THE problem about knowing a city too well is that you can become a prisoner of your own perceptions. So when I think of the Rutland Hotel, situated at the west end of Princes Street and the foot of the Lothian Road, I invariably cast my mind back to drunken Five Nations weekends as a youngster. My memories of the Rutland were mainly of arriving, rarely of leaving. Fond memories but hardly ones that conjure up images of culinary excellence.
It takes a lot of time and money to change such preconceptions, with plenty of the latter having recently been chucked at the Rutland to transform it into one of the capital's top fine-dining venues. And it has generally been worth the expense. The h
otel has been shaken up from top to bottom, but nowhere more so than the restaurant, which is now a swish contemporary space that combines sumptuous comfort with a louche, lounge-room ambience. What really makes the place, however, is the view – straight down Princes Street and up to the castle.
Yet the Rutland is far more than just a pretty view or a triumph of interior design. Chef David Haetzman, formerly of the Tower, Burts and the Jam House, has been attracting healthy praise. It is his work rather than the peripherals that has been responsible for the place being named Most Exciting New Restaurant at the 2009 Scottish Hotel Awards.
This much was obvious as soon as our food started to arrive. Michael's mezze plate of char-grilled artichokes, tomato and red pepper purée, beetroot tzatziki, humous and lentil salsa served with Lebanese flatbread was decent enough, but didn't give an indication of genius at work. My Dunsyre blue cheese tart with plum tomatoes and red onion was a step up, though, with a subtle blend of flavours that wasn't overwhelmed by the cheese, while the parmesan shortcrust pastry was a joy.
The best of the three starters was definitely Vicky's pressed terrine of ham hock, chicken liver parfait and foie gras, which came wrapped in dried Cumbrian ham, served with a super-reduced pineapple relish and accompanied by slices of toasted fruit loaf. The expert meshing of the three strong flavours, all enhanced by a relish that was neither as strong nor as sweet as I'd feared, combined to make the best terrine I've tasted for a very long time.
If Vicky had the best of the starters, the privilege went to me when it came to the main courses. My gloriously tender pot-roasted Borders rabbit was stewed in its own juices and a hefty dollop of mustard. Comprising two slices of breast meat and the legs, the dish made for a phenomenally rich main course that disappeared at indecent speed. So, too, did the outstanding hand-cut chips, although the bowl of horribly glutinous leek and cheddar mash remained virtually untouched.
If my rabbit was a good choice, so was Michael's fillet of halibut, which was baked with a pine nut and herb crust and served with creamed celeriac and shallots that had been marinated and cooked in red wine. The moisture and flavour that flooded out of the shallots turned out to be the touch that elevated the dish from a competent but fairly bland fish dish into something that really worked.
I'm not sure the same could be said of Vicky's linguine with marinated seafood and grilled langoustines. There was plenty of mussels, prawns, crayfish tails and squid, but the overall effect was a little bland and lacking star quality. If the success of a dish is judged by whether it would be ordered again, this one was a failure.
That couldn't be said about the puddings, however. My small but perfectly formed rhubarb tart was as impressive to look at as it was to eat, and came with a huge dollop of deliciously creamy vanilla ice-cream. Michael didn't think too much of his pomegranate ice-cream, but the honey ice-cream was excellent and the strawberry sorbet the tartest, tastiest pudding he had eaten in years. But that's perhaps because he didn't taste Vicky's small bucket of passionfruit posset, which was so tart and edgy that she wrinkled up her face on the first spoonful and was unable to eat any more. I, on the other hand, loved it and lapped it up. Be warned, though, despite its dreamily creamy texture the taste experience was like a tangy needle to the nervous system: this one is not for the faint-hearted.
If we disagreed about the merits of the posset, there was much we could agree on. The service was excellent, the views unbeatable and the prices very reasonable. The wine list has more than 100 options and is well constructed (try the viognier, which is great value), while the food showed ambition and expertise with no flamboyant showboating. In short, there's plenty to mask the memories of rugby weekends and have me coming back for more.
Vital statisticsRutland Hotel
1-3 Rutland Street, Edinburgh (0131-229 3402, www.therutlandhotel.com)
OUT OF POCKET Starters £4.25-£8.95 Main courses £12.50-£25 Puddings £4.50-£7 Cheese £7
RATING 8.5