Library Restaurant in East Ayrshire

We had a pleasant dinner in the Library at Dumfries House as part of a Christmas Festive Candlelit Tour of the house. With extravagant Christmas decorations the setting for a festive dinner was superb. Service by the young staff was very good and the dinner satisfactory though no choice. It was traditional Christmas fare but somewhat dry, overcooked turkey while the smoked salmon with salmon mousse was perfect. I would do it again!

While the room with its Christmas decorations and the good service and included wines were very good, the main of turkey etc was well over cooked and not a great cut. It seemed to come from a rolled joint and was probably reheated for to long. The starter was perfect, Smoked salmon roulade. Dessert sticky figgy pud not as good as a regular Sticky Toffee pud.

We were warmly welcomed and ushered into the library for coffee and shortbread prior to our tour of Dumfriesx house

Precioso restaurante, decorado con buen gusto. Buena elección en el menú para el almuerzo (autoservicio). Día precioso, así nos sentamos en el patio exterior. (un montón de sillas y mesas).

He utilizado esta instalación para más de un evento y el entorno es difícil de superar, si quieres una experiencia profesional exceptioanl para alrededor de 12 personas.

We arrived on a sunny, and therefore a very busy day, but the food was of excellent quality and a great selection, that should suit all tastes and ages.

We thoroughly enjoyed the candlelit tour of the house and meal in the library with friends. Food, wine and service were all excellent and overall a memorable evening. Would highly recommend a visit.

Good wine, superb food and exemplary service. The food for all sixteen of us arrived at the same time and was delivered with a smile. A wonderful evening.

As we were staying at the Dumfries House Lodge for a couple of nights we took the opportunity to visit the Library Restaurant which is a short stroll away from the guesthouse in Dumfries House itself. Little did we know as we approached the magnificent Robert Adam building in it’s glory on a bright and peaceful evening that we were about to have a private dining experience! By absolute chance there were no other reservations that evening and we had the restaurant to ourselves. Despite my attempt to convince my wife that I had paid a fortune for the privilege I don’t think she was entirely taken in - for more than a few seconds. We understand that the following night was fully booked. The setting is quite unique as you are led from the visitors entrance through to the library which had a cosy atmosphere with a log fire burning, the grand mantelpiece surround, the comfortable settee, subtle lighting and a small bar. With our bottle of NZ Pinot Noir ordered and a glass poured we were able to browse the menu in comfort. There were five options for each course and all reasonably priced from starters at £6-£7, mains £12 - £22 (steak) and dessert at £5 or cheese for £7. The young waiter, who was attentive but discrete throughout the evening was friendly and efficient. The dining area itself beyond was lined with book shelves and ten or so tables stylishly set with good spacing between although in the circumstances there were no issues with other diners! For starters my wife had Goats cheese with red onion and tomatoes whilst I opted for the Confit Duck Pie with duck scratching and salad. The duck was served in a ramekin style dish topped with mashed potato which was a surprise although the duck was tasty, as was my wife’s goats cheese. Mains for my wife was Chicken Ballantine stuffed with Shitaki served with parmesan gnocchi and spinach which she enjoyed. I had monkfish in butter, served with puy lentils, artichoke puree and herb sauce. The fish was delicious however puy lentils may be an acquired taste which I unfortunately haven’t acquired a taste for as yet and there were quite a lot of them! Dessert consisted of Lemon & amoretti cheesecake with a berry compote for my wife and White chocolate panna cotta and a doughnut with an apple sauce for myself. My wife thought the berry compote drowned the other flavours and I thought my dish was just ok. Full marks for the setting, food presentation, service and pricing (our bill including wine was £85 ex tip) but we were slightly disappointed with the flavours of some of the food overall in comparison to our previous meal on the estate at the former Stables Restaurant. At time of our recent visit the restaurant was only open Thursday to Sunday. It is a possibility that in future this restaurant may only be available for private functions, with another being opened within the hospitality centre so we were glad in the meantime to have dined in the House in such exclusive circumstances. Sadly we were escorted off the premises!

Excellent three-course fixed price meal with a small selection of very reasonably priced wines. Served in the library of the main house which is a very special experience. Not sure about the music though!

The Stable Restaurant as moved to "The Library"in Dumfries House. Formally the billard room it as been transformed into a atmospheric and intimate restaurant/library. (Look for the naughty book!!!) Small menu and portions but delightful food, price ok (£78 for 2 with wine & drinks). Staff friendly and helpful, a delight to have good service. Make sure you tour the house before you go, and if you are staying for a day or 2 then Dunfries House Lodge is the place. 5* all round..

The Stables Bistro is located on Dumfries House estate, next to the café and a 5 minute stroll from Dumfries House Lodge. At the time of our visit it was only open on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday lunchtime and therefore to avoid any issues we reserved in advance when we booked a room at the Lodge. The setting is unusual in that the tables are arranged within the “stalls” of the former stables although thankfully they have long since been “mucked out”! The decoration is plain. Our table for two was accommodated in one of the stalls with another couple’s table and there was plenty of room to spare. There were a few groups occupying some of the other stalls - giving each party a private space and providing a good atmosphere. There was no dress code and most guests we saw were “smart but casual”. There was a choice of 4 items per course, all freshly prepared to order. I felt as if we could easily try any of the choices however for starters I opted for salmon pillows (stuffed with a trout mousse) whilst my wife had breaded stuffed wild mushroom with salad; for mains I had hake on a bed of spinach & assorted vegetables, my wife had chicken with chive mash and vegetables and to finish we shared millionaire shortbread and then the Scottish cheese board. The dishes were all well presented, focussed on quality rather than quantity and were very enjoyable. With only a short stroll to our lodgings we enjoyed a couple of bottles of wine with the meal at around £18 each. Service was pleasant and efficient and our bill was £80, ex tip, but including the wine. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would go back when we next visit Dumfries House. There is a toilet for disabled guests on the ground floor and the main bathrooms (very well maintained) are upstairs where there also appears to be a small function room.