AMARONE EDINBURGH BY JASON CADDY
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estaurateurs and hoteliers Tony Conetta and Mario Gizzi of The DRG Restaurant Group are known for aligning their high-end concerns with the times, and they’ve pulled it off again with the refurbished Amarone in Edinburgh. It reopened on April 26 and what a transformation folks. DRG has 20 restaurants and a boutique hotel in its portfolio and just to set the scene for you, Amarone Edinburgh is on St Andrew’s Square within the art deco Capital Building, slap bang in the heart of Edinburgh’s shopping and central business districts, and just a stone’s throw away from the likes of Harvey Nichols. The new-look, plusher Amarone doesn’t look out of place one bit in this exclusive wee corner of the capital. One of the key aspects the refurbishment celebrates is the beauty of what is a sizeable space and perfect for social distancing because there’s an airiness to the ground floor
complete with its raised area. There’s also a private dining room in the basement called Vault. The outdoor terrace has been significantly upgraded too. It’s been extended, and is now covered and heated. So what’s new about it? Six-seater round booths, arched passageways that lead into their own respective spaces, plus the glazed orb lighting that’s jewel-like as it hangs dazzlingly in the main dining area complete with its nine-metre domed ceiling. The beautiful wooden floors, sumptuous booths, grand pillars, marbled wall panels, and pictures are other highlights. The majesty and grandeur of this space are further accentuated by what they’ve done with the gantry and the fact that it now mirrors the front-facing period arcade windows. It looks so at home in this beautiful setting they could have always been there. Responsible for some of the lighting installations was Tom DRAM MAY 2021 23
