"Just what the doctor ordered" is the wording on the front of The Adamson's promotional booklet so I recently went along to this St Andrews bar and restaurant to find out whether this wording was indeed good advice.
The doctor in question is Dr John Adamson (1809 - 1870), the famed St Andrean who lived in the building at No. 127 South Street now occupied by the restaurant. The restaurant's cocktail menu also contains "The Physician" in his honour, an amazing elixir of vodka, elderflower, mint, raspberries and lime. As well as being a medical doctor, Adamson was also a pioneer photographer, famously creating the first calotype portrait in Scotland 1841. The calotype was the first type of photograph to use a negative, allowing multiple "positives", i.e. print copies to be made. It seems to me that this was a very important step along the way to the easy photography that we all take for granted today. Dr Adamson also taught the calotype process to his brother Robert, who went on to create many famous photographs of that time with David Octavius Hill. As a nod to this there's a case with an old camera beside the bar area. As a physician, Dr Adamson worked hard to try and clean up the typhoid-ridden Fishergate area of St Andrews - hard to imagine in today's clean, upmarket St Andrews, where one of the main issues is choosing which restaurant to go for an evening! However, it's easy to admire Dr Adamson's pioneering work even today.
After Adamson's time the building became a post office and still retains a relic of this era.
Those little touches aside, I doubt the doctor would recognise the interior now, following the restaurant's opening in 2012. There's nothing olde worldy about it. It has a very well thought through modern look, all oversized lampshades, glittery stag's head, photo-collages, striking wallpaper, exposed brick walls, fairy lights, tree branches, high-sheen black surfaces and atmospheric candles. As modern as it is, however, the photo-collages in particular reflect that pioneering, experimental approach of Dr Adamson back in the nineteenth century. And using the Adamson name creates a nice link to the history of the building and town. Perhaps inspired by the spirit of the good doctor I got very snap happy during my visit to The Adamson.
Adamson is not the only famous person to make this restaurant what it is today. Its head chef, Scott Davies has firmly put this place on the map as a result of his appearance in 2013 on much-loved UK TV programme MasterChef the Professionals. It can be no coincidence that tables at The Adamson are much harder to come by since Scott's stint on the show. Much like "The Kitchin" in Edinburgh, The Adamson's open kitchen helps to continue the hype by allowing diners to try and spot the chef at work. "Is he working tonight?", whispers many an excited diner as they crane towards the kitchen.
Famous names and trendy decor aside, does The Adamson deserve its popularity? It was a Saturday night when Mr ENB and I visited, a night which tends to either make or break a restaurant, a night where you find out if a restaurant has substance as well as style. Key to substance is service and the service we received was not just good, it was faultless. The Adamson staff somehow make you feel genuinely special, which is surely what every customer wants.
After a warm welcome from the staff, we enjoyed a cheeky wee glass of Prosecco while waiting a few moments at the bar area for our table to be ready. Tummies were rumbling but we didn't have long to wait to get that remedied. Almost immediately after being ushered to our table an adorably perfect mini baked loaf of bread (£3.95), warm and steaming from the oven, appeared, much to our delight. It was accompanied by butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and an olive tapenade.
Our friendly and highly professional waitress explained the new menu with genuine passion about the food. I was sorely tempted by the tenderstem broccoli risotto and the wild garlic, potato and isle of mull cheddar gnocchi (both available in starter or main courses sizes). In the end I opted for the fresh Scottish mussels with white wine, cream, shallots and foccacia (£6.95) to start and I was not disappointed. It's a classic dish but often goes wrong when the sauce is too watery - not so here: after I'd teased all of the mussels out of their shells I happily polished off the remainder of the smooth, creamy sauce using my bread.
Mr ENB started with the hot smoked salmon with wasabi, burnt lemon puree, brown bread crumble and cucumber (£8.50). He enthused about the fresh tastes of the dish and quality of the salmon. From my side of the table it was clearly a fantastic-looking plate:
I decided to dive into the taste of Spring for my main with the confit lamb shoulder with cauliflower cheese puree and lemon thyme sage (£15.50) plus a side of skinny fries with parmesan and truffle oil (£3.50). I'm guessing that the "skinny" refers to the size of the fries and not the eater as I'm not sure the doctor would have approved of these. Their naughtiness just made them all the more enjoyable though! Combined with the superb softness of the lamb, it was a lovely Spring dish.
Mr ENB is a bit of steak-fiend so he went for the
ribeye 220g (£25.95) with a
bearnaise sauce which was quickly and appreciatively polished off, with the sole exception of the rocket (aka "rabbit food").
We washed our mains down with a pretty damn special 2004 bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape from Chateau Mont-Redan (Rhone, France) - for medicinal purposes naturally!
With time flying by it was already time for desserts, which are created with a Dr Adamson-worthy mixture of surgical precision and experimentation for lucky diners at The Adamson. I'm pretty sure The Adamson sundae: coffee ice cream, mascarpone and amarettto biscuit (£6.95) would make any under the weather patient feel a whole lot better - Mr ENB would agree albeit I was firmly told I had "no chance" of getting a bit.
This was not a problem, however, as I was quickly engrossed with savouring my own dessert of almond cream - salt baked pinneaple and thyme biscuit (£7.50), marvelling in its separate but cleverly complimentary elements and beautiful whole. Our waitress had recommended it, saying that it was her favourite, even though she normally hated pineapple!
Throughout the meal the atmosphere had been great - that busy, happy buzz of Saturday night dining in a place that knows exactly how to treat its customers.
Is it just what the doctor ordered? We left full, content and with smiling faces, with an overriding feeling of having had a very special time dining at The Adamson. It thoroughly deserves its status as THE go-to place for a classsy meal out in St Andrews - no mean feat in a town where diners are spoilt for choice. It's a modern place with a strong history and I very much hope it continues that with a great, pioneering future. We'll definitely be back for more culinary treatment from the master physician soon!
The Adamson, 127 South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9UH
www.theadamson.com
Text and photos copyright of Sara Scott, 2014.
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