Robin Gauldie tries out a quartet of restaurants in the Scottish capital.
OLD
Cafe Royal Oyster Bar
Edinburgh’s legendary Café Royal hasn’t changed much since it opened in 1863. Its Circle Bar is a Victorian gem – pause to admire its stained glass, coffered ceilings and tiled wall panels before stepping into the even grander Oyster Bar. Here you can choose from oysters Kilpatrick (grilled with bacon and balsamic), Rockefeller (on spinach with mornay sauce) or au naturel, share a huge seafood platter of lobster, oysters, scallops, langoustines, clams and mussels, or go for meaty offerings such as roast lamb, venison, duck or T-bone steak (garnished with fried oysters). It’s warm, bustling and cracking value – two people could easily spend upwards of £100 by going for the lobster thermidor (£35) but you could walk out with change from £60.
- Open Mon-Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 12.30pm-10pm
- 19 West Register Street
- tel +44 (0)131 556 1884
- caferoyaledinburgh.co.uk
NEW
Restaurant Mark Greenaway
In January, Scottish cooking’s rising star decamped from his former address at 12 Picardy Place – itself open only since 2011 – to new premises on North Castle Street. He brought his team with him, and the menu is essentially unchanged. Greenaway has a sure touch – amuse-bouches such as shallot espuma with olive oil are intensely flavoured, preparing you for starters such as crab cannelloni with smoked cauliflower velouté, and mains like halibut fillet with poached oyster, or subtle, complex duck breast with tarragon jus. Sommelier Loic Druyver heads up an outstanding cellar, with nine wines available by the glass. Prices range from a £16.50 two-course lunch to a £95 eight-course tasting menu.
- Open Tues-Sat 12pm-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm
- 69 North Castle Street
- tel +44 (0)131 226 1155
- restaurantmarkgreenaway.com
BORROWED
Hanam’s
The cuisine of Kurdistan has been brought to Edinburgh by a growing Kurdish community. Jamal Ahmed, owner of Hanam’s, is its leading exponent. His eatery occupies two floors of an Old Town building, made redolent of Asia Minor with crimson and ochre silk drapes. In this Arabian setting, the city’s cognoscenti tuck into mushakal meze – an array of starters that includes kulicha doughballs and kubba halab (lamb and rice fritters). Mains range from chicken dishes from Lebanon, the Gulf and Iran, to aromatic shilah dishes based on okra, courgettes or beans. The “dry bar” offers dealcoholised wines and beers, and there’s no corkage fee for BYO – meaning a meal for two without wine can cost only £35.
- Open Mon-Sun 12pm-11pm
- 3 Johnston Terrace
- tel +44 (0)131 225 1329
- hanams.com
VIEW
Forth Floor Restaurant
Suits from nearby George Street and Charlotte Square and ladies who lunch favour Harvey Nichols’ penthouse address. The recently redesigned interior doesn’t detract from the astonishing views – on a clear day you can gaze across the roofs of the New Town to the Firth and the hills of Fife, up-river to the Forth bridges, or inland to the Castle.
Tear your eyes away and you’ll find a menu that showcases Scottish produce such as Tarbert scallops and Inverurie lamb. A seafood bar offers treats such as lobster with lemon crème fraiche, and there’s an impressive wine sommelier. You’ll pay at least £35 a head here, without wine. You can enjoy the same view and some of the same dishes at the adjoining, less formal Forth Floor Brasserie, for £20 each.
- Open Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-3.30pm, Tues-Sat 6pm-10pm
- Multrees Walk
- tel +44 (0)131 524 8350
- harveynichols.com/forth-floor-edinburgh-restaurant
