Editor Pick
Martin Wishart
- February 23, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Red Mezz from Inverness, Scotland
On the other end of the scale from most of the penny-pinching and shoestring budget reviews I generally do, I bring you Martin Wishart.
For anyone coming to Edinburgh with a bit of a bank roll and wanting to really splash out for a proper top-chef, high quality meal, then I am pleased to be able to recommend this little restaurant on the shore.
A few months ago a friend of mine from England returned from a round the world trip and wanted to celebrate his return by taking some friends around to some of the best restaurants in Britain. He is a chef who has worked in some highly regarded restaurants in London and so we were happy to take his word on where the places to eat with a big budget are.
When he and an Australian friend arrived in Edinburgh he had two Michelin star restaurants on his list; Number One at the Balmoral and Martin Wishart, which we joined him in.
I myself, though a huge fan of food, have trouble thinking of restaurants at this level as 'restaurants.' To me a meal of this caliber is more of an experience, like going to an art gallery and getting to sample the art on your palate.
And in this, Martin Wishart was extraordinary. For me personally, the idea of having to pay for such a meal (I won't frighten you with what our final bill for the night actually was) dampens the enjoyment of the food itself, but as this was a birthday treat; I was able to sit back and just enjoy the atmosphere and the food wonders that kept appearing before us.
I will admit up front that I have little experience of other such restaurants, and therefore find it hard to compare, but I can tell you that not only was everything cooked to artistic perfection, but that my friend the chef said in the end that of all the restaurants they toured in Britain, Martin Wishart was the overall best. Praise indeed.
The only thing I would fault it for was the service, which I thought was sub-par for what we paid for the food. It wasn't bad, but did have drawbacks, and when my meal costs £60 I think the service should be perfect.
Apart from that though, it was a night to remember, and if fine dining is something you like to splash out on a trip, you can't really go wrong here.
All the food we had was both beautifully cooked and presented. We had the 6 course tasting menu, which lasted (along with several bottles of wine) well into the night. An altogether amazing experience.
As a side note, if you really love such cooking but don't have several extra hundred pounds in your budget to have dinner here, Martin Wishart offers a 3 course set price lunch for £20.50.
My only other advice is to book well in advance if you want to try it. Enjoy!
From journal Scotland Cuisine: It's Not as Bad as You've Heard