As we reported last week, four Edinburgh restaurants have been celebrating success after being named in the UK top 100 at a prestigious awards.
The annual National Restaurant Awards aims to shine a spotlight on the country's best food spots, with judges travelling north to south to recommend where we should be dining this year.
Although many of the top spots have gone to London-based restaurants, there was plenty of praise for Scottish eateries too - of the five Scotland venues to secure their top 100 place, four are found right here in the capital, emphasising the strength of Edinburgh's food and drink scene right now.
READ MORE: Edinburgh Indian restaurant named city's best at Scottish Curry Awards 2022
Despite west-coast Inver being crowned the Best Restaurant in Scotland, Glasgow's restaurants failed to make the 2022 list.
Here's what judges said about the four Edinburgh restaurants and where they placed in the top 100:
Ondine Oyster and Grill, number 84
"Edinburgh-born Brett has a CV that includes St James’s stalwart Le Caprice and Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, so it’s no surprise the quality of the fish and shellfish he serves is second to none. Fresh produce is sourced from various locations including the Shetlands and the south coast of England, but the bulk comes directly from Newhaven’s Welch Fishmongers.
"Ever since the first spice boats docked in the port of Leith, the area’s food has been open to worldwide influences and that is the approach Ondine embraces in its menu with splashes of international flavours. The introduction of a robata grill has also seen the restaurant serve more meaty options, including Perthshire rib of beef."
The Little Chartroom, number 90
"The Little Chartroom started life as a cosy little bistro (only 18 covers) but in 2021 moved to larger premises to be a 'more grown-up destination' (the original site is now home to her restaurant and wine bar Eleanore). The new restaurant might be larger but its ethos is still the same, serving a simple, seasonal menu of British-style dishes with a French accent. Menus are concise, with only three options available per course, but Hall-McCarron's cooking shows great confidence and imagination.
"The Little Chartroom is low key, but has been well thought through with clean lines, a mixture of dark and light tables and light wooden chairs that lend it an air of modernity."
Aizle, number 92
"Aizle is a restaurant that prides itself of making everything in-house. And when chef Stuart Ralston says ‘everything’, he means it. From the nutritious live ferment in the sourdough, to the hand churned butter, to the aquavit and aged kombucha in the cocktails, all that is served has been created in the Aizle kitchen.
"Aizle is a Scottish noun that refers to a burning coal, a glowing hot ember, or a spark. It’s a suitably enigmatic name for a thoughtful and ambitious restaurant that refuses to play by the rules. Rather than a menu, guests are presented with a list of potential ingredients from the most recent harvest and asked to cross off any they don’t like. From there, Ralston and his kitchen team create a tasting menu of arresting dishes that neatly play with your expectations."
The Palmerston, number 97
"There’s something familiar and comforting about The Palmerston, the new all-day Edinburgh restaurant and bakery from owners Lloyd Morse and James Snowdon. It could be because the interior has that classic Parisian bistro feel to it that is instantly recognisable, or the fact that the high ceiling, 19th-century building in which it is housed - a former Royal Bank of Scotland – generates the dining room clatter and hum that is the hallmark of a good dining experience. Whatever it is, the minute you pull up a bistro chair you know you’re in for something special.
"The menu changes daily, European style, so that the restaurant continues to offer something new for its regulars, of which there are many, but the theme of heartiness and comfort is a constant. Whether you start with a rabbit and prune terrine, followed by lamb mince on dripping toast; or plump for a half roast chicken and cauliflower cheese to share, you won’t be found wanting."
To see what the judges said about the four Edinburgh restaurants in full and for a look at the top 100 list, you can visit the National Restaurants Awards website here.
