Plumed Horse (Edinburgh): uneven with some highs

(Visited 23/12/2011)

Proceedings started alarmingly in this venue in the Leith “Michelin strip” of Edinburgh (regrettably, the Plumed Horse has just been star-stripped by Michelin, but as you can see we are not deterred by this tragedy). 

We asked what grape varieties were in a Sicilian white wine that had caught our attention. The guy in charge said he had no idea... but he could check on the internet. Um.

Things became even more worrying when he came back and said that the Sicilian white was made out of Sangiovese. Unlikely. To his credit he did come back a little later to say that it was actually a Chardonnay. 

And also to his credit, the guy is really sweet and kind. And we appreciated sooo much the fact that he didn’t put any pressure on us for drinks – we find it hideous when the first thing they ask you is whether you want a glass of champagne (if we do - unlikely - we'll ask without prompting, thank you very much), which happens far too often.

Two amuse bouches restore our faith. A trio of beetroot terrine with creme fraiche, ballottine of salmon with herbs and smoked caviar, and black pudding fritter 


is only marred by the crazy saltiness of the salmon, while the fritter is delectable and the elegantly sliced beetroot adds that nice earthy vegetable dimension. The second amuse 


is a bold butternut squash soup with chilli oil, very assertive and offering nice contrasts. The palate is now for sure well awake.

Coming to serious eating, two “set piece” starters are visually very attractive and well conceived. Tian of White Crab Meat, Cucumber, Pineapple Salsa, Passion Fruit Dressing  is as zingy, light, fresh as it is vertically ambitious in appearance (only one snotty comment: if you put dots, they've got to be all the same size).

And a delicate Terrine of Pheasant, Pistachios, Alsace Bacon, Pickled Pear, Cumberland Sauce, Thyme Brioche offers great balance of flavours and titillates the palate with sweetness from the pears and acidity from the sauce. 



The pistachios do not make any impression – with them it’s either top quality and adequate quantity or nothing. Man finds the terrine a bit dry but is silenced by Woman who says it's OK. Woman doesn’t care too much for the brioche but is silenced by Man who says it's great.

One of the mains is the only real letdown of the evening, a Roast Breast of Guinea Fowl; Truffled Ravioli, “Cock-a-Leekie” Garnish.  



Strange first of all that in a broth based dish like this no spoon is supplied. Maybe better this way, because what we can taste is rather bland. The anonymous guinea fowl is dry (overcooked) and this time the couple’s harmony is preserved as there is no disagreement. While the raviolo is fine, something truly unspeakable must have happened to a cardboard truffle with a horrendous chemical flavour. (We don't know and we don't want to know)

In the other main, a Roast Fillet of Brill, Saffron Parmentier Potatoes, Creamed Leeks, Scallop Sauce, the not too tasty fish plays second fiddle to the splendid protagonist: the potatoes, soft and creamy on one side of the dish, small roasted cubes on the other (the Parmentier), vibrant with saffron, not to mention the leeks that deserved to appear more prominently. 



This could easily have been a perfect vegetarian dish, without loss had the brill not been there. And the champion of potatoes Parmentier  would have been happy!

For dessert, a Dark Chcolate Fondant, Hazelnut Ice Cream, Cocoa Nib Crunch 



is really fondant, that is luxuriously melting, the whole ensemble exemplary, and could only be improved by a superior quality of chocolate.

But the stunner of the evening is the second dessert, a Clementine Mousse, Marzipan Ice Cream, Chilli Tuile of superb airiness, like a souffle’ really, intense in the tangy favour, on a classy, also very light, sponge base. And the kick from the tuile, mellowed by the ice cream, creates other layers in this refined, assured dessert (note also the this time precise hand that put the dots on the plate, one of those telling details). 

The service worked well, with some unusual formality for this type of restaurant (white gloves to change cutlery, where are we, at the Ritz?), the only negative being the manager, who shone for the total lack of presence in the room, spending most of the time either in front of the computer, or chatting with the waiters (with four staff for ten customers there was plenty of time), and did not even bother to say goodbye when we left. Indeed we wondered what the point was of having a manager.

