I've visited Edinburgh many times over the years, for work and play. I've experienced the cultural highs of the Festival and some memorable lows (the world premiere of Tubular Bells 2 at Edinburgh Castle springs to mind). And though I've often eaten well, I've never eaten dazzlingly well. Edinburgh has plenty of good restaurants but great ones are elusive, particularly at the upper end of the market, where too many of the famous city-centre names prove to be disappointing tourist traps.
This year, though, something seems to be happening in Edinburgh. There's a new excitement around the dining scene, and a broadening of gastronomic horizons. My Edinburgh sources (ooh, get me, Deep Throat) bombarded me with recommendations when I told them I was visiting. New brasseries from Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart, the capital's most celebrated chefs. A fab gastropub, The Dogs. Wedgwood, a secret gem adored by locals. There was even an honourable mention for the blingy Hotel Missoni, where hunky doormen sport op-art Missoni-striped kilts, and the clientele is pure (Forth) bridge and tunnel.
It was Ondine, though, that emerged as the most popular suggestion. Not strictly new (it opened in 2009 ) and hardly a secret gem – the Good Food Guide declared it Scottish Restaurant of the Year 2011 – it has largely escaped the attentions of the London-based reviewing mafia.
Read more at http://www.independent.co.uk/
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