Restaurant at the Bonham
35 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh (0131-226 6050)
The Bill
Dinner for three, £106.50, excluding drinks Is it a good thing for a hotel restaurant to feel like a hotel restaurant? I'll clarify
before you lose the will to live. The other evening, accompanied by my mother and partner, we enjoyed a very fine dinner in the Restaurant at the Bonham. That's the restaurant at the Bonham Hotel for those who are wondering. On a rainy, midweek night, tucked in a corner of the smart dining room, we gossiped and giggled and indulged in culinary treats including foie gras sorbet, tender, sweet lamb and the most succulent fillet of halibut I've ever had the misfortune of not ordering for myself.
The only topic that provoked a debate was the atmosphere. It would do the restaurant no end of good to feel a bit more like a destination in its own right, rather than just the most convenient option for guests. Where there was no discussion was when it came to the food: it's undeniably impressive.
Under head chef, Michel Bouyer, the restaurant presents contemporary food using seasonal and local ingredients. Yes, I hear you sigh, so does every restaurant with aspirations and a penchant for culinary buzzwords. What's different here is that it's not just a marketing ploy, it's matched with excellent, French- influenced cooking.
From the amuse-bouche, a cheeky shot glass of gazpacho served like a miniature Bloody Mary, complete with titchy celery stick, to the chi-chi desserts, the meal was a pleasure. Certainly good enough for us to overlook slightly wobbly service (the service charge is included, by the way), or the fact that when we arrived the table was set so that one of us was in the middle facing the other two, like a job interview with the added bonus of fine food.
Table rearranged, I started with seared scallops with artichoke salad, foie gras sorbet and tomato dressing (£14). The scallops were small but perfectly cooked and, combined with the sorbet – a creamy, cold delight – and the delicate salad, the flavours were perfect. It did its job – being satisfying in its own right and a reminder that I was hungrier than I'd thought. Round the table, Scottish rump of beef carpaccio with roseval potato salad and summer black truffles (£8) was pronounced "tasty" and marinated sardines with caramelised chicory, baby gem and smoky mayonnaise (£7.50) judged "delicious".
A bottle of Chilean merlot (£24) easing us on our way, excitement was building for the mains. My roasted rump of lamb with puy lentil casserole, braised baby gem and thyme jus (£20) was divine. The meat was delicious – pink and perfect – the lentil casserole a dense, sticky treat good enough to lick from the plate; not that I did, of course. To my left, the halibut evoked "oohs" and "ahs" and the lone lull in the conversation. A perfectly cooked fillet, rich, buttery and moist, it perched on top of a roasted cepe risotto and white bean cappuccino (like the foam on a coffee but flavoured more with butter than bean) (£20). To say that it was enjoyed would be an understatement.
To my right, baked sweet potato with marjoram, a pine nut crust, creamed celeriac, summer truffle and broad bean sauce (£15) – the only vegetarian option on the menu – was deemed delicious, superceding any concern about its presentation, which lacked a little of the panache of the other dishes. Among tables of businessmen flexing their expense accounts, I'd wager we were the only non-resident diners and, although that's not a problem in itself, it's just hard to know why the hotel wouldn't want to bring the restaurant to the attention of a wider audience? After all, the food is grand and the dining space, decorated in a palette of deep, rich colours with dark wooden floors, and with plenty of distance between tables, is ideal for a romantic dinner for two or a noisier evening like ours.
Bouyer, originally from Brittany, previously worked at the Michelin-starred Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower and at L'Auberge in Edinburgh. He also spent time in charge of the kitchens at The Howard, sister hotel to The Bonham. He's won the restaurant two AA rosettes and, when the puds arrive, it's no surprise. The Bonham trio of chocolate desserts (£8) is three soft, rich treats, while the marmalade and Valrhona chocolate croustillant (£7) wins in the sweet sweet stakes, including as it did the tiniest of soufflés, served in one of those miniature jam pots you'd expect to see at breakfast. My white peach soufflé (£7) was a joy – light and soft and winningly warm.
The last diners left and, as we finished our coffees and felt vaguely embarrassed about how easily we'd despatched three courses, my concerns about the atmosphere faded. In fact, all of us were now thinking there'd be nothing better than toddling off upstairs to a comfy room rather than braving the rain all over again.
The full article contains 853 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
