A Family Affair: The St Andrews Restaurant Made for Graduation Lunches and Family Celebrations
By Emma Kate Miller
Bennie’s Head Chef, Joe Reddie, was the winner of Scottish Young Chef of the Year 2019
Graduation lunch, birthday celebration or Sunday gathering, Bennie’s at The Kithmore proves that pleasing every generation around the table doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality.
Finding the right restaurant for a family celebration can be surprisingly difficult. You need somewhere stylish enough to feel like an occasion, relaxed enough that grandparents, parents and twenty-somethings all feel comfortable, with a menu broad enough to cater for different tastes without descending into pages of mediocrity. Add dietary preferences, varying budgets and the pressure that comes with marking a milestone, and the search becomes even trickier.
That was exactly the position we found ourselves in while planning my daughter’s graduation in St Andrews.
The university town certainly isn’t short of places to eat. From long-established seafood restaurants and cosy pubs to smart hotel dining rooms, there’s plenty of choice. Yet graduation season often brings inflated prices and fixed menus that can leave you feeling as though you’re paying for the date rather than the experience.
Instead, we found ourselves drawn to one of the town’s newest openings.
The Kithmore has been hard to miss during its transformation. Sitting at the entrance to St Andrews, we’d watched the building gradually emerge from behind the hoardings during countless visits over the past year. Knowing it was the sister property to The Leddie in Aberlady, a hotel we’d already enjoyed, gave us confidence. If the interiors were anything to go by, the food would be in safe hands too.
Inside, Bennie’s strikes exactly the right balance. The interiors are warm and understated, with earthy tones, comfortable seating and a relaxed confidence that feels welcoming rather than intimidating. It has the polish of a hotel restaurant without any of the stiffness that can sometimes accompany it.
The menu reflects that same approach. Scottish produce sits comfortably alongside crowd-pleasing favourites, meaning nobody feels they’ve been forced into choosing between safe and adventurous.
To begin, we ordered a selection of starters to share. The hand-dived Orkney scallops arrived beautifully cooked, paired with Stornoway black pudding and pea purée, while the langoustine tails, served with heritage tomatoes, charred lime and red pepper purée, tasted fresh, bright and unmistakably summery despite the rather less summery weather outside. A heritage tomato and burrata salad completed the trio, its creamy burrata, basil and rocket making for a light, fresh plate that disappeared remarkably quickly.
If the starters impressed, the main courses confirmed we’d chosen well.
The 8oz fillet steak, served with peppercorn sauce, was cooked exactly as requested, tender and full of flavour. The catch of the day, a generous whole fillet of sea bass, certainly wasn’t a modest portion and arrived perfectly cooked alongside charred greens and roasted potatoes. The pan roasted cod risotto balanced flaky fish with creamy rice and salsa verde, while the pie of the day, packed generously with haggis, chicken and chorizo beneath crisp pastry, offered proper comfort food with plenty of character.
Perhaps the biggest compliment is that every plate was cleared.
The drinks deserved equal praise. A zingy alcohol-free cocktail offered plenty of flavour rather than simply sweetness, while a French Martini was expertly balanced. Around the table there was also Kithmore’s own beer, an Aperol Spritz and, because graduation only happens once, a well-earned glass of Champagne.
It’s easy for new restaurants to focus on creating dishes that photograph well. Bennie’s seems far more interested in ensuring people leave happy. Portions are generous, the cooking is confident and the menu is varied enough that everyone finds something they’re genuinely excited to order.
For families marking life’s milestones, that’s exactly what you want. Good food, thoughtful service and an atmosphere that encourages conversation rather than rushing you through the meal.
Graduation days pass in a blur of gowns, photographs and proud parents. Choosing Bennie’s gave us the chance to slow down for a couple of hours, raise a glass and celebrate properly.
Sometimes that’s exactly what a great restaurant should do.