Kitchin – Tasting Menu – Feb 2018

 I have always been a huge fan of Tom Kitchin’s cooking from the days he appeared as a contestant and later judge on “Great British Menu” and his “Nature to Plate” approach to food. Since he opened his restaurant in Leith, Edinburgh in 2006 it has always been on my list to visit, especially as the great city is where I spent my University years. Therefore when my partner booked the tasting menu for us both for my birthday, along with a visit to the Scottish capital I was more than a little excited!!

As with all of my ramblings on this blog about restaurants, in my opinion it is not just about the food itself, but the whole experience of the evening at a restaurant. Therefore you will see my reviews split down into my key areas below…

Reservations & Website

For me where it all starts, just how easy is it to make a reservation and how are you treated during what is the start of your experience.

This was a little different for me, as my partner booked the restaurant as a present so was not involved. However she tells me she found it a simple operation. As this meal was a special trip for a present she followed up with a mail that was duly acknowledged. The fact that despite booking months in advance, for a Saturday night we had to eat early or late, so we booked a 9pm sitting. This was not a problem for us at all, and we were assured the tasting menu could be completed even at that time which was reassuring. As it happens, eating later was a blessing as detailed below. 

First Impressions

It was a stereotypical cold, wet and miserable February night when we visited Kitchin. A cab from central Edinburgh to the Leith area was simple enough. Leith has undergone a massive regeneration programme in recent times and is now a diverse and trendy area of Scotland’s capital with more than one Michelin starred restaurant, and a host of nightlife and bars to choose from, quite a change from my time at University in early 2000’s.

The waterfront of entrance of Kitchin is subdued and understated but once inside the warmth and decadence of the place hits you immediately. The greeting was friendly and very efficient upon entering, and being a little early for our reservation we were seated in the bar area and ordered a drink from the extensive gin and whiskey menu whilst the menu and wine pairings were explained to us. I particularly liked the laid back bar area. Being a cold winters night the curtains were drawn on the glass fronted façade making the bar area intimate and homely – you can imagine in summer with a view of the old docks bringing a completely different feel for the place.

On being seated we saw for the first time how busy the restaurant actually was that evening. Whilst a lovely setting, the feeling was of a crammed space with a lot of covers in the space. For us this was the disappointment of the night. Whilst the popularity and the place is undoubtedly the driving force, and the business side of such a restaurant is obviously, and understandably, to have as many covers as they can. However, having experienced similar Michelin starred restaurants, Kitchin felt more like a normal restaurant vibe – not a bad thing but not the experience I was expecting and somewhat took the shine off the experience.

Service

The service at Kitchin was second to none throughout the whole evening. The waiting staff were friendly, engaging and very personable as well as knowledgeable. Since our visit we have actually used the level here as a barometer for others and currently it has not been beaten! People ask why we liked it so much, and basically the personality and interaction was the key for us. As well as welcoming, and friendly, the knowledge from the staff about the dishes and willingness to engage and ask our thoughts and opinions was what made us enjoy the evening. Other establishments can be overwhelming and intimidating to their clientele, but I feel Kitchin had a great balance here.  Tasting menus, for us, are about more than solely the food, they are about enjoying the whole evening.

One of the touches I particularly liked was the presentation of the scroll containing a map of where the produce is sourced from for the menus. This really emphasised Tom Kitchin’s mantra of local produce being used for the theme of the menus.

The Food

As this was a special occasion for us, we decided on Prestige Surprise Tasting Menu (£130) and the Standard Wine Pairing (£60). There was a more expensive wine flight containing superior wine selection, but we opted for the standard and it was more than adequate. I must here give special mention to the sommelier we had for the evening who, as well as being knowledgeable was also engaging and was genuinely interested in our opinions, reactions and view of the wine and how we had found it with the food.

Personally there were a couple of standout dishes for me of the evening…

Oysters – whilst not everyone’s favourite thing, the presentation and quality of the oysters (from the famous Loch Fyne) made this a wonderful dish. However the 3 different accompaniments (escargot butter, thai dressing and caviar) elevated what seems to be a simple course to an amazing textural and tasty dish. A true exposure of Tom Kitchin’s style of using the best of the local ingredients as the base of the dish.

Apple – which was a warm “tarte tatin” style desert with a vanilla ice cream (one scoop or two !) and calvados sauce . Whist this may seen simple and ordinary, the description does not do it justice with the amount of work in the apple presentation and the calvados sauce making this dish complete.

Surprisingly, it was a signature dish of Tom Kitchin, the hare, that we liked the least. My partner in particular did not care for the terrine texture of the hare and could not eat it. Personally I did mind it, but it was one of the least favourite of the evening I am afraid,

Overall

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Kitchin in Edinburgh, the food drink and service were exceptional. Due to the fact we booked the 9pm sitting, our thoughts and intitalimpressions, regarding the compactness of the interior and table layout were somewhat alleviated as the restaurant emptied somewhat from earlier sittings as the evening. That said I am unsure we would book earlier if we were returned in the future.

The most impressive part of the whole experience is that Tom Kitchin’s “Nature to Plate” theming and passion really does shine through the whole menu and the evening. The food really was exceptional both in itself and as a whole tasting menu.