Restaurant review, Ondine, Edinburgh.

Ondine, 2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1AD

Contact: 0131 226 1888; ondinerestaurant.co.uk)

Price: Three courses with wine and coffee: £50-£70 per head

If the unluckiest person ever was the man rescued from drowning by the Titanic (just time for a wash and shave, and straight back down he bleeding well went), then the unluckiest restaurant in Scotland may well be Ondine.

There we were, my cousin Nick and I, raving about the vibrant, nightclubby atmosphere and warm, attentive service, when a debate broke out at the next table between a manager and a middle-aged quartet. They plainly had a beef, but with this underlit room rammed and jazz bellowing from the speakers, you’d have needed a directional microphone to make out the facts of the case.

This presented an intriguing ethical conundrum: when, if ever, is it acceptable for a reviewer to canvass fellow diners’ opinions? “Well, old boy,” posited Nick, “you’ve done it before.” His elephantine memory served him well. Long ago, stood up at a Westminster brasserie and woefully short of material, I explained my predicament to a nearby coupling (purely professional) and solicited their thoughts. “Good and tender,” said Nick Robinson, now the political editor of the BBC, about his steak. “Very nice,” declared Ruth Kelly MP, soon to join the Cabinet, with the traditional raw courage of the New Labour stalwart, of her salmon. “But you cannot quote me on that.”

Read more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk