THE sun was streaming in through the window, ducks had waddled up from the riverbank onto the courtyard and a line of horses passed along the length of the River Esk to mark the start of Musselburgh's fayre.
Not quite pastoral bliss but an idyllic scene all the same, although daughter number one might not have agreed.
She'd been in her new place a couple of weeks but found it hard coping with a half-finished kitchen and microwave food.
So when the
opportunity came to leave the dust behind, she didn't need much persuading. We'd been given tickets for the penultimate summer concert at the Castle, but as the main act wasn't due on stage until later in the evening, we managed to squeeze in dinner en route at The Royal Terrace brasserie.
After a recent £5.2 million refurb by the Prima Hotel group, the interior of this row of elegant Georgian buildings is looking much classier than it did a couple of years ago, when the tired, dated décor might well have turned guests away.
But what a difference a year can make. The revamp is chic and sophisticated, with a contemporary cream and brown palette running throughout.
The mellow theme is continued into the dining room at the rear of the property, giving an intimate yet airy and relaxed feel. Arriving early meant we had our pick of tables, but it was a beautiful evening and we chose to sit outside in the lush, landscaped garden.
Soaking up the last remnants of sun in this haven of tranquillity, it's hard to believe that just five minutes away from this peaceful spot, the city is groaning to a standstill from traffic disruption and tramwork chaos on Leith Walk.
We gave the early dining menu a try, but if, unlike us, you've plenty of time to spare, you might want to check out the extensive à la carte option.
I stepped in line with eldest daughter on this occasion and gave the intro a miss, kicking off instead with a mouth-watering mains of pan-fried sea bass on a bed of mango, feta and chilli salad, enhanced with a tomato and coriander salsa.
This was a nicely balanced dish, bursting with an infusion of flavours and colour - the meaty fillet a good match for the Caribbean-influenced medley served alongside, and a surprisingly good sauvignon blanc from Chile's Colchagua Valley.
Roast chicken, chorizo, tomato and thyme stew very nearly made its way across the table, but the order was replaced mid-sentence with wild mushroom risotto and very good it was too, I'm told.
You might think this would be one of the easiest things to prepare, but I can't tell you how many times I've sent this simple rice dish back to the kitchen when restaurants get it wrong.
The trick with risotto is making sure you are using the proper rice, the next is that you add stock slowly, otherwise everything turns to mush and the finished dish won't have the desired creaminess.
Simple, really. Get those basic principles under your belt and the rest is easy. The finishing touch to this version was in the shape of a handmade filigree parmesan crisp - uncomplicated, but very effective.
And so to the finalé. I'm not big on desserts but I did like the sound of chocolate banana fondant with banana ice cream and sweet berries, but when our waiter pointed out it would take 20 minutes to prepare, I nearly changed my mind.
Thank goodness I didn't. It was seriously good and seriously rich, with the gooey chocolate fondant tipping everything towards calorific heaven.
The every popular sticky toffee pudding opposite didn't score quite so highly but it was still rated fab.
As far as quality and value go, you would have to be really picky to find fault with anything on this particular menu.
We've pencilled in a return visit at some point soon but as the Fringe circus rolls into town on Sunday, it might not be quite so easy to get a table.
Food aside, the Royal Terrace brasserie's selling point is its central location and the sheltered garden for relaxed, al fresco dining. At this time of year, that's almost like finding nirvana.
• The Royal Terrace Brasserie, 18 Royal Terrace, 0131-557 3222 The bill2 x Early dining menus £24
2 glasses of Casa La Joya Sauvignon blanc £9.90
1 side order of sauté potatoes £2.50
Total: £36.40
Quality ***
Menu Choice ***
Surroundings ****
Service ****
Value ****
The full article contains 763 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
