I OFTEN
WALK passed restaurants just to have a gander at the menu; call it a food geeky
hobby of mine. As it happens, Purslane
is just around the corner from my work and has caught my eye all too often without
action. Time to pay a visit!
Located
on St. Stephen Street, Purslane proudly sources around 80% of its produce from
the surrounding Stockbridge area. Not
only does this bring a community feel to
the restaurant but also allows the excellent produce from the likes of George
Bower the butcher, George Armstrong the fishmonger and I.J Mellis to feature on
its menu.
The
restaurant is small, there’s no beating around the bush about that, but it’s small
with a certain charm and romance to it and is tastefully decorated too.
Our
server was very relaxed and chatty and as we placed our order, it was obvious
he really enjoyed his job.
We were
presented with an amuse bouché of crispy chicken and Asian noodle salad. The aroma of roast chicken invited you to
dive straight in, where you were greeted by this excellent nugget of chicken and
accompanying salad that was fresh and crunchy and had a pleasant hint of
aniseed to it.
For
starter, I went for sole and salmon roulade with sauce vierge. The smell suggested the fish was as fresh as a
daisy. Expertly seasoned, the roulade
was moist and tasted of the sea. The
sauce vierge was well-made and added to what was overall a great modern version
of classic flavour combinations.
Sarah
chose pigeon pithivier with wild mushrooms and Madeira jus. The pastry was
properly cooked and satisfied my Paul Hollywood-esque inspection - no soggy
bottoms here.
She
found some of the pigeon a little chewy, although the piece I tasted was fine
and the flavour was there. The mushrooms
were wonderful and woody and the jus, ahh that jus was simply sublime.
The
intermediate course consisted of pan fried hake with a fricassee of vegetables,
which being honest I wouldn’t have expected to be included in a meal priced at
£25.95. Not that I was complaining, as this was a sheer joy to eat.
The
fish skin was crisp and the meaty flesh was perfectly cooked. The attention to
detail evident in the shelled peas and podded broad beans and a wonderfully
light and creamy sauce made it as if the dish saying ‘you didn’t order me in
the first instance and this is what you’re missing’.
For
main, I had roast breast of guinea fowl with confit potato, watercress and jus
gras. There’s several different skills
demonstrated in this dish; not just the cooking of the breast but a nifty ballotine
and a neatly butchered leg were all top notch. The tasty jus gras sees the
whole bird being used to its full potential; I only wish there was more of it
on the plate.
I have
to say I thought the watercress made this dish.
The pepperiness just gave it a hint of spice and a bit of texture. The
use of an ingredient bang in season tells you a lot about the ethos of the
restaurant.
Sarah
had grilled red mullet with herb crusted boulangère potatoes and roasted red pepper salsa. Faultless
execution and seasoning of the fish, which was complimented by the zingy salsa.
However, Sarah felt the potatoes could have been crispier and more golden.
The raspberry
sorbet was a welcome palette cleanser as I chose to finish with apple and
butterscotch crème brûlée while Sarah ordered the assiette of pear.
This
was no standard brûlée let me tell you.
Lifting the apple crisp to find the centre had been cut out to house the
butterscotch sauce was rather quirky, while the outside offered the crisp
exterior you would expect from a classic version of the dish.
The
popcorn was a fun addition but it was sadly a little on the limp side.
The
presentation of the pear dish was clean and modern and the tastes from the
sorbet, cannelloni and poached pear were refreshing, light, and a thoroughly
pleasant way to end any meal.
Paul
Gunning has honed his trade under chefs like Marco Pierre White, Jeff Bland and
Jean Michel Gauffre and that shows. His
presentation of food is outstanding and no detail goes unmissed. This is a chef
who has learned his craft and is now intent on putting his own stamp on the
Edinburgh food landscape.
At £25.95,
I can’t think of anywhere that offers better value for the standard of food on
offer and it really is fine dining without any hint of pretention. It’s made me question how good places where I’ve
paid considerably more actually are and I can’t give a much bigger compliment
than that.
This gem
of a restaurant and one really needs to be experienced first- hand.
33a St.
Stephen Street
Stockbridge,
Edinburgh
EH3 5AH
0131 226
3500
E:
contact@purslanerestaurant.co.uk
Opening
Times:
Lunch:
Tue -
Sun: 12.00 -
14.00
Dinner:
Tue –
Su: 18.30-23.30
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