“We are seated downstairs on a Friday night and the atmosphere is fizzy. It’s exactly the vibe I want from a neighbourhood joint”
We all have first-world problems. One of mine is that unless I live to 150, I’ll never tick off all the restaurants listed in my chaotic iPhone notes. These things can be difficult to prioritise, but Montrose made it easy. In the past year, five people have told me it’s the best restaurant they’ve ever been to. One, an interview subject, was almost apologetic when I asked her where she liked to dine. “I want to say Montrose,” she began, as though bracing for the eye-roll that comes after saying your favourite film is The Godfather, “but I’m worried that’s what everyone says – is it too clichéd?”
That a restaurant can open in Edinburgh in 2023, appear in the Michelin Guide six months later and by 2025 be treated as a grande dame of the dining scene is remarkable. But then, it is led by the Radford family, who have been keeping Michelin-starred Timberyard relevant since 2012. They know how to adapt and thrive.
Montrose, in Abbeyhill, has already evolved since it first opened. Originally a wine bar downstairs and a dining room upstairs, the decision was made a few months ago to serve its evening à la carte and tasting menus across both spaces. I’m glad. We are seated downstairs on a Friday night and the atmosphere is fizzy. Some diners are perched on bar stools, others have brought their well-behaved dog. A family wander in with a pram and are met with smiles. The decor is easy and relaxed too. Warm timber, Ercol chairs, amber glassware. Exactly the vibe I want from a neighbourhood joint.
But rest assured, this food ain’t slouching. Sungold tomatoes burst with sweet joy. Thick fingers of warm pea panisse are heaped with finely grated comté. Soil-fresh crudités come with a garlicky, pickly shiitake mushroom dip. I’m sorry for the 20-year-old reference, but the flavours are so lively I feel like Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch. And we’re still on the snacks.
We’ve chosen the tasting menu with non-alcoholic pairings, because we don’t want our tastebuds obliterated by booze. Honestly, it’s the way forward. We have Kames Farm sea trout layered with beetroot, the fiery bite of its horseradish sauce instantly cooled by a lime-and-lovage cordial. A smoky hunk of John Dory with white Coco beans arrives in a shawl of translucent lardo (made from the back fat of pigs; thank god the Ozempic craze hasn’t hit them) and swimming in lobster broth. One mouthful of the accompanying elderflower matcha and the purple basil in the dish, previously a support act, rushes forward.
From sea to land and perhaps my standout: Mount Grace Farm lamb served every which way, its rump rolled up into a spicy sausage encased in the skin of a green pepper, the shoulder in a bowl macerating in its juices. All easy to scoop with barbecued rainbow chard, and sauced with creamy muhammara. A mound of pickled cabbage and a tart glass of juiced currant leaves and rhubarb carves a clean path through the richness. Do I have space for pud? Not really, but on I plough. I manage half a strawberry pavlova with meadowsweet cream, and every drop of the companion dessert drink. It’s made from French white peaches, heated until they’re almost jammy, infused with foraged roses then left to cool overnight. Sweet lord. I might not ever make it to 150, but at least I made it here.
Montrose
1 Montrose Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 5DJ
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Visit another Edinburgh favourite: Hawksmoor Edinburgh.
Architectural grandeur and premium food intertwine at Hawksmoor Edinburgh
