I was up in Scotland to play golf at Muirfield and Loch Lomond, both ranked in the Top 10 courses in the UK & Ireland. So I decided to tack on a few days in Edinburgh and bring the wife.
Top of the list was a table at The Kitchin. I knew Tom Kitchin from programs like Saturday Kitchen and The Great British Menu. I knew the restaurant had a Michelin star. But I still had no idea how good it was. The first clue was that I couldn't get an early table on a Saturday night when I rang about 6 weeks ahead. I don't like eating at 10pm and later so declined a late table.
Thinking that I might not get there I was looking at other options. Then I mentioned it to a friend of mine who just happens to have an Amex Centurion card. He said leave it with him and he'd get me a booking. Sure enough he texted later that day with a booking for 18:30 table.
We arrived at about 18:20 and took seats in the bar to have an aperitif and peruse the menus. Tom popped around to say good evening to everybody before heading off to run the show.
We were shown to our table which just happened to be the best table in the house. There are only three tables on a raised part of the main floor that have a view into the kitchen through a glass window. Our table was the middle one of the three and had the widest view of the cooking area and the pass.
The wife obligingly sat with her back to the window so that I could observe all the goings-on in the kitchen. The one thing that I can report is that the whole time I was there Tom was in charge of the pass, checking the quality and presentation of the dishes before they left the kitchin. A Michelin-starred chef who actually works in his kitchen.
We were served from a basket of good, but not exceptional, breads. This was the only part of the whole evening where I could find room for improvement.
Then the amuse bouche arrived and this is where the magic began.
I had never considered making fennel soup but the little cup of soup served to us was one of the most delicious things that I've eaten in years. It was topped with some tiny squares of smoked salmon and crispy crumbs and had an added kick from some cumin. It was bursting with flavour & texture and was described by my wife as truly historic.
My wife went for the pan-fried foie gras served with haggis, neeps and tatties a’la Kitchin. This was served with additional extras including fresh broad beans and peas. Whilst my wife didn't pronounce this as historic she was still oohing and aahing about the flavour and texture.
For my main I had ordered the hake with a herb crust, girolles, broad beans and a girolles jus.
It's not often you see hake on the menu in the UK so once I spotted it I was instantly sold despite the waiter, in a very nice way, recommending the chef's favourite of confit salmon.
I couldn't have chosen better as it was a perfectly cooked piece of fish, nice and moist, with a delicious jus and little bursts of flavour from the accompaniments in each mouthful. A triumph.
My wife chose the seabass with red pepper piperade, croutons and herbs. She loved every mouthful. Another triumph.
When it comes to dessert I have to brag. Nobody makes a better panna cotta than me. And my wife agrees with me so much that she will no longer order it when we are out as every one we've tried, even in the top restaurants, can't match the texture I achieve using my magic ingredient. In fact, some panna cottas are downright disgusting and overset.
In my humble opinion the best panna cotta should be just set enough to come out of the mould and stand up but still have a wobble.
However, unlike my wife I nearly always try other panna cottas if only to a) prove that mine is still the best or b) in the hope that I might find one that's at least as good.
I can now admit that for the first time anywhere in the world I have had a panna cotta that can stand up to mine. My wife asserts, and I agree, that I still have the edge on texture but the overall treatment of the dish is what gives The Kitchin a slight edge. But I'll learn from this!
Their gooseberry panna cotta with creme fraiche ice cream, gooseberrys, blackcurrants and a gooseberry jus was stunning. As fine a dessert as I've ever eaten. The combination of creaminess, sweetness, tartness and the cold ice cream was divine. Historic beyond belief.
To add to this I took the waiter's advice and had a superb Niagara Ice Wine to accompany it.
My wife had a lemon & sorrel tart with meringue ice cream and fresh berries which she declared as fantastic.
Service through the whole meal was excellent. Just the right mixture of formality and friendliness.
This was easily the best meal I'd had in over a year. Tom Kitchin is a genius and IMHO is serving up the best cooking in the UK right now. If I lived in Edinburgh I would set up a rolling monthly booking to eat at The Kitchin. It's that good.
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