"A very happy accidental find. My family and I were trying to find a restaurant for dinner and this was our third attempt without a reservation. (We are tourists...who makes reservations in a country they don 't know?! Between the intermittent rain showers and the Fringe Festival going on, the crowds were everywhere. This place was off the Royal Mile so it seemed approachable enough. Anyway, we walked in cold, tired, and hungry. This place accommodated my family of four without a reservation. Yeah!! At first glance tres chic and bistro like setting. Two dining rooms one smaller for intimate groups of 2 or 4. Then the larger adjoining room for everyone else. It was quite lively in that room vs the more intimate room where we were seated. The food was excellent but the service was very lax. It took about 20 minutes before anyone came to our table to take our order even though in 2 minutes time after being seated, we were served flat water. Being annoyed now, as we watched a waitress going back and forth; no one came over to take our order. Soon, other tables seated after us all ordered (to be fair, they waited as well just not as long and yet we were last. Grr. Some confusion as it seems the one person that brought us the menus along with the water (with lemon, a plus was supposed to take our order. Not knowing he didn 't, the waitress we saw many times, assumed we did. I took my time oogling the menu over and over finalized my choices to the below, all were scrumptious. (Hence the 4 stars for a superb meal almost deducted a star for the lack of service in the beginning but they made up for it somewhat after . Believe me, the menu was so appetizing, it was hard to choose. Appetizers: seared scallops with black pudding, bacon and pureed peas... meaty and balanced (menu said crispy pancetta it was bacon strips same difference . The scallops were meaty, quite large in size and looked different from what I usually get in the US. These still had the coral still connected (see photo . So succulent. The pork rillets over salad (with toast it said but no toast came with . The plating looked like a pork belly stir fry over lettuce not quite pretty but definitely savory. A tad too salty for me but hubby liked it a lot. The meat was tender and flavorful. Every piece bite size and juicy. If this were an Asian establishment, I would think it would be great if served in lettuce cups. Onto our entrees: The duck with Drambuie and Raspberries I saw quite a few recommendations for this dish and it was a reoccurring photo on Yelp, so we had to try. The duck was roasted, medium well still pinkish color on some pieces. Some pieces were a tad tough to chew, especially for my son, but the flavors were on point. Beautifully plated and tasted just as good overall. I had the lamb loin and haggis figured I should try the National Signature meat while in Edinburgh, Scotland. For those that don 't know, Haggis is a mix of minced ingredients sheep 's heart, liver and lungs, combined with onions, suet, and spices. The lamb and haggis was wrapped in a puff pastry and served with a cracked pepper sauce. If only I had more puff pastry or bread, I would 've sopped up all that sauce. The lamb combined with the haggis was a superb combination. The lamb was not gamy at all; juicy and tender all around. I loved it. Hubby ordered the whole boneless sea bass. Presented en papillote (cooked and served in a paper wrapper , presentation was so inviting. The hot ginger gave it a nice tingly finish. And the accompanying prawns were quite sizeable. The dish resembled a Thai Curry to me both in color and smell. It was just the dish to hit the spot on a cold, damp evening. Given the slow service and lack of...we skipped on dessert. If only this place could pick up the pace, then it 'd be a 5 star experience. But many thanks to the manager that agreed to seat us. We still left a tip for the waitress given she looked overwhelmed. And while not obligatory to even having to leave a tip (UK is different than USA , we figured it was in good taste."
Steamed Mussels
