Taisteal

With so much culinary talent in Edinburgh it’s hard for small independents to make their mark on the scene. Taisteal, headed up by MasterChef: The Professionals hopeful Gordon Craig is doing its best to stand out in a crowd.

The chosen tactic seems to be a slightly quirky skew threaded throughout the menu. Craig describes his style as eclectic, freely admitting it’s a culmination of recipes he’s collected over the course of his global travels. Back in Scotland that looks like a menu that reaches from prawn toast through to pasta.

The former is an individual wedge of nicely seasoned prawn toast encrusted in a thick layer of sesame and served with a good dollop of mayo for dunking. The latter appears to be a beige medley of mushroom pasta at first glance, before a knife exposes the burst of sunshine yellow yolk hiding inside the parcel. Strong cookery skills are evidenced, with a perfectly cooked piece of fish accompanied by a wonderfully saline seaweed and dauphinois stack, and a molten cauliflower fondant both attesting to the fact that the chefs behhind the scenes know what they’re doing, but there are also hiccups. A deep-fried Mars petit four tastes of the fryer and it’s hard to look past the fact that pauses between courses clocked in at over half an hour.

However, the sweet staff were on hand to smooth over any cracks and with a three-course meal coming in at £35 it’s easy to forgive minor transgressions. Portions are fairly restrained, so we imagine the five-course tasting menu perfectly balance out for a substantial feed.

Décor reflects the eccentric menu, with a quirky mix of ornaments, lighting and plants sitting on shelves around the space.

While there might have been bumps in the road, the undulating journey is certainly unlike any we’ve been on before, and for the individuality alone we’d say it’s worth booking a table.

Fine dining is made accessible in a comfortable setting with Taisteal’s unique take on Scottish cuisine, featuring globally-inspired dishes. The warm greys, dark woods and pops of colour from the pillows, together with traditional seating, an odd window bench and the friendly staff help, to provide a pleasant relaxing atmosphere where diners can enjoy food overflowing with considered flavour and texture.

With a Michelin guide mention, this family-run establishment brings you the fine dining you would expect with a homely twist. Run by husband and wife duo, chef Gordon and behind the scenes coordinator, Lucy Craig, take you on a culinary journey with meals influenced from their travels. Dishes are made with fresh Scottish produce and brought to life through those international techniques and ingredients.

The Instagrammable dishes show off the distinct Taisteal style and uniqueness that lives up to its Michelin mention. When ordering from the à la carte menu, diners can start with the luxurious ham hock with foie gras, a black pudding terrine and piccalilli relish. For mains, tuck into the signature pork belly, plated to perfection and served with pork cheek raviolo, a chorizo Scotch egg and cauliflower or pick from the selection of fish dishes. We love the look of the pan-fried hake, crusted in wild garlic, swimming in a spring vegetable broth which comes with prawn wonton.

Desserts are so decadent, you won’t know which one to pick; they include the boozy sorbet of the day, a yuzu meringue pie, banana bread with peanut butter mousse and Nutella ice-cream, a cheese board and more. The wine list is extensive and features some of the best reds, whites, rosés, dessert wines and bubbles. You can also opt for beer or one of the innovative cocktails (they even have a selection of mocktails for those not drinking). Sip on the Icelandic Elderflower Fizz, a vodka-based cocktail with elderflower and lemon cordial that is topped with Prosecco.

Whether you’re looking for a date night or something special, this is your go-to. Taisteal also has a tasting menu where diners can enjoy a five or seven-course meal with optional drinks pairing. Some of the seven courses to look forward to include the crab tortellini with mango salsa and curried cauliflower and the goats cheese mousse with apple sorbet and walnut. The market menu is available for lunch and early dinners to devour a two or three-course option for under £17 per person.