In the neighbourhood Looking for fine food without the ego? Here’s three laid-back local restaurants to try

In the neighbourhood

Looking for fine food without the ego? When it comes to quality casual dining, Edinburgh’s neighbourhood restaurants excel. Here’s three you need to visit…

ELEANORE

Carrie Mitchell finally learns what all the fuss is about at this much talked about eatery on Leith Walk

When chef-owner Roberta Hall-McCarron and husband Shaun moved The Little Chartroom to pastures new at the end of last year, they handed over the keys to the birthplace of their empire to the talented young chefs who’d manned the grills on their beachside lockdown venture TLC on the Prom. And so Eleanore was born – a small, neighbourhood restaurant with big ideas… and even bigger shoes to fill.

Small and unassuming from the outside, the restaurant’s tiny yet perfectly formed interior is a lesson in sleek Scandi minimalism – whitewashed brick walls house high stools in blonde wood sitting beneath just three tables and a few compact window seats. Menus are artfully tucked into metal runners and there are a few stylish nods to a nautical theme paying homage to Roberta’s family boat for which the restaurant was named. While the aesthetic is achingly cool, the welcome is refreshingly warm as the host greets us with a smile, leads us past the open kitchen and seats us in the centre of the dining room before talking us through the menu.

It is, of course, all about sharing plates here – isn’t every modern restaurant? Given I generally make my husband split every meal with me anyway, it works from my point of view, but I’m not sure he concurs. He graciously agrees to my menu choices and placates himself with a beer while I get almost immediately tipsy on a potent pre-drink of Bianco Vermouth, Gin, Fino sherry and lovage, £10.50 and regret skipping breakfast.

Thankfully we don’t have to wait long before a series of beautifully styled dishes begins to arrive, each larger than the one before. There are two fat oysters, £6, sitting atop a mound of crushed ice dressed in a fiery seawood hot sauce. Silky slivers of cured sea trout, £6, are pepped up with pickled shiso and blood orange. Grilled flatbreads, £6.50, are charred to perfection and accompanied with a flavourful mound of luscious romesco, complemented with spicy nduja and salty anchovy. Tender asparagus and buttery Jersey Royals come with wild garlic, hollandaise, and hazelnut, £15. And a perfectly pink beef short rib, £24, accompanied by caramelised Roscoff onions and creamed spinach, sings with Szechuan flavours. Every mouthful is memorable for all the right reasons – this is flawless, contemporary cooking with none of the fussiness you might expect. You won’t find a foam here, or dishes presented in a cloud of smoke, just honest, good food, carefully prepared and artfully served.

There is just one dish that came with a tinge of disappointment for me and that was dessert. In its short lifespan, Eleanore has become famed for a signature Tirami-choux yet this delectable-sounding sweet was absent on my visit and the seasonal substitute of Rhubarb & Custard Choux, £9, sadly did not fulfil my appetite’s demand for cocoa-fuelled indulgence. On the bright side, it did give me a great reason to return the very second the Tirami-Choux reappears. Just try and stop me.

Eleanore, 31 – 13 Albert Place, EH7 5AN, 0131 600 0990, www.eleanore.uk.

NEW CHAPTER

Lila Williams revisits this hidden gem on Eyre Place

Choosing where to eat in Stockbridge has never been an easy decision, even when I lived there back in the mid-noughties, when an ever-evolving influx of stylish, independent restaurants changed the face of the area. One that did just that back in 2016 is New Chapter and it’s been rewriting the definition of a neighbourhood restaurant ever since.

The loveable hidden gem located on a quiet cobbled street between Stockbridge and Canonmills produces some of the best food in town. You’ll probably have already heard about it by word of mouth as it’s one of those places that is recommended by anyone who’s been. The thing about New Chapter is it delivers for pretty much every occasion with a la carte dinner options, a set lunch menu served Wednesday to Saturday, and private dining rooms too. And, if you get your timings right on Sunday, you’ll be able to enjoy the awardwinning roast served with some of the fluffiest and biggest Yorkshire puddings you’re every likely to find.

