On the site of the now-defunct The Gardener’s Cottage, this wonderfully informal Edinburgh restaurant is one of the finds of the year, says Scottish Field editor Richard Bath.
Celebrated foodies from Jay Rayner to AA Gill loved the much-feted Gardener’s Cottage, and when it closed at the end of 2024 there was a widespread gnashing of teeth. However, despite its obvious excellence it was always a little bit too mung bean centric and knit-your-own for this reviewer’s taste. So the news that Peter Adshead – formerly head sommelier at The Champany Inn, Number One at The Balmoral and The Pompadour – had taken over the vacated space and was opening it as The Cottage at Royal Terrace from 1 May was enough to make me sit up and pay attention.
Outwardly, relatively little. This William Playfair-designed building below Royal Terrace but looking out onto London Road is still basically two rooms, one of which now has a semi-open kitchen. There are still two eight-seater communal tables in the bigger room (so no scope for dining a deux unless there are empty seats), and one table of eight in the smaller room, which is also perfect for private functions (the whole place can be hired for exclusive use). A whole heap of work has gone on behind the scenes, but both rooms are now white canvasses punctuated with nicely understated contemporary art. There are also tables in its garden which cannot be reserved; it’s envisaged that these will be for drinks, snacks and lunch.
As you would expect, Adshead runs front of house slickly, but behind the scenes the kitchen brigade is led by Jamie Stapleton, formerly head chef at The Canonball and with a background in 3 AA Rosette restaurants. Most of the staff have a Michelin-starred pedigree, but the atmosphere is relaxed and informal.
he options are lunch (two courses £25, three courses £30), a pre-theatre five-course taster menu (£55) until 6pm (the Playhouse theatre is a five-minute walk) or a seven course taster menu (£85) from 6.30pm. We started with sourdough with lovage butter and three sublime canapes, of which the delicate sea trout tartlet topped with roe was the standout. The first course was asparagus tips with charred lemon, black garlic and basil in a beautifully creamy asparagus soup, followed by the most remarkable carrot dish I’ve ever eaten. It was basically a thick roasted carrot studded with crushed macadamia nuts and enlivened with coriander and orange. If that sounds borderline inedible, don’t be put off – it was memorably good.
The fish course – a thick slice of turbot with a classic buerre blanc sauce, red grape halves and leeks – hinted at Adshead and Stapleton’s classically Gallic fine dining background. Far more arresting, however, was the hogget (older than lamb, younger than mutton) three ways, which featured a chop, loin and confit belly, with the latter comfortably the most deliciously impactful aspect of the entire meal.
We rounded off with a nice palate cleanser of rhubarb, yoghurt, oats and hibiscus, followed by an excellently sweet dessert of miso caramel, crème fraiche and candied walnuts.
As you might expect given Adshead’s background as a veteran sommelier, the paired wines (£55 with the seven-course menu, £35 with the five-course menu) were spot on. From the Henriot Brut Champagne that accompanied the snacks and sourdough, to the silky sweetness of a Madame de Rayne Sauternes with marvellously vanilla notes, all six of the pairings were absolutely on point.
The Cottage at Royal Terrace, 1 Royal Terrace Gardens, Edinburgh EH7 5DX. www.thecottageedinburgh.com. Open Thursday to Sunday from 5pm, and six days a week during August.
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