THERE are sites in Edinburgh that suck the life and cash out of would-be restaurateurs until there's nothing left, and the basement of 33 St Stephen Street has been just such a blackspot.
In recent memory, it has chewed up and spat out a whole range of perfectly good restaurants, the most recent being a nice little French place. While long-lived eating-out staples such as the upscale Stockbridge restaurant, the quirky Blue Parrot and
the inestimable Bell's Diner all chug serenely on within yards, 33a St Stephen Street has been a restaurant graveyard that has seen all manner of ventures start and fail with depressing regularity.
Finally, however, there's a newcomer with such panache and originality that it looks sure to break the basement's hoodoo, much as Tom Kitchin has done with the waterfront space he first occupied in Leith three years ago.
Redwood styles itself as "a taste of California", and for those who have visited the west coast of America that's a confusing concept. There is, after all, no such thing as Californian cuisine. If you go to LA, San Diego or San Francisco, you'll find a bewildering array of options covering everything from faux Mexican and Asian fusion to sushi and dishes that are European-inspired. There is, though, nothing that is authentically American, let alone Californian.
In fact, the nearest thing there is to Californian cuisine is the peerless In-N-Out burger chain, but otherwise the main characteristic of grub in the Golden State is that it's an eclectic mix of food that is healthy and wholesome. So not surprisingly, that pretty much sums up the menu put together by native San Franciscan Annette Sprague, the accomplished chef who recently gave up the life of an upmarket private caterer to become chef-patron at Redwood.
We should all be thankful for that, because she has democratised excellence, giving us all a chance to savour her fine work. Redwood is an intoxicating, refreshing fusion of Californian staples and the best Scotland's larder has to offer. If you're looking for an antidote to rich sauces and heavy ingredients, this is it.
Not only that, but she has created an environment that is as laid-back and relaxed as you'll find anywhere in the capital. Once down the stairs, we entered a small room that seats just 20 or so, and were attended by two friendly and efficient waitresses from Canada and Ireland who didn't bat an eyelid at us turning up well past our 9pm booking. The walls are grey, the wooden trimmings a dark red, and with its lowered lights and oriental soft furnishings it has an almost Middle Eastern ambience.
The menu is small but perfectly formed, with each course having just three options. Almost as soon as you're seated a whole roasted garlic arrives along with a small bowl of olive oil and some sourdough bread.
Vicky started with the cumin flatbread, topped with aubergine and red pepper 'caviar' and served with feta and basil green salad. I opted for the mushroom soup and Trish ordered the prawn, mango and mixed green salad with lime-chilli dressing and crispy prosciutto. All were excellent, with Vicky's pizza-style flatbread enlivened by the tang of the red pepper, while Trish's ridiculously healthy salad was stuffed with huge prawns and chunks of mango.
For my main course, I opted for the roasted salmon fillet with fennel and cucumber relish, served with lemony vegetable couscous with a horseradish and dill sauce. It proved an inspired choice. The fusion of so many different and often competing flavours imbued the salmon with a freshness and zest that made it a truly outstanding dish.
Vicky's chickpea and halloumi fritters with lime and chilli yoghurt, served with warm spinach and tomato salad, was a novel excursion that transported me straight back to backpacking around Jordan. Trish's monster pork chop with tomatillo and green apple sauce, served with black beans and sautéed greens, was, well, the biggest pork chop I've seen. The slightly piquant sauce worked well but I couldn't help feeling the whole ensemble would have worked much better had the black beans been refried black beans, a Mexican staple that is commonplace in California.
Even pudding was simultaneously good and healthy, although the curd cake with a ginger and pistachio mousse and fresh cream proved so eye-wateringly lemony that we couldn't finish it. As white chocolate and mint terrines go, this was about as uncalorific and light as you could expect, but still gloriously tasty.
If we couldn't find anything with which to reproach Redwood (Vicky, who has had to put up with my penchant for heavy Gallic food for years, reckoned this was her best meal of 2009), one important point to remember is that it doesn't (yet) have a licence, so you're free to bring your own booze. If you forget, there's an off-licence about 100 yards away.
Happily, Redwood is also 30 seconds from two of the area's iconic boozers, the Baillie and the Antiquary, so if you find your body rebelling against the unaccustomed healthiness of your meal, it's easy to round off the night with a pint or two.
Vital statisticsRedwood 33a St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh (0131-225 8342, www.redwood-restaurant.co.uk)
Out of pocket: Two-course dinner £20.95 Three-courses £25.95 Corkage £4 per bottle
Rating: 8.5/10
The full article contains 909 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