So, here I am six years after opening on a snowy night in April and I don’t think there’s an empty seat in the house. Despite that, there’s no overpowering noise or too-close-forcomfort neighbouring tables, it’s the perfect laid-back yet buzzy vibe.

The menu is concise but everything sounds appealing. Fresh, seasonal ingredients with an innovative twist tends to be the nature of the game. My starter of wild garlic soup with confit egg yolk and chicken skin crumble, £11, deserves a gold medal. It’s delicate and silky with the chicken skin adding a different dimension. My friend orders a salmon tartare, £14.50, with wasabi ice cream and pickled radish which takes sashimi to a new level. Mains are, for me, a meaty halibut, £28, with carrot and ginger puree and lemongrass sauce (it works) and, over the table, a lamb loin with wild garlic, XO gravy, miso and onion puree, £29, which comes with a perfectly formed bao bun stuffed with lamb shoulder (the chef here is also the chef behind Leith bao ‘bunnerie’ Bundits of Leith). Portions are hearty but we manage to save room for dessert - a rhubarb and ginger panna cotta in rose water yoghurt, £9, with two spoons. We jostle for the last spoonful and I’m glad I get there first. As we head out into the unseasonably snowy night, it feels good to be back in the neighourhood. I certainly won’t leave it so long next time – there’s Yorkshire puds waiting with my name on.

© Arkdefo © M. Szymik

New Chapter, 18 Eyre Pl, EH3 5EP, 0131 556 0006, www.newchapterrestaurant.co.uk

LEFTFIELD

Laura Wood discovers the best seafood platter at this Bruntsfield bistro

Ihad been longing to visit Leftfield ever since I had one of their sell-out seafood platters at home during lockdown. So,with a looming birthday celebration for two discerning, seafood-loving friends on the horizon, it was my restaurant of choice for a celebratory lunch for four.

It’s all about the relaxed bistro vibe here and a recent refurb of dark green walls and soft furnishings, large mirrors and bigger windows works wonders to bring the outside in. The view across Bruntsfield Links and beyond to the changing colours of Arthur’s Seat and the Crags is glorious. Window boxes burst into life with fennel, nasturtiums, lavender, and all sorts of herbaceous loveliness… they look and smell divine and, no doubt, are being put to good use on the plates before they leave the kitchen this season.

We are greeted by co-owner Rachel who heads up front of house whilst her partner, Phil, works behind the scenes. Excitedly we order cocktails to kick off proceedings keeping things simple with classic negronis, palomas and a kick-ass mezcal margarita.

The menu leans towards seafood but there’s always a meat option for more carnivorous diners and a very appealing and creative vegetarian choice (currently sumac roasted cauliflower, slow roast tomato, and pearl barley), £12.50, We’re there for the hot seafood platter, £85/90 each, anyway so order two between four and throw in sides of chunky chips and chargrilled broccoli too, £5 each. When it arrives, it’s a thing of beauty. Tempura lobster tail and claws from Belhaven Lobster, baked oysters from Cumbrae, the freshest crevettes and langoustines, and hot smoked salmon from Skipness Smokehouse, Shetland mussels, crab salad, served with hot garlic butter and other sauces to satisfy and delight all of us. Washed down with a bottle or two of Crémant, even the hardcore seafood platter experts (AKA the birthday girls) are in heaven as we spend the next hour or so working our way through the feast.

I love all that Leftfield stands for in its quest to source locally and sustainably. Its purpose being minimal environmental impact, maximum benefit for local trade and good food on our plates. It’s that simple. You get the feeling that absolutely everything has gone through a robust quality control and if it doesn’t meet the mark, well, it’s just not getting in. Even the wine list is a curated one of bio dynamic, organic wines from small producers.

And, if you just fancy popping by for wine with langoustines, a cocktail or, even better, for the oyster happy hour with £1 oysters served between 5.30 and 6.30pm, Thursday to Saturday, there’s a new bar with space for six. No surprise though, it’s already a hit with those in the know so try to book ahead if you can.

Leftfield, 12 Barclay Terr, EH10 4HP, 0131 229 1394, www.leftfieldedinburgh.co.uk