The Kitchin
Scottish and British Restaurant
from 8 reviews
78 Commercial Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6LX
map
Phone: 0131 555 1755 (save)
Price: ££££
Licensed: Yes
BYOB: No
Pre-Theatre: No
Takeaway: No
Opening Hours:
Tue-Thu: 1230-1430
Tue-Thu: 1930-2200
Fri-Sat: 1230-1430
Fri-Sat: 1830-2230
Menus:
A La Carte
Lunch
Tags: thekitchin restaurant licensed scottish british kitchin tomkitchin kitchen thekitchen tomkitchen
Details last confirmed by andy 2 years ago
8 user reviews:
from jamesleon on September 3rd, 2010 (4 days ago)
Yes, well it was perfect. The food was incredible, service fantastic: as an experience it was more than worth the £55pp price tag. We had the set lunch menu (cheapskates) at £25 each, but included the wine pairings at a further £20 each. It was well worth it. We were made to feel exceptionally welcome from the start - each member of staff nodding and saying hello. We got great seats - I could see right into the Kitchin's kitchen and watch Tom and his pals at work. For £25, there are a lot of freebies. First up was some crisps of beetroot, parsnip, a very up market popadum and something crispy and fishy. The amuse bouche was a pea soup like none other I'd tasted. I started with mackarel and leek terrine with beetroot & horse radish. My date had girolles with ox tongue.The sommerlier came with the wine and explained why he had chosen it. It matched perfectly, raising an already perfect dish to something extraordinary. The somewhat ubiquitous combination was balanced in perfect harmony. The ox tongue/girolle was similarly special: beautifully presented, a perfectly seasoned umami-party with a thin sheet of crisp proscuitto to add texture. Oh and the bread: 6 types, the ones I tried were excellent.
On to mains: lamb rump, braised shoulder- stuffed tomato, garlic cream and I think a sweetbread was chucked on top. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Wine pairing again top notch, complementing perfectly the superior quality lamb. Date's salmon with coco beans, bacon and basil was again like nothing we had tried before (yes I was contantly reaching across the table to pilfer).
Desserts: fantastic & comforting - green gauge crumble for her, pistachio souffle for me, with complementing red and white dessert wines. Right down to the petit fours and coffee, everything we had was exemplary. Tom, Mikala and their wee boy were mulling around chatting to customers adding to the relaxed and happy atmosphere. We left feeling so utterly happy and satisfied, and got the lovely maitre d' to get a photo of us outside with big cheesy grins.
This is an awesome restaurant which delivered on every level. Service never missed a beat and wasn't at all stuffy or pompous. The food was amazing, and this was just from the cheaper set lunch menu. This is a restaurant that Edinburgh and indeed Scotland can be truly proud of: it showcases the best of Scottish produce and elevates it to world-class standards of cooking and presentation. I can see why the usually cynical A.A Gill was moved to such emotional platitudes in his review of the Kitchin: its Scottish food, clearly - but its so far above anything else that has come before it.
Truly sophisticated Scottish cuisine.
Moderation scores: Useful: 1 Agree: 1 Funny: 0
from Rawlie on October 19th, 2007 (2 years ago)
Great place with excellent nosh. Very seasonal, fresh and well presented. The bellowing waiter was a bit offputting but to be honest you don't really care when you're about to stuff your face with top quality grub.
Nice, relaxed atmosphere too.
Altogether a brilliant addition to the Edinburgh eating scene. Fab food without stuffy/poncey-ness!
Moderation scores: Useful: 2 Agree: 2 Funny: 0
from digitalspaghetti on July 22nd, 2010 (1 month ago)
We went to the Kitchin at the end of May for a friends graduation party. While we as a group had a fun time, the actual dining experience was rather poor.
The evening itself was a gift to us from our friend's mother, so while we didn't pay anything personally the whole evening wasn't as we expected.
My friend - who is a vegetarian - ended up paying over £40 for what amounted to a bowl of steamed vegetables. And to add insult to injury, when they were presenting it they made a big deal about it.
Her sister ordered Scallops for the starter, and while eating it found a bit of plastic in the food. She got one of the waiters over who took it away but never apologised - it took her speaking to another waiter to get one and to have the dish taken off the bill.
On top of that the service was rather pretentious and the food, for the price, wasn't that amazing - the only saving grace was the excellent selection of wine.
