Restaurants Index

Occasional reports on restaurants I visit.

Edinburgh & Leith

• 21212 (26/11/09) Fine food from Paul Kitching.
• Aizle (9/9/17) Brilliantly flavoursome cooking near the Old Town.
• Angels with Bagpipes (23/4/14) Cod with wings.
• Argile (6/6/25) The cooking of Jack Montgomery.
• Aurora (15/9/23) The eclectic cooking of Kamil Witek.
• Avery (28/3/25) Twelve courses from chef Rodney Wages.
• The Atrium (30/06/10) Roe deer and hogget with a side of thrrrruuum.
• Cafe St Honoré (26/9/08) A little slice of Paris in Edinburgh.
• Castle Terrace (12/3/16) A hit-and-miss experience with Dominic Jack.
• Dulse (14/3/25) Fishy fare from Dean Banks.
• Fhior (24/9/21) Norn reborn; the cooking of Scott Smith.
• The Gardener’s Cottage (25/4/15) Banging my head on a spike.
• Mark Greenaway (1/8/15) Featuring Dave Myers and Orin Scrivello.
• The Honours (26/9/15) A Martin Wishart restaurant serving mystery cheeses.
• Howie’s (11/11/05) Dried out pigeon and burnt lamb.
• Ka Pao (27/10/23) Borderless South Asian dining.
• The Kitchin (23/1/09, last updated 29/7/22) Dinner, by Tom Kitchin.
• Mono (15/7/22, updated 17/12/23) An Italian diner, now closed.
• Norn (11/11/17) Local, seasonal, traceable food from Scott Smith.
• Noto (28/1/25) Small plates from Stuart Ralston.
• Number One, Balmoral Hotel (17/3/06, updated 30/5/07) Super quality here.
• Oloroso (19/12/08) Where’s my marrow?
• Ondine (28/2/15, last updated 11/2/22) Superb seafood from Roy Brett.
• Peter’s Yard (10/10/08) Great lunchtime venue.
• The Plumed Horse (18/1/08) Tony Borthwick in Leith.
• The Pompadour (29/8/15) The King of Zamunda dines out.
• Purslane (14/11/15) Great value, in a bohemian paradise.
• The Scran & Scallie (13/6/15) Tom Kitchin’s gastropub outpost.
• The Ship on the Shore (26/3/16) Sustainable Scottish seafood.
• Southside Scran (20/7/19) Five courses from Tom Kitchin and Loire Valley wines.
• The Spence (15/5/25) Dinner at the Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh.
• Timberyard (10/10/15, updated 9/6/23) Innovative dining, ‘natural’ wines.
• The Tower Restaurant (26/5/06) Hearty fare.
• Valvona & Crolla (14/4/07) Great Italian food.
• The Vintner’s Rooms (9/2/05) Lovely restaurant in an historic setting.
• Wedgwood (29/3/13) Foraged leaves and more.
• Martin Wishart (11/3/09, last updated 17/3/18) It caters for undertakers.
• The Witchery (10/3/07) A disappointing experience.

The Rest of Scotland

• Airds Hotel (14/1/22, updated 18/8/23) Two weekends of walking and fine dining.
• The Bonnie Badger (27/3/19, updated 30/7/21) Tom Kitchin’s restaurant with rooms.
• The Cellar (10/3/23) The food of Billy Boyter, in Anstruther.
• Champany Inn (11/1/06) Great steaks, wine list and service.
• Hotel du Vin, St Andrews (24/2/23) Porchetta Ready-Brek and not tarte tatin.
• Isle of Eriska (11/12/20) A welcome weekend retreat.
• Greywalls (29/7/11) A grand version of the 19th hole.
• The Peat Inn (5/3/21) Dinner and rooms, from Geoffrey Smeddle.
• The Pierhouse (24/3/23) A langoustine lunch in Port Appin.
• La Potinière (9/6/10) East Lothian fine dining.
• The Strathearn (7/4/23) Art deco dining, at The Gleneagles Hotel.
• The Winton (26/8/22, updated 20/9/24) A fine East Lothian gastropub.

