This review was written for August’s Bite Magazine,
and can be found online here.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is renowned for their cornucopia of whisky, but it isn’t commonly known that the dining room at the Queen Street venue is also open to non-members. This was the first visit to the beautiful Georgian Townhouse, many areas are members-only, however my friend Janet and I discovered their restaurant to be a classy alternative to some of the city’s high-end restaurants.
The oval-shaped dining room is elegant, tables are linen-clad, yet the atmosphere is far from stuffy. We scanned the menu and an amuse-bouche of smoked salmon arrived, featuring a summery dressing, fresh with flavours of cucumber and fennel. The salmon had a mild cure, imparting a delicate taste and silky texture. This was paired with a glass of Speyside Balmenach, whose aromas opened up nicely with a splash of water.
For starters, I chose rare fillet of Scotch beef, with quail’s eggs (£12.95). The thick slices made this like carpaccio’s more buxom sister. The quality and texture of the meat and its flavour, enhanced by a sprinkling of Maldon salt, were superb. The plate was dressed with a crunchy herb, white and red radish salad, and a chunk of toast drizzled with ridiculously naughty dripping. Janet had an unctuous fresh pea risotto (£9.75) which was also packed with morel and St. George mushrooms, and topped with a Parmesan crisp.
Hopping back to the sea for my main, I chose the roast monkfish with scallops and wilted lettuce and crushed peas (£23.95). The butter-basted monkfish was firm and delicious, but the show-stoppers were the two scallops, which were worthy of their regal title. A champagne and lemongrass velouté of delicate flavours secured this dish a perfect ten. Janet munched her way through an interesting dish of Ibérico pork, with almonds and caramelised cauliflower.
The superlative-laden dinner was only slightly blighted by my dessert, mascarpone and lavender tart (£7.50) . The creamy filling was similar in texture to a great crème brûlée, but the limp pastry case had drawn the short (-crust) straw. Janet happily scoffed her pud (£7.50) of poached rhubarb, a ginger financier cake and generous dollop of clotted cream.
It’s been a while since a dinner and venue elicited so many ‘wow’s, and this is the perfect spot to impress friends with your ‘insider’ Edinburgh knowledge.
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