Restaurant Martin Wishart — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

We went for dinner at Martin Wishart last week, first time to a michelin star restaurant and the experience didn't really live up to what we were expecting. A fair bit of this came down to the service, with basic mistakes like: the chair held open for the man instead of the lady upon arrival. staff was pushy about pre-meal drink despite us choosing the wine pairing option, then didn't have the Martini we ordered (someone please nip to the shop and get a bottle of Martini!), they offered a replacement but only consulted one of us and rushed away without making sure the other person was also happy with the replacement offered. When finally I got my pre-meal drink I didn't even get the time to finish it, the wine pairing was already starting! the risotto and scallop with truffle special was served with just fork, no knive to eat(?). when asked what coffee we could order as part of the "coffee and petit fours" the waitress couldn't answer, told us to just say anything and she would go to check if it's fine(?). We still had very good food description by one member of staff and the sommelier also did a great job, he was very nice and knowledgeable, the wine pairing really worked and was definitely well worth it. The food was generally good but nothing really wowed us which is the biggest disappointment. The presentation was always very nice but quite a few dishes are things I cook often enough so I can tell it was cooked as expected but nothing really tasted like something incredibly good or worth the £450 we spent in the end. These £450 included also a gratuity of 12.5% which is a lot on a already high bill. I'm also disappointed as this means that, despite being michelin star, the restaurant is still not paying its staff more fairly than staff of the local pub. PS: there was a typo in the menu - mascarpone became...

WOW WOW WOW

It was our 10th Wedding Anniversary so having heard fantastic reviews about this restaurant we decided to book a table and go for the 4 course lunch menu.

We were greeted upon arrival and shown to our table and immediately felt at home.

The dining room is not pretentious but classical and bright, the service is natural and heartfelt not false like actors acting a pre rehearsed ritual.

The food was exceptional cooked to perfection concentrating on the best ingredients cooked classically with fantastic techniques. This restaurant concentrates on simplicity and flavours not overloading dishes with elements that are not required. We had Cheese Soufflé, Pumpkin Risotto, Sea-bass glazed with champagne butter and Confit Duck cleverly paired with Pasta glazed in stock and each bite gave different flavour hits.

We ended with classic Apple Tartan again melt in your mouth.

Not to mention the free pre starters the bread with a selection of accompaniments and the chocolates at the end this was 8 courses each with 4 soft drinks and we got change out of £200.

If you are a foodie and want the real deal then Martin Wishart is the place to go. Its concept is fantastic and it’s accessible to all budgets wanting to try a Michelin Star experience.

I have had the pleasure of eating the 9 course tasting menu at Raymond Blancs hotel and the biggest compliment I can give Restaurant Martin Wishart is that it was a different level to that.

The best dining experience both myself and my wife have ever had by a country mile so thanks to all the staff for making our wedding anniversary so special.

Can’t wait to return ASAP to once again make our pallets dance.

David and...

Went for the lunch, rather than tasting menu so was pleasantly surprised to find that the amuse bouche (and bread) actually came with 6 or 7 different simple, but tasty, flavours for an immediate sense of variety to start.

Somewhat more of a traditional vibe with lots of marble, very formal waiters (it took a few attempts to confirm that one amuse bouche was basically just a hash brown, rather than whatever convoluted name it was introduced as), mirrors and an ever so slightly colder feeling atmosphere. But the decor is still fresh and, importantly, comfy.

Great service from the waiters who never let our water run dry, and were always on hand. However somewhat disappointing that after specifically asking for the return of the drinks menu once, it went missing again. Compounded by the inability to make a White Russian which I asked for, partially hoping one could be made and partially having had my drinks menu whisked away, so I had to guess!

Perhaps the lack of White Russian was not such a bad thing, as when we got hot drinks after dessert, they were served with milk that was close enough to it's use by date that it curdled into lumps floating in the coffee!

Having said that, a swift apology and replacements followed quickly, and I suppose it's not necessarily reasonably to expect everywhere to have a well stocked bar that can cater to White Russian cocktails, milk that is fresh and the hazelnut flavour I requested for the hot chocolate (it was still good, without)

Food was faultless, with terrifically simple flavours (gespatcho, tappenade, tomato salsa, crusty bread etc.) to start and more complicated flavours for main (pork jowl) and to finish...