The Inn at Kippen

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £16.50 (lunch)
   £16.50 (evening meal)
• House wine: £14 per bottle

• High point: Welcoming rural retreat
• Low point: Pasty pastry
• Food served: Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–8.30pm; Fri noon–2.30pm, 6–9pm; Sat noon–2.30pm, 6–9.30pm; Sun 12.30–3pm, 5–7.30pm
• Bar open: Mon–Thu 11am–11pm; Fri/Sat 11am–1am; Sun 12.30–11pm
• No. overnight rooms: 4
• Open since: 2003
• Also offers: Children's portions, Children's high chairs

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008
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A leisurely drive along country roads between Glasgow and Stirling brings you to the Inn at Kippen. During colder months, the Inn has a comforting feel, with a welcoming open coal fire radiating warmth throughout the cosy dining space while the buzz of friendly local chatter spills through from the adjacent bar. Warm loaves of fresh, nutty brown bread come with a board and knife for you to cut your own chunks, providing a cute reinforcement of the homely vibe. A generous round of black pudding stacked on a potato pancake makes for a promising starter, the earthy meatiness balancing well with the creamy yolk of the accompanying poached duck egg. A cherry tomato tartlet, on the other hand, is let down by an eggy filling that makes the filo pastry a tad soggy. For mains, a large moist breast of chicken is stuffed with thyme and wrapped in bacon, served with a creamy chunk of Dauphinoise potatoes and a delicate though perhaps unnecessary Madeira jus, while a pan-fried fillet of halibut balances on a stack of crushed new potatoes and just wilted baby spinach. Friendly waiting staff are efficient, if perhaps even a little too swift to be truly in keeping with the relaxed country retreat atmosphere.