Edinburgh, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Paul Kitching’s Georgian townhouse – named for the number of options for each section of its five-course tasting menu – celebrated its tenth year in 2019: “it’s a small dining room looking through glass onto the kitchen so you can see the large number of chefs working hard”. His trademark culinary style is “never dull”, although “some dishes have so many distinct flavours it can become confusing”. That’s always been a part of his gastronomic DNA, however, even when he was at Juniper in Altrincham, so why Michelin chose last year to take his star away is a mystery to us, and for most reporters this remains “a little gem in every way”.

“I would travel a LONG way for these exceptional, innovative flavours” says a London-based reporter about this Fountainbridge fixture, opened in 2012 in the “charismatic” space of a converted Victorian warehouse, and serving a selection of Ben Radford’s Scandi-influenced tasting menus (from four-courses to eight-courses), offset by a “long” wine list of exclusively natural wines from small European producers.

“An exquisite five or eight course surprise tasting menu is sure to tantalise your tastebuds and create a truly unique dining experience!” – so say fans of Conor Toomey and Mark Slaney’s spacious (just six tables) and elegant yearling. Rated on still-limited early feedback, it’s certainly “a welcome addition to the ever-expanding Edinburgh dining scene” and Scotsman restaurant critic Joanna Blythman left ‘utterly enchanted’ by the cuisine here. To book, you email in advance.

This “real gem” on the road to Leith – “family-run with flair and passion” – “uses unusual cuts of locally sourced meats and seasonal produce to keep the cost of lunch to £10”. It’s “intimate and cosy, but on a hot summer’s day, sitting outside sipping wine and eating the amazing fresh food the kitchen sends out is a real treat”.

“The setting is lovely” at this intriguing, all-day yearling (open from breakfast): a cantilevered structure, partially suspended over Calton Hill, with panoramic views across Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. It’s a partnership between The Gardener’s Cottage restaurant and Collective (the organisation that has redeveloped the City Observatory), and all reports say it serves “great” modern bistro fare.

“Tucked away” in a “cosy” Georgian Stockbridge basement, chef Paul Gunning’s ‘casual fine dining’ venue serves “exceptionally delicious” cuisine “at a fraction of the price of other restaurants serving food of this quality”. “I’m amazed by how good the menu and dishes are for such a small restaurant”.

Ex-Castle Terrace head chef Roberta Hall and restaurant manager Shaun McCarron strike out on their own with a new, little (just 18-covers) French/British-inspired bistro in Leith. Early feedback suggest it’s worth a visit: “tiny and hard to get in, but the food is great and front of house spot-on.”