1 Shore

Being on the small river that opens out into Leith Docks and ultimately the Firth of Fourth it's fair to assume a restaurant with 'Fish' as part of it's name is going to be seafood focused. Yes!  And certainly on the Specials Board.  We found it a bit by accident after rejecting a place a bit closer to the Main Road - the sign said open mike night.

It does seem to have a bar you can just come in for a cocktail with a couple of tables and an enormous fish bowl on one end of the bar.  We were a little surprised to be taken to the Restaurant part, but pleasantly so.  Very neat and tidy wood work, wood floor, wood paneling with the Specials Board being the feature piece of art work.  An open pass-area lets you see into the kitchen but they are a very quiet team (in a very small space).

It seems that everyone in Scotland eats late.  It was certainly no earlier than 7:30 when we got there, another table was coming in at the same time and only 2 people were in the bar.  When we said we were here for some dinner without a reservation there was a flurry of negotiations conversation between the staff.  We were allowed in and the place eventually did fill up (even with people eating in the bar area) but that took a good hour.  We asked if this slow start was normal and we received a resounding no (with a bit of relief?).  Apparently during the festival season that had just finished they are jamming from the second they open the door for lunch.

Our Server was really nice.  We told her we had no idea how hungry we were (late lunch, not quite on Scotland time) and we'd just like to order one thing at a time to share and see how we go.  Considering we managed to squeak in without a reservation she could care less and gave us as much time as we wanted between choices coming back at just the right times to check in on us - she didn't even get mad when we dropped a menu behind the radiator.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• a Viognier
• Carrot and Orange Soup - had a little kick to it, but pleasant all the same.
• Mussels, cream sauce - we ummed and ahhed over whether to get the small or large.   We went large, but could have gone small and still had the biggest bowl of Mussels we'd ever had.  They were good so we did get through them all, but it prevented us from trying one more dish...
• Beef Carpaccio, Lairg Ghru Cheese - the cheese is in the Parmesan family, the Beef is just good!
• Baked West Coast Oysters, pancetta, spinach & cream sauce - we asked (politely and not all that seriously) why on the East Coast we were to be eating West Coast Oysters - the answer was that's where all the best ones come from.  We now have no reason to disagree.
• Knockando, single malt - darker in color, peatier in taste.  Now in our collection.
• Tambu, single malt - lighter, almost sweet
• Duo of Ice Cream, coffee & strawberry ripple

If they hadn't have let us in I have no doubt we would have found an equally enjoyable place to dine not too far away.  Fortunately, we didn't have to go hunting any further.

Stay JOLLY!
D

78 Commercial Quay

The Kitchin was one of many places we dined as part of our Anniversary Trip through Scotland.  It was the only place pre-booked and we thank Anthony Bourdain^* for 'finding' it for us.  From Nature to Plate is the Restaurant's motto.  A philosophy that is frequently announced these days, but often not 100% implemented for logistical (and sometimes cost) reasons.  From what we can tell, the Kitchin absolutely stands by this, with the chef personally knowing every one of his suppliers and only putting items on the menu that can currently be sourced from these fishermen, hunters and gatherers.

We arrived a little early (turns out Cabs in Scotland come almost straight away when called for...) but were offered 'our' table straight away.  I say 'our' table because it was sitting there waiting for us with a hand written 'congrats on the Anniversary' note from the Chef, Tom Kitchin.  Sadly this night was one of the very rare nights when he's not actually cooking (they're only open Tue - Sat) but his team took great care of us and we are 100% ok with his reason for not being their - 2^nd child only a day or two old.  There is a small lounge area in the front by the bar but I think it's only a place to wait for your table and not a place to come in and just have a cocktail.  I don't think we missed out on anything by skipping this step.

The restaurant itself is a quiet peaceful place.  One of our Servers did note that it was a bit quieter than a normal crowd but not all that much.  The tables are spread out nicely, we were on a slightly raised platform by the kitchen - there was a large window in place so you could see the kitchen activity if you were inclined, but not have the normal kitchen noises intruding - and would have needed a quite large stick if we wanted to poke the people at the table next to us.  Nothing ostentatious in the relatively simple decor (although Tom's cookbook was on display), no table clothes but nicely polished wood tables, lighting not to dim nor bright, there was music but it was so low we couldn't categorize what was playing, and simple but really quite elegant centerpieces on the tables.

The menu has lots of interesting sounding things to keep you amused - and things you might not often (if at all) see on a menu over here in the States.  We opted for the tasting menu to give us the chance to sample as many differing things as possible, trusting the chef to pick the best of what was available.  Some dishes were on the 'normal' menu, but some were not.  We said we wanted to do the Tasting Menu when we made our reservation and they did come and confirm we were still game.  We were!  We absolutely were willing and happy to try whatever the chef put in front of us (even knowing some of his 'work' is right on or just over the edge of our comfort zone) but after we had confirmed we were given a couple of upgrade options to choose from.  We declined and I think we would have not even batted an eyelid had the upgrades been part of the menu and the advertised charge a little higher.  Although, having said that there was an option to add a cheese course to which we asked if we could decide later and when they came to check at 'cheese time' we opted in.  There is also an option to pair a wine with each course of the Tasting Menu (including an extra one for the Cheese Course) which we accepted.  It might be the most exciting pairings we've seen in that it's not a locked in selection with adjustments being made to match not only tweaks in the dish, but on different nights to match the weather that may be affecting your mood or even the type of guests you are read to be.

