Being welcomed into the elegant interior of Otro is rather like discovering a secret that’s been right under your nose. Set proudly on Coates Crescent, with high ceilings and huge windows, the interior, painted a chic dark teal, nonetheless feels intimate. We’re visiting this evening to try the flexitarian menu, which launched earlier this year. It’s set out in an innovative way: all the vegetarian and vegan options for starters and mains in one section, fish in another, and meat separate again. It makes it very easy to find what you’re looking for depending on your diet.
As we decide what to have, we sip a Zesty Martini, made with pineapple and ginger and conjouring up the warmer shores of the Caribbean. The restaurant has a comfortable bar area where you can have an aperitif or a digestif if the fancy strikes you.
For starters I choose one of the vegan options, the pulled king oyster mushroom tacos with avocado and aubergine, which were tangy and zesty, with lots of barbecued flavour. My dining companion’s ‘nduja sausage with burrata, aubergine and mint is possibly our favourite dish of the night, however. Served simply with artisan crackers, the spicy, paprika-rich ‘nduja melts unguently on the plate alongside the cool, fresh burrata.
Next come the mains, mine a generous bowl of creamy spelt risotto with wild mushroom, wild garlic and topped off with a crispy poached egg, my companion’s a perfectly grilled lamb rump with fermented turnip, Cockburn haggis and kale.
Although full and satisfied, we can’t resist trying the ridiculously indulgent dark chocolate cremeux with salted caramel ice cream as well as the light, clean Yorkshire rhubarb with lemon posset. The whole night is
utterly delicious.
22 Coates Cres, Edinburgh EH3 7AF
otrorestaurant.co.uk
Caroline Whitham