To be honest we would have had a better time (and cheaper) in Chop Chop next door.
Moderation scores: Useful: 4 Agree: 0 Funny: 2
from Thomas W L Kay on April 1st, 2008 (2 years ago)
Quality in season ingredients. Innovative and rewarding use of products. Attractive, eye catching presentation. Efficient, coutreous but friendly staff. Realistic pricing. Unhurried service. There is not much more you can ask of a restaurant.
Moderation scores: Useful: 2 Agree: 1 Funny: 0
from martin on October 15th, 2007 (2 years ago)
Quite rightly ranked as the one of the most adept and innovative new restaurants in Edinburgh, breathing life into a high end market that can at times be staid and a bit sober. The buzz will only increase now that he has his first Michelin star.
The restaurant has a pleasant and bright ante-room with a bar. You are then led into the dining room itself which is predominatly grey with little natural light but not in a way that becomes oppressive at lunch time. The atmosphere is relaxed and you don't feel obliged to whisper to your fellow diners. There is a viewing panel into the kitchen itself where you can watch a self-assured team moving purposefully, free from the usual drama you're lead to believe occurs at the height of service in most restaurants.
The food itself is superb; scottish ingredients with french influences, never fussy nor elaborate for the sake of it. The asparugus starter was simple but delicious and the lamb was perfectly cooked.
All courses were announced by a bellowing frenchman which is pointless but comedy and adds to the "event" feel of dining at such a restaurant. Service itself is, as expected, almost mechanical. At one stage I went to pour some wine for my girlfriend only to spot the sommelier on the other side of the room clock what I was trying to do. He had a look of absolute panic on his face and sprinted across the room before wrestling the bottle from my hand and topping up her glass. Of course it is expensive but the 3 course set lunch for 20 quid is excellent value.
I have since seen Tom Kitchin butcher a pig's head and I long to go back to try his crispy pig's ear salad. The restaurant is a gastronomic delight and no where in Edinburgh can touch it at the moment.
Moderation scores: Useful: 6 Agree: 1 Funny: 1
from jhousele on July 7th, 2008 (2 years ago)
Somewhat disappointing. Although the food was quite good, the service was pretentious. This restaurant cannot decide whether it wants to be formal, chic or relaxed, and the resulting mix really doesn't work. Cheese trolley was however excellent.
Moderation scores: Useful: 0 Agree: 0 Funny: 0
from elizabeth on October 29th, 2007 (2 years ago)
I was disappointed when we went here in September. I'm pregnant, so my first disappointment was that there was little on the menu that I could choose from. I decided to have a salad from the starter selection as my main. However the accommodating waiter spoke to the chef rather than see me miss a course. I was offered grouse (I think £35) as my main, which apparently was "like butter". When it came I just couldn't ask for a sharper knife for my "butter"! I didn’t get the opportunity anyway, as the “accommodating waiter” surprisingly didn’t return to our table to see how his suggestion had been received. Perhaps he felt his sale had been made.
I was further disappointed that the 5 different vegetables (at least) on my plate, were all swimming in a very salty sauce – unpleasant, complicated and disappointing.
My husband loved his starter but it was so large he didn't have the appetite for his main, which was also overloaded with the salty sauce. We both wondered why there was a need to over power the food with so much salt. With a bill approaching £150 for 2 courses including wine, we couldn’t recommend The Kitchin.
Moderation scores: Useful: 2 Agree: 0 Funny: 0
from Tane Piper on July 22nd, 2010 (1 month ago)
We went to the Kitchin at the end of May for a friends graduation party. While we as a group had a fun time, the actual dining experience was rather poor.
The evening itself was a gift to us from out friend mother, so while we didn't pay anything personally the whole evening wasn't as we expected.
My friend - who is a vegetarian - ended up paying over £40 for what amounted to a bowl of steamed vegetables. And to add insult to injury, when they were presenting it they made a big deal about it.
Her sister ordered Scallops for the starter, and while eating it found a bit of plastic in the food. She got one of the waiters over who took it away but never apologised - it took her speaking to another waiter to get one and to have the dish taken off the bill.
On top of that the service was rather pretentious and the food, for the price, wasn't that amazing - the only saving grace was the excellent selection of wine.
To be honest we would have had a better time (and cheaper) in Chop Chop next door.
Moderation scores: Useful: 0 Agree: 0 Funny: 0