It's very much a service team.  Only our Wine Waiter had a mostly defined role, but even he helped to clear tables around the place.  Our first impression was that they were all a little snooty, but that did change as we got to know them - we're sorry we judged a bit quickly.  Everything they do is very precise, in terms of when something happens, how things are presented, how things are placed on the table, how they interact with you - no witty banter in this restaurant, how they stand unobtrusively waiting for their next task.  However, when engaged they are very talkative, observant, sociable, informed, knowledgeable and realistic.  One Server was particularly happy to chat and he helped us out with our non-food questions.  One Server (perhaps more of a supervisor?) helped us out with our photo, but he's a bad photographer... We weren't given a menu (although as we were settling up they gave us a copy of exactly what we had suggesting someone has a typing job each evening) so as each dish was presented we were told all about it.  Our Wine Waiter did the same, even explaining why he thought the wine paired well with the dish and what we should 'look' for in the wine. He proved how good a team they are in that for every course our wine arrived mere seconds after the 'dissertation' on the dish was finished.

Our meal went exactly like this:

• A teaser of cheese puffs, vegetable crisps and an anchovy wafer thing - Bread came later, but this was a wonderful treat while we listened to the options available for our 'real' meal.
• Chef's Land & Sea Surprise
  • Mushroom Consommé, chicken and tarragon - No doubt it was mushroom, very rich earthy flavors.  Would not have missed the chicken, but happy to have found it.
    
    • Dampierre 1er Cru Cuvée Ambassadeurs, Champagne - I suspect they try really hard to start with something bubbly?  Well balanced, elegant.
  • Mackerel, line caught and poached - delicate and light (almost fluffy in texture if that's fair).  Not like any Mackerel we've had before (I have to wonder how much the line caught has to do with that?)
    
    • Viognier The Foundry 2007, South Africa - I think we got peach on the quite short but solid palette.
  • Razor Clams, with diced vegetable, chorizo and lemon (apparently they're also known as 'Spoots') - seen them on TV and am happy to be able to cross them off the to-do list.  No idea how, but the chorizo works perfectly with the Clams.  We needed more bread so as not to miss out on all the sauce.
    
    • Dry Riesling Donnhoff 2008, Germany - Definitely at the dry end.  Crisp.  Apples, perhaps?  Maybe this is why the chorizo and Clams worked so well?
  • Pig's Head & Scallop, crispy pig's ear salad - Comfort zone pusher!  Favorite dish of the evening!  You don't get the whole head, but a wonderful terrine type presentation.  Admittedly we'd eaten some of the salad before knowing what it was, but it was so good it was hard to reconcile the goodness with the origins - our biases which may be shrinking a bit...  The Scallop was cooked wonderfully - being a little greedy I think we would have loved to have had no Scallop on this dish and a whole other Scallop dish.
    
    • Gewurztraminer Hugel 2008, France - Definitely floral on the nose.  We were more focused on the Pig's Head so don't recall much more - but no reason to disagree with the pairing choice.
  • Halibut, ragout of cocoa beans - Cooked just right, the fish was easily the star of the dish and probably could have survived on its own.
    
    • Volnay 'Vielles Vignes' 2008, France - The Wine Waiter was perhaps a little anxious about us accepting this wine with a fish dish.  We do not subscribe to white with fish, red with meat at all, so had no problems trusting his choice.  A quite strong nose, but delicate on the palette.  I say it was a great pairing.
  • Grey-Legged Partridge, braised red cabbage - If you don't like your dinner still having their feet on, this dish might be upsetting.  But a really rich, juicy and tender meat that doesn't taste at all like chicken.  The cabbage was a simple yet perfect accompaniement.  There was a little bit of work involved getting everything off the bones, but we weren't in a hurry...
    
    • Corbieres 2008, France - Perhaps some tannin there suggesting it has life in the cellar, but certainly ready to drink right now.  I probably would have preferred a 'bigger' wine given the choice but really nothing to complain about.
  • Cheese Board (6 from about 15 to choose, 5 Scottish, 1 French) - If you know your cheeses this is an amazing Board.  If you don't, the Server certainly can help you make useful selections but it's a little overwhelming.  We're much closer to the latter type.  We took what we thought the 'traveler' selection should be in that we asked for an all Scottish plate.  We were one short, told the Server what we liked and he picked the 6th for us.  All 6 were great, but I didn't like the oatmeal type crackers provided - not a deal breaker at all.  No idea what the names of each were, but at least 2 were sheep's milk, the soft ones weren't too soft and the hard ones nowhere near Parmesan hard.
    
    • 'Armistace' Late Harvest Syrah 2007, France - A really enjoyable wine.  I don't think you'd want to just sit with a bottle on the deck, but it played really nicely with our Cheeses with the peppery notes you tend to see in 'normal' Syrahs - perhaps the softer ones a little better.
  • Millefuille of British Apples, chestnut parfait and candied chestnuts - It's kind of funny that it felt more like the dish was complementing the wine.  All the pieces were delicate (both to the palette and slightly bulging belly) and worked well together.  As a package, a great way to end our meal.
    
    • Tokaji Late Harvest 2008, Hungary - Often the botrytis affected wines are just too sweet.  Not this one.  It even showed a little acidity on the back of the tongue?

We had a wonderful experience!  We're better off for having visited the Kitchin and experienced what Tom and his team are up to.  It's unfortunate for us that the 'Cab Ride' to get there costs about $1000 each and takes half a day to get there.  There's absolutely no doubt we'd go back for another special occasion! - given a far less expensive and shorter ride...

Stay JOLLY!
D

* We love No Reservations, and although we could never eat everything he does, we strongly subscribe to the philosophies of Anthony Bourdain (occasionally you hear his motto of sorts "be a traveler, not a tourist") of trying new things and being excited about the way chefs work - although we're not sure how enjoyable it would be to actually share a meal with him. His show that included Tom Kitchin got us excited!