30/03/2007

Terry Durack from the Independent on Sunday likes the informality of Michelin-starred The Kitchin, in Commercial Quay, Leith, and is impressed by “talented, well-pedigreed Scottish chef” Tom Kitchin. The menu “is strongly seasonal and flagrantly Scottish”, writes Durack. A tartare of mackerel is “a highly structured dish…but it tastes clean and refreshing”, while the woodcock is “a right treat, the flavours bold and gamey without being overly ripe”. The only duff note is a “tortured presentation of red mullet in a cumin-spiced sauce” which is “done for effect, whereas everything else has been driven by flavour”. But it is a “cracking night out”, concludes Durack.

The Scotsman’s George Kerevan believes the Dusit Thai restaurant in Thistle Street, Edinburgh, is “one of the best of its ilk in Britain”. Though it is expensive, writes Kerevan, this is “offset by the fresh ingredients and professional service”. Dusit is an “exercise in culinary subtlety”, says Kerevan, “the scallops were perfectly al dente” while a red curry of grilled venison was “tender” and “ worked brilliantly”. He sums up: “It is high time that somebody undertook the task of creating a serious star guide to quality Scottish restaurants. If that day comes, Dusit may get the recognition it deserves”.

Jenna Raffaelli, from the Edinburgh Evening News, says French restaurant Petit Paris, in the Grassmarket, “proves that French cuisine can be delightfully simple”. Food is “delicious” and “modestly priced” and it is the “ideal spot for Sunday lunch”.