We try luxury hotel’s new Italian restaurant with one of Scotland’s best views

I don’t need an excuse to visit the bonnie banks – if it’s a clear sunny day then you had me long before you suggested taking the high road.

Glaswegians love a trip to Loch Lomond because it never gets old that such a dramatically beautiful landscape is right on our doorstep.

I’m only half an hour from home and this place is stunning, unrivalled, postcard-perfect, I think every time I visit – usually for a spot of wild swimming or maybe a jaunt around the shops at Lomond Shores.

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But this time, things got fancy.

Cameron House boasts a brilliant spa, luxurious rooms and, most recently, a new family-friendly Italian restaurant. La Vista has taken up residence in the boat house, with views over the hotel’s private marina and those bonnie, bonnie banks onwards – and, as you might expect from the location, it’s a wee bit special.

Where is it and what’s it like?

Head to the main Cameron House campus and drive to the end of the road and you’ll hit La Vista, a one-storey building in welcoming blue, hinting at the waterfront views on the other side of the building.

There’s a deli as you walk in, selling Italian and Scottish delicacies that tourists will no doubt snap up – but it’s safe to say that La Vista, a five minute taxi ride from Balloch and trains connecting you to Glasgow, will be popular with locals too.

The vibe is upmarket but informal – the kind of place you’d take your parents to celebrate a spot of good news for the family. A traditional pizza oven takes pride of place at the edge of an open kitchen, and guests have plenty of space and privacy in cosy booths surrounding the glass-fronted dining room with perfect views over the loch.

When we visited, the building was being painted for the upcoming summer season and the weather wasn’t quite playing ball, and so an al fresco seat wasn’t on the cards – but trust me, the first spot of sunshine and you’ll be fighting for an outdoor table and a cold beverage to toast your good fortune.

What did you have?

We started with bombolone gorgonzola – mini savoury doughnuts piped full of strong blue cheese – and burrata with smoked aubergine and fried olives. In a game of ‘who wins this course’, my other half pipped me to the post; the bombolone, served with prosciutto, rocket and a fig syrup, was the perfect morsel to whet your appetite for more Italian treats to come. That said, you can’t beat a bit of burrata, and this was a fine example, smokey from the aubergine puree underneath, salty with olive and sweet with a drizzle of Manuka honey.

We couldn’t not have the pasta. Freshly made (our server gave us a rundown of the day’s shapes) and perfectly sauced on both sides of the table, there were no regrets – although the pizzas didn’t look or smell bad either (apologies to the next table, I’m an ogler. I can’t help myself).

The OH’s beef cheek and short rib ragu was bold, meaty and crispy with a beef dripping pangrattato (crunchy breadcrumb) topping. I went for frutti de mare with gremolata and xo shellfish sauce and was greeted with a mountain of gorgeous seafood; a show-stopping langoustine draped over mussels and clams and squid; a tomato sauce hiding tiny bits of brown shrimp too.

We finished with a decent Italy-meets-Scotland cheeseboard (more of that gorgonzola packing a punch) and well-made pistachio cannoli before rolling outside to appreciate more of those rolling hills…

What else is on the menu?

There’s an apperitivo menu if you’re visiting with cocktails more in mind; antipasti, devilled whitebait, fried artichokes and arancini certainly sound appealing with a cold glass of something in the other hand.

As mentioned, pizzas make up another major part of the menu although there are some classic main courses too, from porchetta to a tidy fillet steak.

As a mum to a very fussy toddler, my meals out these days are often dictated by what the tiny dictator will eat, and so it was great to see a children’s menu and kids of various ages in the dining room – we did have a babysitter for the day, but I’d happily return with mini-me to sample some easy-going favourites.

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The verdict

There’s always a fine line between special occasion and stuffy – but you don’t need to worry about that at La Vista. The surroundings, the view and the smart interior all point to a very nice meal out, but a menu of Italian classics ensure that it’s not quite the fine dining affair of other posh destinations.

If you’re itching for a trip to Loch Lomond and a picnic just won’t cut it then I’d recommend a nosy around the grounds of Cameron House before settling in for a filling bowl of pasta. And if you’re bringing the whole family along then there’s no need to worry about standing on ceremony.

Really, it’s the best of both worlds; countryside but less than an hour away from home, nice but not so nice that you can’t take the kids along – I struggle to think of what more you could ask for than a leisurely lunch at La Vista.

La Vista at Cameron House
Loch Lomond, West Dunbartonshire, G83 8QZ
01389 312 210