There’s evidently sound classical technique behind the dishes at the Plumed Horse, with chef Tony Borthwick, despite some inconsistency, able to pull several strings in the harmony of flavours, from delicate to decisive. If it is true that there was a flop it is also true that there was a memorable dessert. What is missing, we think, is excellence in the main produce, which makes this restaurant a lesser brother of its starred neighbours in Leith. Whether this is compensated by the ten pounds less that three dishes cost here (£55 pounds) is subjective. We feel that the price is too high compared to what, overall, is in the plate. Both in central London and in Fife (here) you can eat luxury ingredients (turbot not brill, pork loin not cheek, etc., all top quality) for that amount or even less. 

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The Honours (Edinburgh)

It looks like Martin Wishart didn't spare any expenses in his new 'bistro' in central Edinburgh, the atmosphere one of very spacious luxury rather than intimately rustic

They clearly need to make it back with the bread, good but only served in three thin slices each, and not replaced if you finish it...

Scottish Nationalists will have an apoplectic attack at the only type of oyster being served in this Scottish restaurant being 'Cornish assured'

We heard that there was no competition in the blind tasting. Very good they certainly were: the plumpest, sea-infused oysters of our (admittedly limited, but not non-existent) experience. But we are told by reliable sources that you can find equally good ones in Scotland, so....

Woman: Let's have the lobster Thermidore. Man: Nah, we are having it every week here in Scotland! Woman: Come on! Man: Ok....

It was a good choice: served without the shell, notable for the excellent cooking, the herbs recruited in quantity to add freshness, and the balance and kick of the sauce. In one word: delicious (though we've recently had an even better one...stay tuned).


Man: let's have the tuna tartare. Woman: Nah, this is the tame yellowfin, you know I'm used to the wonderful bluefin Sicilian tuna. Man: you mean, like feckless environmental yobs that don't give a toss about sustainability? Woman, contrite: Ok, let's see what chef Paul Tamburrini manages to do with the yellowfin.

It was a good choice: a simple 'assembly' dish with very well-defined, fresh, harmonious flavours (avocado cream, ginger and soya butter sauce).


Woman: let's have the veal sweetbreads. Man: Nah, we can have them in Italy or the lovely ones with Pecorino cheese they do at Latium. Woman: Come on, don't be chauvinistic! Man: Ok.





It was a good choice. In fact, it was a great choice. Simply resting on a bed of moist spinach and accompanied by a portentous reduction, it was the cooking that made this the dish of the day, having achieved that perfectly light crispiness on the outside and that supreme softness inside.

Man: Let's have the Presa steak of acorn fed Iberico pork. Woman: Nah, we can have this sort of thing in Spain. Man: Yes we could, however we never do, come on! Woman: Ok.

It was a good choice. They can really cook well here at the Honours, clearly a taut and well-run kitchen. This one felt like it was grilled, let's see, at about 650 degrees, you know, it had that unmistakable texture...(OK,we read it on the menu, where they feel compelled to give you this information as if many people might change their mind about the order if it was cooked at 600 or 670 instead). We asked for medium rare and we were rewarded with the succulence that comes with it. Iberico pork is in general wonderful, but Man found this one good but not the best Iberico pork, and in terms of flavour he preferred the one at Hedone the previous week. Just for the sake of giving you a full spectrum of opinions, Woman disagreed. They agreed however that the the thick wine sauce was 'deluscious', and the tomatoes welcome (though to our taste they could have been cooked quite a little more and acquire that melting deliciousness).


Just one dessert, to increase our Summer exploration of the classics, another peach Melba, like at Koffmann's the previous week (yes, we eat out a lot).

The ice-cream (made with a Carpigiani machine, as the very detailed menu says) was as good as one finds even in Italy, and the peach (Italian, so says the once again very detailed menu...) intense - this was yellow, while the Koffmann's one was white. It is definitely not your classic Peach Melba, but still a very good ending to a very good meal. The presentation is perhaps more bistro that fine dining (compare it with the one at Koffmann's bistro, but that's OK.

