Aizle in Edinburgh does tasting menus right; threading the familiar with the unexpected, shooting for happy surprise rather than bewilderment
Everyone keeps pronouncing the tasting menu dead. In the past year I’ve seen critics decry this form of dining as narcissistic, out-of-touch and controlling, as though patrons of such establishments are held captive and forced to eat 50 shades of gruel (or tortillas laser-printed with home truths about themselves, as in the horror film The Menu). As an unwavering fan, I feel like the lone person still wearing skinny jeans and shouting, “But they actually really work for me, man!” while everyone else swans around in ankle-flappers. Some places have bent with the wind and switched to an exclusively à la carte offering, so I’m relieved that Aizle – rhymes with hazel – still champions the ‘blind’ tasting menu concept that secured Stuart Ralston’s position as one of the country’s most ambitious chefs when it opened back in 2014.
Since then, this restaurant has moved from its original home on Edinburgh’s St Leonard’s Street to the Garden Room at Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel and is now led by executive chef Ashley Salmon and head chef Phillip Roberts.
Ralston, meanwhile, has been busy adding another three restaurants to the Aizle group: Tipo, Noto and most recently Lyla, newly minted this year with a Michelin star. But Aizle, he says, is “the OG” and remains true to its seasonal, organic roots.
My friend and I settle into rattan chairs surrounded by an ocean of greenery, warmly lit by wicker lamps. There’s not a starched tablecloth in sight. A list of 25 ingredients on pressed-flower paper outlines the constituent parts of our seven-course tasting menu without a hint of the form they’ll take. I am flooded with calm. No decision-making No agonising. My fate is in the hands of the food gods.
These are benevolent gods. Soft chunks of miso-glazed lamb belly slip off a skewer and melt in my mouth like caramel. They have been roasted over a Japanese Konro grill, just like the artfully seared scallop that later arrives in a pool of mackerel cream, its flesh springy beneath bright shards of apple. It comes with a lemon-and-dill soda (I’ve gone for the no-alcohol pairing); it’s followed by a booze-free old-fashioned flavoured with Earl Grey and blackberry, to accompany a tender slice of Loch Rannoch venison in a smoky, pork-infused jus. “Oh my god, this tastes like childhood,” says my Romanian friend, eyes shut to savour a mouthful of polenta crowned with Lancaster cheese and onion.
That’s how I feel when I try the pre-dessert, a powdery crème anglaise ‘snow’ spiked with a sour splat of rhubarb compôte. One bite and I’m on the kerb beside the ice-cream van eating fistfuls of rhubarb-and-custard laces. This is what the best tasting menus do: thread the familiar with the unexpected, shooting for happy surprise rather than bewilderment. You can read it as an egotist showing off, or as a friendly palm outstretched. Aizle is confident, rightfully, but it’s thoughtful too. Our petits fours are boxed up for the train and, as I sink my teeth into one, an alert flashes up on my phone. It says – I kid you not – that skinny jeans are back.
The Garden Room, The Kimpton Hotel
38 Charlotte Square
Edinburgh
EH2 4HQ
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Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not grab a discounted meal at one of the city centre restaurants taking part in Eat Out Edinburgh. Find out more below
Dine out with discounts as part of Eat Out Edinburgh this March