Bordeaux

• Au Bonheur du Palais (1/3/13) Superb Oriental cuisine.

Loire: Nantais

• Restaurant de la Vallée (23/9/22) A table with a view in Clisson.

Loire: Anjou

• La Brasserie de la Gare (13/4/12) Sorry, the moules are off.
• Chez Rémi (15/3/13) Good value in the centre of Angers.
• Le Petit Comptoir (13/2/09) Amazing quality and value.
• Le Relais (24/2/12) A magical mystery tour.

Loire: Saumur

• Le Pot de Lapin (15/8/15) Great informal dining in Saumur.
• Le Puy à Vins (12/9/15) A fine-dining surprise in Le Puy-Notre-Dame.
• Aux Saveurs de la Tonnelle (15/6/19) Wine bar with petite restauration in Saumur.

Loire: Touraine

• Agnès Sorel (9/3/14) Royal affairs and a secret society of chicken fanciers.
• Auberge du Val de Vienne (26/8/17, updated 13/11/20) A top-notch cure for sunstroke.
• La Cabane à Matelot (27/11/20) The Loire’s forgotten fish.
• La Cabane à Vin (27/8/16) Wine bar in Chinon with petite restauration.
• Café de la Promenade (31/10/15) Rustic charm on the outskirts of Bourgueil.
• La Cave Voltaire (6/8/16) Great wine bar with petite restauration.
• L’Entrepotes (9/6/22) A lucky lunchtime discovery in Chinon.
• Les Jardiniers (10/11/23, updated 1/11/24) Top-quality dining at this restaurant potager.
• L’Oceanic (18/11/22) Fishy dishes in Chinon, from Patrick Descoubes.
• La Table du Pressoir (21/8/25) A seasonal open-air restaurant at Domaine Grosbois.

Loire: Centre

• Le Bistro des Damnés (9/11/13) Great value, top quality.
• C’heu l’Zib (28/6/24) A hearty dinner in Menetou-Salon.
• La Petite Maison (23/7/25) Sancerre fare, from Morgane Prieur.
• Au P’tit Goûter (7/12/13) Another Chavignol dining option.
• La Tour (8/10/16) A charming restaurant in the centre of Sancerre.

London

• 28-50 (5/6/13) A fine, wine-focused restaurant in Marylebone Lane.
• Bread Street Kitchen (24/6/17) Pricy comfort food from Gordon Ramsay.
• Chez Bruce (6/5/17) Great quality near Wandsworth common.
• Bar Douro (25/8/18) Less carburettor, more cataplana de marisco.
• Green Man & French Horn (14/9/13) Eclectic Loire-themed diner.
• Lorne (27/5/17) Modern British cuisine in Victoria.
• Marcus (30/6/18) Automobile exotica and bling blindness.
• Murano (3/8/13) Fine dining with Angela Hartnett.
• Noble Rot (29/10/16) Heart-warming and stomach-filling fare.
• Le Pont de la Tour (14/9/14) A faux-French theme, on the Thames.
• RSJ (8/6/14) Fine value and an amazing Loire-themed wine list.
• St John (8/1/21) Food and wine from Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver.
• Social Wine & Tapas (4/8/18) An informal and quite brilliant tapas bar.
• The Square (17/8/14) The food of Philip Howard.
• Terroirs (3/8/14, updated 14/2/15) Little plates and great wines.

Norwich

• Benedicts (23/8/24) The cooking of Richard Bainbridge.
• Benoli (22/10/21) Modern Italian eating from Oliver Boon.
• Roger Hickman’s Restaurant (26/7/24) Savoury ice creams and collapsing chairs.
• Yard (5/11/21) Pasta, beer and cocktails on Pottergate.