Daily Mail
Tom Parker Bowles dropped in on a small and unassuming restaurant on a New Town backstreet from chef Stuart Ralston, inspired by his time working in New York and also – confusingly, perhaps – by Japanese cuisine.
No problem, said Tom, for “this isn’t a place in thrall to the cult of authenticity”. So udon soup with fresh potato noodles (“a symphony of the soft and winsome”) melded the Scottish and the Japanese, while the “succulent” fried chicken glazed with coffee and Cabernet Sauvignon may have been inspired by Korea or Taiwan. Trout temaki, meanwhile, was “lascivious” – one of Tom’s favourite adjectives.
“There’s an innate understating of Japanese technique here, with the joy of texture every bit as important as the allure of taste – it takes great skill to make things seem this laidback.”
Tom Parker Bowles - 2025-02-09The Times
Chitra Ramaswamy scoffed a good-value lunch of “big flavoured small plates” at a small and spartan venue from Stuart Ralston – “one of Scotland’s best chefs” (see also Tipo, Vinette, Lyla) – where his East Asian-via-US East Coast dishes remain as “thrilling” as when it opened seven years ago (“a lifetime in restaurant terms”).
Highlights include “bing”, a pan-fried Chinese bread that has become something of a Ralston signature, and his ‘Arbroath smokie chawanmushi’ – or “Cullen Skink chawanmushi”, as Chitra renamed it – “a masterclass in fusion and technique: served in the teacup in which the savoury custard was steamed, topped with thick flakes of smoked fish and a rich leek-infused brown butter miso emulsion.
The chef is also “a beef tartare magician” (the venison version at Vinette is brilliant), and Noto’s is “another stunner: the beef buttery with a mineral back note, balanced with black garlic puree and a kiss of yolk, served on a dense, nutty fried rice cake infused with furikake”. Desserts also hit the spot, including a chocolate mousse whose “dark not-too-sweet richness [is] achieved, incredibly, with tofu, maple syrup and chocolate.”
Chitra Ramaswamy - 2026-04-26
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