FOOD & DRINK NEWS & REVIEWS
CALEDONIA DREAMING Landmark dining had returned to the grand Caledonian Hotel at Edinburgh’s West End. But is it really for the likes of us, asks Donald Reid
After decades slipping down Edinburgh’s hotel pecking order, the once-mighty Caley is a contender once again. Owners Hilton Group have plunged millions into upgrades including a prestigious Waldorf-Astoria brand label and, significantly for those with an eye on Edinburgh’s reputation as a gourmet destination, a partnership with Chris and Jeff Galvin, highly respected chefs based in London with a string of up-market brasseries and Michelin stars to their name.
The hotel has two revamped dining areas, the first floor Pompadour by Galvin and ground-floor, down- the-side Galvin Brasserie de Luxe. To help establish a distinctive identity, the Galvin brothers have installed Craig Sandle, previously head chef at obvious city rival Number One at the Balmoral, to oversee dining operations. In the Pompadour a clear effort has been made to reclaim the title of the city’s grandest dining room. For any chef, it must be compelling to be given the chance to shine in such a majestic room of ornate plasterwork, delicate arboreal-themed tapestries and demure half-moon windows overlooking the West End junction and floodlit Castle.
Sandle and the Galvins have grasped the opportunity, imbuing the place with a rarified, opulent atmosphere. The staff are impeccably mannered, the linen pristine, the crockery dazzling white, the silver cutlery
unblemished. A tasting menu glides you through a velvety gastronomic landscape of exquisitely marinated scallops, foie gras terrine, sweetbreads and fine wine, all described in more French terminology than you feel entirely comfortable with. The Brasserie de Luxe offers a more work-a- day presence, inevitably, even if the sense of fastidiousness remains. A colour scheme dominated by greys, pale blues and black matches the suits of the business-oriented clientele. A gleaming oval bar shows off an impressive stack of crustacea, and the large, crisp menu sheet is studded with smartly presented brasserie classics such as beef tartare, lemon sole served whole, pork cutlet with pommes mousseline and tarte tatin for dessert.
The arrival of the Galvins’ operation has turned heads in a city that has hitherto kept the export of London fine-dining at arm’s length. Yet whether it really re-adjusts the local dining map is questionable: set in a five-star hotel, with wallet-bruising prices to match, the venues may well remain an enclave for high-end international tourists, expense-account suits and special-occasion gourmet train-spotters.
+ The Pompadour’s setting and gastronomic treats - 5-star tone and price-range can feel intimidating
THE POMPADOUR BY GALVIN / GALVIN BRASSERIE DE LUXE Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 2AB, 0131 222 8975, thecaledonian.waldorfastoria.com
Pompadour: Tue–Sat 6.30–10pm; £58 à la carte, £68 tasting menu Brasserie: Mon–Sun lunch & dinner; £15.50 (lunch) / £27 (dinner)
32 THE LIST 15 Nov–13 Dec 2012
SIDE DISHES News to nibble on
StreetSmart’s annual festive fundraising push is underway in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, this year with the
support of Andrew Fairlie as well as other prominent Scottish chefs. At participating restaurants diners are invited to add a voluntary £1 donation to their bill to help homelessness projects.
This year’s Foodies Christmas Festival takes place over the weekend of 1–2 December in the new location of the EICC, with producers stalls, chef demos and hands-on Christmas food masterclasses. You can win tickets at list.co.uk/offers
Chaophraya, who made their presence felt in Glasgow earlier this year by opening Europe’s largest Thai restaurant, now have a high profile site in Edinburgh in the former Oloroso on the corner of Castle and George streets.
DEUCHARS RECOMMENDS
WHIGHAMS 13 Hope Street, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4EL Located in Edinburgh’s Georgian West End, award winning Whighams Wine Cellars, is one of the capital’s most atmospheric haunts, mixing both old world and contemporary styles. Whighams has an extensive menu of fresh seafood and with its intimate cellar snugs or more spacious open areas, it is the ideal location to relax and enjoy a quality meal, all washed down with a great pint of Deuchars IPA.