AS HISTORY HAS it, due to a shortage of stone the townhouses
on Edinburgh’s Brunswick Street were the last of the Georgian-inspired
buildings to be constructed in the city’s New Town. The building had been a Black Watch club for
over 60 years, before being transformed into the modern boutique hotel before
us today – and that’s where my interest lies.
Brunswick Street is an ideal
location for a boutique hotel. The quiet
side street is surrounded by leafy gardens across London Road and only a stone’s
throw from the Edinburgh Playhouse, city centre and the diverse array of offerings on Leith Walk.
The hotels co-owner Susan Grant
greeted us as we escaped the sweltering heat of the capital to run the rule
over No.11’s Brasserie. Susan was keen to give us a brief history of
the building and spoke of her passion for giving visitors and locals alike an
insight into the history of the city, by capturing it with a mural of the great
thinkers, such as Adam Smith and David Hume, who have presided in Edinburgh over the
years.
Anyway, history lessons aside I was
rather hungry and it was time to eat. No.
11’s menu offered a plethora of dishes that you could have just shut your eyes
and selected your dish with a random finger point– the selection of dishes was
that appealing. Nevertheless, we had to
choose and I went for the Isle of Gigha organic halibut gravlax, with pickled
spring vegetables, citrus crème fraiche and crostini (£6.95), while Sarah
ordered confit of duck, pork and Parma ham ballontine with celeriac remoulade
and toasted brioche (£7.25).
My gravlax was an ideal starter for
this sort of day; fresh and light, the halibut was sweet with a light hint of
dill. The little pickled veg had been
prepared with care and attention, and cut through the tender halibut
perfectly. The actual pickling was bang
on the money, and the pepperiness of the radishes almost seasoned the dish. I would have liked a dollop or two more of
the crème fraiche dressing though, just to round off each mouthful. Halibut is
such an amazing fish and it always reminds me of my first day in a professional
kitchen, where chef taught me how to fillet a whole one through at The Seafood
Restaurant in St. Monans
Sarah’s duck ballontine was rich,
tender and brimming with flavour, with the radish bringing a bit of freshness
and texture. The celeriac remoulade was
creamy, and balanced out the richness of the ballontine to a tee. Ideal starter portion for a three-course
dinner too.
It was obvious that the two
waitresses had tasted the dishes, as their knowledge of the menu was evident not
just at our table, but with other guests as I listened to them pleasantly
converse with other guests; I even overheard the gentleman next to me ask for a
business card and talk of his intentions to visit again.
For main course, I went for my
favourite – braised pork belly with potato puree, spring greens, pancetta and
red wine jus (£18.25). Underneath the excellent crispy crackling i found moist,
tender meat – a generous slab of beautiful piggy goodness. The cooking of the veg left a slight bite and
showed the cook has skill and I could tell the jus was excellent by the sheen
and viscosity of it – the taste didn’t disappoint.
If I was being picky, if eaten on its own, the potato puree could have
benefited with a twist of seasoning, but the cubes of pancetta remedied that
when eaten together.
The other half went for one of the
specials in the shape of an 8oz
Glenrothes venison haunch steak with roasted shallot puree, Pont Neuf potatoes,
wild mushrooms, brambles and a Port jus (£25).
The venison came medium-rare as requested and was rich and easy to
cut. The shallot puree was probably the
star, bringing a sharp but not too sweet element to the dish and working in
tandem with the earthy mushrooms. One
thing was missing and that was the Pont Neuf potatoes, which arrived a couple of
minutes late; no biggy, plus they were ideal for mopping up another sublime
jus.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the first
two thirds of the meal, the final course awaited and I looked forward to my
white chocolate, vanilla and maple syrup brûlée with rhubarb compote and shortbread
(£6.25) with Sarah opting to try the iced raspberry cranachan parfait with
whisky infused raspberries and toasted oat crumble (£6.25). The brûlée was a decent one: sufficiently crunchy top that I'll never
get tire of smashing into with a silky filling and flecks of vanilla seed
running throughout. I didn’t really get
any maple syrup from it, but the white chocolate was certainly there and
thankfully not too sweet. The shortbread
was buttery and well made, however I would have liked the compote to be reduced
down more to really enhance those flavours. 
The iced cranachan parfait was
refreshing, especially on this super-hot day, with an oaty flavour that was
complimented by the warmth of the whisky soaked rasps. Sarah commented that it perhaps needed a
little more of the toasted oats to add crunch, while my only reservation was
that the parfait could have been cut with a hot knife to ensure a smooth finish
to the presentation.
I think it’s fair to say that was a
thoroughly enjoyable dining experience and I would most definitely visit
again. Some flawless technique on show here
and a menu I’d happily eat my way through. The slick, professional service mimicked the
quality of the food and I’m glad the owner’s pride in her chef’s cooking was fully
justified.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/no11brunswick?fref=ts
Phone: 0131 557 6910
Email: info@11brunswickst.co.ukNo.11,
11 Brunswick St,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5JB
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