The service has some key members from the Michelin starred Leith operation, so you get the benefit of a level of service far superior to what you'd expect in a bistro (the other waiters, very nice but displaying inexperience to various extent, looked in fact like they do greatly benefit from their more experienced colleagues - one lovely young lady was literally trembling when taking the dishes away: sweet but painful to watch). A special mention for the manager Steven Spear, a Wishart faithful, whose bright and easy charm (and voice!) cannot fail to strike the customer.


As you can see, we had six good choices out of six, and indeed we have the feeling that we could have chosen anything from the menu and been equally satisfied. This is a very polished operation. Remember, it's a bistro, so don't go expecting the intricate dishes of Martin Wishart that probably take six days to prepare, and you won't be disappointed. The one negative aspect is a certain sense of lack of generosity (no amuse bouche, very little bread, no petit fours, expensive coffee - which we did not have, very little vegetables in most dishes so you need to order side ones), a rather enthusiastic pricing (we spent £111, of which £38 drinks, before a tip - for £120 or so you can fine-dine elsewhere not too far), right on the borderline of what we would consider excessive, bearing in mind what is in the plate, the lack of extras and the basic mise en place. On the other hand they have set lunches on weekdays that look a steal. If you can, you should perhaps focus on those.


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Number One (Edinburgh): classic class

One of those unending Scottish Summer nights...this one above is the Balmoral in Edinburgh, whose basement restaurant tempts us tonight.


We are soon offered some delicious nibbles, including  the often present haggis bon bon (we had the same at Martin Wishart for example) but...what is this? In an otherwise tender and tasty loin of rabbit cylinder Man finds a bone, and a piece of shell will appear in an otherwise perfect amuse bouche of crab with gazpacho and iced melon.


These prep mistakes indicate that something  is not settled in the kitchen, and a confirmation of this will come later, with an unusual delay between first and second course. A young Italian waiter comes to us and apologises, and when, curious, we ask him what the problem is he explains 'You know, in Michelin starred restaurants like this one it is normal to apologise if a dish arrives late'. You don't say.


Let us get done with a last complaint: a dish of scallops, while perfectly cooked felt a little ungenerous and somewhat uninspiring, compared to other fantastic scallop dishes we've had in Scotland.


Ok, with these minor faults out of the way, we can state the main character of the evening: it was a real feast of super-produce in classical, balanced, striking dishes.


A Nicoise of rabbit

graciously deconstructed many elements, including a very apt pungent anchovy.


The two mains, a lamb and a beef fillet, could only be commented with screams of pleasure.

The juses do not appear very smooth but they are really elegant and full of flavour, and the depth of the beef and the lamb is memorable. All other components in the dish (sweetbread,...)  exhalt its core. Very classical, focussed, rather straightforwardly presented yet stylish cooking.


The dessert section deserves a special mention. There is a chef patissiere of talent here, because both a Baileys cream, coffee granite, caramelised nuts and chocolate croquant and Slow cooked cherries with goat cheese sorbet and fennel and honey mousse were very articulated, well thought out exemplars of the art and science of pastry making. 

At the end of the meal the Sommelier (a really charming and professional fellow) comes pushing, with some effort, a giant trolley of dessert wines: 'can I tempt you...'. 'You can certainly tempt us, but we'll not yield to the temptation'. And we retire in the bar area to sip our filter coffees (good) with very good petit fours to conclude a relaxed and very pleasant evening. And not even too heavy on your wallet considering the luxury surroundings: three courses at £62 is one the best values in the Michelin starred firmament in Edinburgh. If you enjoy classical French cuisine with a Scottish slant, definitely recommended.




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Creelers in Edinburgh

The day: 4^th October 2008, Dinner.

The place: 3 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1

The venue: Creelers Seafood Restaurant

The food: Mostly seafood

The drinks: Simple, well-priced wine list, and some beers.

