WestRoom — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

A good place for a cocktail and a catch-up, if you like that sort of thing, but avoid the risotto.

We booked here under the Top Table scheme, which it seems, alas, does not accept anything other than glowingly positive reviews. Overall, I don't regret going, but four days on I remain very sad about the mushroom risotto, which was probably one of the worst meals that I have ever been served. It was completely tasteless. Completely. It tasted of nothing. I realise that I'm repeating myself but I'm still baffled as to how they pulled this trick.

It had the texture of sodden Weetabix, and the mushrooms had been left to stew until all the flavour had leeched away. I can only assume the chef didn't taste it; in fact, as I'd made the mistake of ordering exactly the same dish at a restaurant owned by the same parent group (yes, I'm a slow learned) some months before and had the same bland, disappointing mush, I would be prepared to believe it's rehydrated after being left to slump in some chthonic cauldron for a couple of decades until all the flavour evaporated. I resorted, in the end, to dousing it with the sauce that accompanied my friend's (much better) fish and chip meal; hardly standard procedure, but I had to do something to stop myself from feeling that I was eating Dickensian gruel. It was genuinely awful.

However, the cocktails were very nice - if I ever return, I will bring some toast...

The younger sister to Sygn, the West Room goes to show that good things do come in small packages. Stylish décor and great food make this bar stand head and shoulders above many in Edinburgh, despite being half their size.

A cosy environment, the West Room has it all. There’s a decent wine and cocktail list and they have a good range of beers, including a selection of the all-important craft variety. The food is great – the burger is fantastic, as are the weekend breakfasts. This bar also has a huge screen, perfect for watching the rugby on a Saturday with a couple of friends.

A great bar, I would thoroughly recommend making a pit stop if you find yourself in the west end...

Superb experience at this wonderful find in a guidebook. We rang ahead to book a table and when we arrived were greeted by very friendly bar staff inviting us to our seats.

The selection of Italian style tapas then was almost endless. Divided into clear to define sections, we settled on both styles of croquettes which were equally delectable and the arancini which perfectly delicious. Mains we chose pasta which were wonderful too, but the whole time you could really taste all the ingredients were really fresh and delicious.

Then we were roped into the pub quiz going on which really sealed the deal. A wondeful hilarious evening with superb food. I...