Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Haldanes Restaurant
SCOTTISH Haldanes serves dinners conducted like
meals in a private country house, with polite and deferential service. Run by chef
George Kelso and wife Michelle, the restaurant offers cooking with a light touch
despite using robust and mostly traditional ingredients, whether venison, wood
pigeon, or salmon. The dining room's layout and candlelit decor with deep carpets
and wood paneling is excellent for a romantic meal, even if the location underneath
the Albany Hotel is a little unprepossessing.
39a Albany St.
&
0131/556-8407.
www.haldanesrestaurant.com. Reservations recommended. Main
courses £16-£20. MC, V. Daily 5:30-9pm (9:30pm Fri and Sat). Bus: 23 or 27.
Oloroso
SCOTTISH/INTERNATIONAL Though they're fantastic, it's not all
about the vistas from this restaurant in the heart of Old Town. Oloroso's chef and
owner, Tony Singh, is a Scottish-born Sikh with an imaginative approach to cooking
Scottish produce. Here, in his rooftop restaurant with an ample veranda and excel-
lent panoramic views, the feeling is contemporary and swanky. Frequently changing
menus include dishes such as veal T-bones or fresh fish from the grill menu, or pan-
fried breast of duck with puy lentils and black pudding. The bar, which mixes some
mean cocktails, is usually open until 1am.
33 Castle St.
&
0131/226-7614.
www.oloroso.co.uk. Reservations recommended. Fixed-price lunch
£18.50; main courses £15-£25. MC, V. Daily noon-2:30pm and 7-10pm. Bus: 24, 29, or 42.
Santini
ITALIAN This modern West End restaurant in the Sheraton Grand (on
the ground floor under the hotel's One Spa) offers some of the capital's classiest, most
authentic Italian cooking. Part of a small international chain, with branches in Milan
and London, Santini serves dishes such as fish antipasti with seared whitefish and
chargrilled shrimps or venison and pork belly. For lunch, in addition to a well-priced
two-course meal, it has introduced an Italian version of the Japanese bento box.
8 Conference St.
&
0131/221-7788.
Fixed-price lunch £9.50; main courses £15-£22. AE, MC, V. Mon-Fri
noon-2:30pm and 6:30-9:30pm; Sat 6:30-10pm. Bus: 1, 2, 10, 24, or 34.
Moderate
blue
INTERNATIONAL/MODERN BRITISH This attractive bistro above the
Traverse Theatre is the less expensive sibling of Atrium (p. 76). You'll find a minimal-
ist look with touches of azure hues and a cheerful staff. The menu has dishes that
tend to always highlight local and seasonal produce. Solid options include organic
7
Haggis: The King o' the Puddin' Race
The much-misunderstood traditional
dish of Scotland, haggis may be an
acquired taste, but a well-made one is
delicious with mashed potatoes and
swede.
Macsween of Edinburgh
(www.
macsween.co.uk) is a long-established
family business specializing in Robert
Burn's “King o' the Puddin' Race.” Mac-
sween haggis includes lamb, beef, oat-
meal, onions, and a special blend of
seasonings and spices cooked together
and stuffed into a natural casing. They
also make a popular vegetarian version.
Both are sold in vacuum-packed plastic
bags and require only reheating in a
microwave or simmering pot of water.
You can find this company's product at
a range of food stores and supermar-
kets throughout Edinburgh.