After Sardinia, our insatiable hunger for all things fishy is not exhausted. So we go to Scotland, and among other culinary adventures that we’ll keep for ourselves, in Edinburgh, enticed after reading this, we decide to plump for this family owned restaurant. The family has a fishing background: they operate around the Isle of Arran, where they have another restaurant (in fact the original one). Located just off the touristy Square Mile, we can see that opening a branch in the thriving capital makes acute commercial sense. We hope the big city has not corrupted their Arran integrity…

The interior is warm and vivaciously decorated, with rustic tiled and wooden floors, paintings and mirrors on the walls, primary colours, no tablecloths.

The menu, as promised, caters for the fish-lover, but it also offers a few fine bits for the others. All dishes look simple but with some non-trivial culinary enticements. Starters are around the £7 mark, offering for example mussels steamed in white wine, shallots and parsley, or Tuna carpaccio with Wasabi mayo and herb salad (both £7.50). Mains tempt you with the Creelers seafood platter for 2, at £40, featuring an array of home cured and smoked fish and shellfish, but also, among the non-fish dishes, fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef with horseradish mash, baby carrots, and a red wine jus (£27.50, ouch). We are a little disappointed that the special of the day is farmed seabass.

The bread arrives:

Rustic, no variety but not too bad.

Here are our starters:

- Creeler’s fish cake (£6.25)

- Trio of own smoked and cured salmon (£7.25)

The fish cake (salmon and potatoes), comes pleasantly warm, looking more sautéed than deep fried, is nicely prepared. It’s moist, not soggy, softly pleasurable, with a right balance between fish and potatoes that satisfies demands for both flavour and texture. The piquant tang is correctly judged, and the accompanying salad, with very finely diced onions and peppery seeds, is very pleasant indeed.

The three salmons are nicely presented for a ‘trattoria’. The smoked one is quite rustic in style, a little harder than we are used to, but good. The other one, marinated, is exceptional. The one prepared in chunks offers very concentrated flavour. A lovely simple little dish.

Next, our mains:

- Panfried Hake with Stornoway black pudding and a tomato and smoked paprika sauce (£16.50)

- Seared West Coast King Scallops with creamed smoked haddock and leek (£18.50).

In the hake dish we encounter bold and gutsy flavours. The black pudding is ravishing for us, melting in the mouth, and the cooking of the hake is admirable. Woman thinks the paprika is a little too much, while Man, maybe fuelled by the paprika, violently disagrees, finding that the piquant hit perfectly suited to the character of the dish. They finally settle to agree that the chef has had overall a very good hand in this rustic dish.

And the scallops, once again, are cooked really well, with the smoked haddock chowder a great match, repeating the style of rich and strong but balanced flavours. We are very happy with the portion size, too.

(We accompanied all this with two portions of green veggies, cooked properly crispy, at £5.50).

Let’s go for desserts:

- Rice pudding (£5.25)

- Crème brulee (£6.25)

The pudding is well prepared, creamy and not stodgy: well, so Man says, fuelled by the almonds Woman violently disagrees, she does find it quite a tad too stodgy. The preserved cherries hidden inside are good but feel a little cloying, maybe some contrasting flavour would have be appropriate.

The crème brulee is excellent: here the fat cream is well contrasted by the passion fruit. And those crumbly shortbreads, and that chocolate-covered orange: how yummy and how much more interesting do they make this dish!

We didn’t drink wine but Arran Ale this time (2 pints at £7.50). Tap water is happily brought to your table, and only a 10% service charge is added. So we end up with a reasonable £80.85.

The service is young, friendly, cheerful. The only snag in the atmosphere were some very rowdy customers (who ended their dinner by removing a pole from somewhere and – kindergarten style - pretending to enhance their masculine attributes with them), and which underlines conclusively that this is not a ‘fine dining’ place. But at the same time it is very clear that in the Creeler’s kitchen there isn’t a McDonald hamburger flipper but a very respectable professional indeed, who is in full control of the strong flavours he wraps his dishes in, and who can cook the fish itself very sympathetically. So it happens that the good raw material is not simply put on the plate, but is prepared here even with some interesting culinary ideas, while still maintaining the character of rusticity and simplicity. We were happy that night at Creeler’s, and we suggest you take a try yourselves if you happen to be in the vicinities and are in a fishy mood.

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