The Sunday Times
Chitra Ramaswamy was mightily impressed by a “tiny casual fine-dining restaurant punching well above its weight” in Leith, from the team behind Purslane in Stockbridge – chef Paul Gunning and “very slick” FOH Alexander McDonald.
Duthchas is a Gaelic word that evokes belonging or connectedness to the land. On the plate, Chitra found that it suggested combinations of ingredients that “shouldn’t-work-but-do”. Parsnip with vanilla in a laser-thin pastry case – “surely too sweet? No: wintry, lush, lovely.” Or diced salmon and beetroot on mashed chickpeas inside “of all things, a pani puri, an Indian street food staple you don’t expect to pop in your mouth in a fine-dining restaurant with a Gaelic name”.
Everything she tasted was both generous and considered, complex and crowd-pleasing, while the restaurant was relaxed yet formal, traditional yet modern, ambitious yet accessible. “What a fine addition to the capital’s ever-evolving top foodie destination”.
(Incidentally, one of the photographs illustrating this review, an interior shot, appeared on its side on the Times online – did nobody there cast an eye over the piece ahead of publication?)
Chitra Ramaswamy - 2024-12-15
