WHEN the Turnberry Hotel opened its spa complex on the hill overlooking Ailsa Craig in 1991, it was well ahead of its time. Those looking for some gentle exercise could swim in the pool or sit in the Jacuzzi and savour some of the best sea views in Scotland, while the more narcissistic visitors could submit themselves to be pulled, pushed, prodded and poked in an eye-popping number of ways by a squadron of women in white coats.
But things weren't so great for the indolent or the merely peckish. When it came to food, the fine-dining end of things in the hotel was its usual pukka self, and the BLTs in the golf course's spike bar remained as inviting as ever. But the Terrace R
estaurant's easy-eating option - sited in the spa building - never caught the imagination.
Sure, the sizeable terrace from which the restaurant got its name had beautiful views over the Ailsa course and out to the Irish Sea, but by common consent something wasn't quite working. Like its counterpart on the east coast, St Andrews' Old Course Hotel, getting it right when it comes to the relaxed dining that keeps visitors spending money on site and may even attract some locals has proved frustratingly elusive for Turnberry.
Stagioni - Italian for 'seasons', and appropriately featuring a new menu every quarter - is their latest attempt to crack the mid-range nut. Occupying the space above the spa that used to house the Terrace, it still has the panoramic views and veranda, but the Mediterranean melange of a menu has been replaced by one with a strictly Italian flavour. This, in large part, was down to focus-group work, which found that Americans - who make up the lion's share of Turnberry's visitors - won't pay £25 for a steak but would cough up for Italian food, which they hold in high regard.
The locals are clearly partial to Italian cuisine too, as Stagioni was far fuller than I had expected for a Monday evening in mid-October. It was also very well staffed, even if the smiling faces greeting us with cheery "buona seras" were about as Italian as I am. Malcolm proposed a sweepstake on the number of genuine Italians in the place, but as we both wanted to bet on zero, the idea quickly fell through.
The menu was authentic enough. From octopus salad and saltimbocca di vitello, to tiramisu, a montasio cheeseboard and a hefty range of proseccos, it cherry-picked from each of the country's distinct regional cuisines, while retaining a heavy emphasis on the more familiar and accessible dishes favoured by northern Italians.
Malcolm chose a plate of bresaola with rocket salad, parmesan and balsamic vinegar, while I plumped for a starter portion of prawn lasagne. Malcolm's large helping of cured beef was exactly as you would expect, but my creamy lasagne was better than I'd anticipated, with sparing amounts of pasta and huge prawns supplemented by a healthy dose of asparagus and mozzarella.
If my starter was a pleasant surprise, our main courses were unexceptional. My huge, steamed fillet of lemon sole sprinkled with black olives and tomatoes would have been a perfect healthy-eating option if I was in the healthy-eating market, but I found it too bland and light on the garlic and capers needed to inject some much-needed pep. Malcolm's braised shank of lamb with cabbage and taleggio cheese and roasted spuds was unremarkable, especially given the £16 price-tag.
As if following the staff-appraisal handbook - start off with some moderately good news, follow that sugared pill with the less good stuff and then finish on a high - our meal ended with a tiramisu, which was the highlight, and a plate of the grainy Venetian cheese, montasio. The latter came with some curious honeyed biscuits and what were described as cherries cooked in wine, but which were, in fact, blueberries. Not that it mattered: the tart juice from the berries, mixed with the red wine, made the perfect dipping sauce for the montasio.
I can't help wondering, though, whether Turnberry has got the formula right. Our meal was adequate but uninspired, and that's not what you expect when you're paying more than £50 for two people for the food alone. Given the ruinous exchange rate for visitors from across the pond, that goes double for American golf tourists and their spa-loving wives.
Stagioni is already attracting curious locals, but it will be interesting to see whether they return in significant numbers. I suspect that they, like me, will reserve judgement for the time being.
Vital statistics
Stagioni
Turnberry Hotel, Ayrshire (01655 334 082,
www.turnberry.co.uk) (closed Wednesdays)
Out of pocket
Starters £4.95-£7.50; mains £13-£26.95; puddings £4.25-£5.50
Rating 5/10
The full article contains 808 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
