The love of Scottish ingredients shines through at Noto, the new restaurant from chef-patron Stuart Ralston, whose first venue, Aizle, has been a local favourite since 2014.
With the weather turning colder, my dining partner and I are drawn to indulgent dishes, and North Sea Crab fits the bill, its shell filled with crab meat swimming in butter. Next appears a snowstorm of Parmesan, concealing three Berkswell cheese croquettes – and we end up fighting over the last croquette.
The same dilemma occurs with the Jerusalem artichokes – three balls of perfectly cooked, nutty artichoke topped with enough truffle shavings to make Miss Piggy swoon. Small plates scraped, we dive into the bigger offerings, beginning with an American classic – buttermilk chicken, fried to juicy perfection, with waffles and a punch of caviar. Next is a char siu pork bao, fluffy and flavoured with teriyaki.
To finish we can’t resist trying the Michel Cluizel chocolate, miso and hazelnut dessert, and it’s quite possibly one of my favourite things I’ve eaten this year. Make sure you leave room for pudding.
47a Thistle St, Edinburgh EH2 1DY
notoedinburgh.co.uk
Caroline Whitham
