It's 8pm but there are still plenty of people walking across the seventeenth fairway - mainly wearing outfits for which there are no excuses, even on a golf course. Style issues aside, we are enjoying visual perfection: there's the emerald expanse of manicured turf, the white waves crashing along the sandy beach to the north, acres of blue sky and the spires of the "auld grey toon" glowing under the golden light of a perfect spring evening.

There can't be many more perfect vantage points to take in the view than this one - the Road Hole Grill, which sits on the fourth floor of the super-luxe Old Course Hotel. The restaurant, a hub of activity thanks to its open kitchen and swarm of monochrome-clad waiting staff, has been recently refurbished to increase its capacity and, crucially, to include floor-to- ceiling windows. This makes for breathtakingly beautiful vistas, and a perfect setting for grand gestures. Kate Middleton would have surely accepted any proposal had she visited this place with William in their student days.

Other changes at the Road Hole Grill include a magnificent menu, with an eight-course tasting choice as well as an à la carte option full of fresh local produce and intriguing choices. There may be beauty outside, but there are culinary delights to be had inside, it seems.

To start, I've opted for the poached East Neuk lobster, so fresh that it can only have been caught this morning. Flavours of the sea, enhanced by the freshness of an ultra-light Russian salad and the zestiness of innovative apple caviar, burst in my mouth. The husband has chosen roasted veal sweetbreads served with west coast langoustines. I haven't seen sweetbreads on the menu anywhere in Scotland recently, so I'm impressed by the courageous choice as well as the execution - the meat is perfectly browned without having become chewy, and it is perfectly complemented by smooth sweetcorn veloute jazzed up with basil puree.

To follow, Stuart digs in to his rabbit saddle stuffed with Morteau sausage, served with wild garlic risotto. Again, head chef Paul Hart has gone for bold choices and knows how to show off his skills - the salty smokiness of the Morteau sausage, a seldom-seen delight from the Franche Comté region of France, acts as the perfect balancing ingredient for the more subtle flavour of the rabbit. Amazingly, the dish is perfectly seasoned, quite a feat with so many difficult ingredients to deal with.

I have gone for the beef, a pot au feu-style course so tender I could almost eat it with a spoon. And that's nothing to do with the method - this piece of meat has not been slow-cooked for ages - but is about the superb quality of the ingredients. The al dente baby root vegetables, a colourful plateful of broad beans, carrots and turnips, is spring on a plate - and the quirky addition of a wholegrain mustard ice-cream quenelle on top of the meal works well, melting to leave a thick, slightly vinegary, paste.

To end the meal, there's the crowning glory of a trolley groaning with superb cheeses ranging from Anster, a fresh and crumbly-textured offer made just a few miles away, to a superb ash-spiked Morbier from the east of France. The husband has become quite evangelical about his chocolate fondant pudding, served just oozing, as it should be, on a vanilla parfait and a sour cherry mousse wrapped in a chocolate tuile.

The service has wonderful. The vivacious French sommeliere was a particular pleasure to deal with, and she can be justifiably proud of the spectacular wine list. The half-bottles of Pouilly Fumé and Chorey-les-Beaune were stunning.

We can't remember a better meal in quite a few years. I do hope these golfers are cunningly disguised Michelin inspectors ready to reward such a place as it deserves.