When you're after a nice low-key meal, you probably wouldn't think of a Michelin starred place as your first option. We happened to be in Leith and on the spur of the moment, we did just that at Martin Wishart. Lunchtime menus tend to be pretty good value at these places and you have the potential opportunity (often, not always) to taste spectacular food.
We were on a schedule too which meant we had to dine and move on in about 90 minutes max. On arrival, we were offered a choice of wines which we had to decline as we were driving - what's the point you might wonder at this point. But a lovely meal doesn't have to last several courses and involve alcohol.
We were offered a selection of artisan breads which in true gastro-cuisine style were interesting and tasty. The amuse bouche was a stunning - avocado covered in truffle and fried in truffle oil. Delightful!
My starter was balontine of foie gras with french bean and hazelnut salad. Beautiful but I only needed half the portion as the foie gras is so rich. I was full and we'd barely started!
The other starter was shellfish risotto with langoustines and parmesan. Still quite decadent but with a lovely balance of textures and flavours.
Thankfully, my main - roast skate forrestiere with wild mushrooms, lardons and cocotte potatoes - was a lighter than my starter which means I could finish it. Skate is a lovely fish and I thoroughly enjoyed the course.
The other main was braised pork cheeks with choucroute, saucission de morteaux, braised trotter, champagne and grain mustard sauce. The choucrotte added an interesting dimension to the dish and it was beautiful (we shared a bit!)
The puddings as always were the highlights of the meal. The first was carrot cake with Skyr yogurt mousse, blood orange sorbet, brown butter powder and the other was Valrhona manjari chocolate delice with pistachio cream, yogurt sorbet, pomegranate soup and mint oil. Delicious.
After a speedy consumption of chocolate and truffle petit fours, we made our exit as we had plans for the day. Was it an enjoyable meal - absolutely! Did we miss the wine - nope! Was it good value - at 3 courses for £32 for a Michelin quality meal, it wasn't bad at all!
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from A Quirky Lifestyle
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