Braidwoods

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Braidwoods exudes quiet confidence: the small dining room doesn't cram in the linen-clad tables, ostentation is limited to a few colourful original paintings, and there's no music to distract. It's 14 years since Keith and Nicola Braidwood took over a tatty Ayrshire but'n'ben and their efforts paid off with a Michelin star in 2000, held to this day. The frequently changing three or four-course set menu is a platform for quality produce, often local, presented with expansive imagination and meticulous care. Wester Ross scallops – five of them – are seared to a delicate crisp and set among the gentle, creamy spice of a lentil, cardamom and coriander dhal. White crab and avocado salad with spicy Bloody Mary dressing is fresh and bracing, if not a highlight. A main of Gressingham duck is faultless: tender slices of breast lightly glazed with honey and carrot purée for colour and velvety texture alongside duck cottage pie that's a miniature of homely perfection. Dark Valhrona chocolate tart is dense and grainy with a measured sweetness for grown-up palates, while a little dollop of maple syrup ice-cream provides a more straightforward sugar hit. Dainty pastry canapés and chocolates, subtly laced with alcohol, provide memorable bookends.

• High point: High standards in every corner of the menu
• Low point: Website could do with more detailed map and directions