SALT at Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa

Was pleasantly surprised, after reading the reviews I wasn’t expecting it to be a good experience, but it was. The food came in good time, was very hot, fresh and tasted lovely. Cocktails were really good too, the dessert (sticky toffee pudding served with banana, vanilla ice cream and a sticky sauce) was amazing. Staff were very polite and professional, not sure what all the bad reviews are about, unless we were just very lucky. Only down side was the restaurant itself, could have done with being livened up a bit. On the whole really impressed.

We were staying at the hotel just a couple of days before Christmas, the place was really quiet. Most of the staff appeared to be new but when able to converse were very friendly and trying to do an excellent job. The food quality was excellent.

Kitchen supplies poor food and lets the young staff have to explain, for example pea puree on Monkfish Scampi the same as Mushy Peas on the Haddock & Chips, Fries instead of chips with steak because kitchen had "run out" of chips, menu said hand cut so surely ran out of potatoes, Artisan cheese and Arran crackers was generic cheese and Jacobs cracker selection and no chutney, chocolate fondant wasn't oozing and arrived with cherries not peanut brittle and scream was vanilla not peanut butter ice cream, may be acceptable for large tables of golfers on a set menu but not for a couple staying for 2 nights wanting to enjoy the hotel and area, 1st night we had to have our 4th choice if white wine because they didn't have the first 3, plenty of house wine though! Don't have a wine list and then not have 25% of the wines, sour dough bread on the menu with Cullen Skunk but looked and tasted like a mini hovis loaf, frankly insulting of the kitchen/management to allow this, all the above pointed out to the Ops Manager on departure, no point in complaint to young serving staff as not their fault. Brand image destroyed will not visit another MacDonalds

Afternoon tea was a little disappointing, we were the only ones in the restaurant, very clean and tidy just disappointed with the afternoon tea for the price of what we paid

I was asked if there were any allergies in the group. I said - yes I have a nut allergy. Was then served an afternoon tea with pistachios!! Yet the waitress tried to make out like I hadn't said this! I did get a nut free one made up in the end. We asked for soya milk and were given cows milk. Nobody checked to see if everything was ok within the group whilst we ate. All very disappointing and not worth £30pp! Shame really...