Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
try the set lunches. Alas, it's closed Sunday and Monday, which means getting a
table is always difficult.
54 The Shore.
&
0131/553-3557.
www.martin-wishart.co.uk. Reservations required. Fixed-price lunch
£24.50; main courses £40. AE, MC, V. Tues-Fri noon-2pm and 6:45-9:30pm; Sat noon-1:30pm and
6:45-9:30pm. Bus: 22 or 36.
Expensive
Plumed Horse
MODERN SCOTTISH/FRENCH This restaurant arrived in
Edinburgh in 2006 with chef/owner Tony Borthwick at the helm. The dining space
feels quite compact and despite a traditional ambiance Borthwick's cooking is as
contemporary as his rivals (and just a little bit less expensive, too). Dishes such as
rose veal with mushrooms and Madeira cream sauce are elegantly and attractively
plated up. It too is closed both Sunday and Monday.
50-54 Henderson St.
&
0131/554-5556.
www.plumedhorse.co.uk. Reservations required. Fixed-price
lunch £24.50; fixed-price dinner £45. MC, V. Tues-Sat noon-1:30pm and 7-9pm. Bus: 22 or 36.
The Vintners Rooms
FRENCH Housed in an impressive 17th-century stone
building, this restaurant is one of the most romantic in Edinburgh. The kitchen uses
Scottish produce in a host of confidently modern Gallic dishes. The menu might
feature carpaccio of octopus with lobster, chili-caramelized belly of pork, or rack of
lamb with cabbage and polenta parcel.
The Vaults, 87 Giles St.
&
0131/554-6767.
www.thevintnersrooms.com. Reservations recommended.
Main courses £18-£23. AE, MC, V. Tues-Sat noon-2pm and 7-10pm. Bus: 22 or 36.
Moderate
Fishers Bistro
FISH This place is a favorite for its seafood and view of the harbor
at Leith. The Miller family founded the restaurant in the early 1990s, and their
chefs offer such enticing dishes as fresh Loch Fyne oysters and mussels in a white-
wine sauce, or breaded and crispy fish cakes. Of course, the fresh fish depends on
what's been landed: It might be trout or turbot. There is also a branch,
Fishers in
the City,
in New Town on Thistle Street (
&
0131/225-5109
).
1 The Shore.
&
0131/554-5666.
www.fishersbistros.co.uk. Reservations suggested. Main courses £12-
£16. AE, MC, V. Daily noon-10:30pm. Bus: 16, 22, 35, or 36.
The Shore Bar & Restaurant
SCOTTISH/FISH Whether diners eat in the pub
or in the only slightly more formal dining room to one side, they should appreciate
the simplicity and ease of this operation. The menu moved away from its dedication
to fish in 2008, and now also includes steaks, lamb shanks, and roast duck. The bar
is still one of the best in Leith. It often has live music in the evenings, good ale on
tap, and a sincere seaport ambience all the time.
3/4 The Shore.
&
0131/553-5080.
Reservations recommended. Main courses £10-£15. AE, MC, V. Daily
noon-10pm. Bus: 16, 22, 35, or 36.
7
PICNIC FARE
The Edinburgh weather doesn't always lend itself to outdoor dining on an expanse
of lawn, but there are certainly days when the sun shines warmly enough to enjoy a
picnic at Princes Street Gardens, the Meadows, and Holyrood Park—or along the
Water of Leith and in the Botanic Garden.
