dumfries

"Have you got any plans on Saturday?" Mike asked me last week. This raised my interest, he never asks me questions like that. I knew he was attending a war games show in Dumfries on that day and he had obviously been hatching plans. "No, not really" I replied nonchalantly "Why?" "Well the war-games show is being held at the Cairndale Hotel and there may be a game on the Sunday morning. Do you fancy coming across and meeting me, we could spend the night and have dinner somewhere?" The Cairndale Hotel, well that was a blast from the past. We had our wedding reception there nearly 20 years ago and I haven't been there since. My husband had become a romantic - this was not an offer to be refused. A room was duly booked and I contacted my cousin Brenda and asked her for suggestions for dinner. She came up with three options but had not visited any of them for some time; so after a bit of internet research we decided on the Hullaballoo as it was easy walking distance from the hotel. 

Mike had left for Dumfries in the morning so he could spend time at the show and I joined him in the early afternoon. Age has not been kind to the hotel which had a rather weird ambience with an empty fish and chip carton strategically sitting on the window sill next to the entrance. It was clear that there were a number of guests staying but the public areas were spookily empty except for the bar which was full of Welsh fans watching the Scotland v Wales rugby match and the swimming pool area full of kids learning to swim. We popped in the bar to pick up a drink with the intention of retiring to our room to watch the rugby. The bar staff were pretty inept but we managed to secure drinks eventually after several false starts but could not get any peanuts as the bar doesn't sell them for health and safety reasons in case someone is allergic to nuts. I nearly spat out my mouthful of drink as I burst into laughter .... "You're joking, they come in sealed packets don't they?" "Aye, but once they're opened they're a danger." I leave you to ponder that logic!

Later that evening we set off to walk to the restaurant and were very fortunate with the weather which although cold was dry. Hullabaloo is situated on the first floor of the Robert Burns Centre, next to the River Nith. The setting is superb. Our table was booked for 8.15pm and we arrived a little early. The restaurant was exceptionally busy and our table was not yet ready so we sat in the limited bar area and had a drink whilst we waited. The staff were very apologetic that we had  to wait and we were shown to our table about 15 minutes later but that was, after all, our fault as we had arrived 15 minutes early. 

The restaurant had a really nice vibe to it. All the tables were full but were not too closely packed together with our table being at the end of the restaurant with super views of the river. 

The menu is very unusual with an interesting mix of ingredients. Mike decided upon Seared Wester Ross Scallops with a Spanish Black Pudding and Cauliflower Puree to start whilst I tried the Mini Creole Pepper stuffed with Beans and Rice. We were advised by the waitress that the kitchen was running a bit behind as a result of the number of diners. Mike whispered "I told you so" but we were so charmed by the surroundings and the buzz of the place whilst we sipped our wine and nibbled on some complimentary home-made bread. The time passed quickly and our starters arrived sooner than we had anticipated. The presentation was lovely and Mike declared that his scallops were the best he had ever tasted and well worth the trip to Dumfries. My stuffed peppers were also tasty and pleasantly spiced, not at all overpowering.  Our main courses arrived without any further delay, Mike having ordered the Chargrilled Duck Breast with Creamed Cabbage, Celeriac, Bacon & Chestnuts, Caramelised Pear and Potato Wedges from their specials selection whilst I had the Supreme of free range Corn fed Chicken stuffed with Apricots, Lemon Thyme and Houston's Pork Sausage meat with honey glazed carrots, red onions and courgettes and potato wedges (they had unfortunately run out of the Dauphinoise Potatoes so I had these as my second choice). The food was beautifully presented and tasted delicious. We had been a little bit nervous about the amount of ingredients listed and whether the combination of flavours would be a little overpowering but they were superbly balanced. As usual I managed to fit in dessert, though I must confess I was seriously full by this time and I finished with the Hot Chocolate Brownie and Mike had the cheese board. The Brownie was large but exquisitely moist and chewy in the middle with two scoops of artisan vanilla ice-cream. How I finished it all I have no idea. Mike loved the cheese board with the exception of the blue cheese and we left the restaurant full of food, wine and good will to all men. The bill came to £93.60 after we had returned our first bill as they had neglected to charge us for our wine. This included all we could possibly eat as well as a bottle of red wine, a bottle of sparking water, two glasses of whiskey and a glass of port. A veritable feast and a memorable experience from start to finish. So my thanks go out to you Brenda for your fabulous suggestion, this restaurant is a good enough reason to visit Dumfries but I doubt I shall be returning to the Cairndale Hotel - somethings should remain just a memory.