DINEDINSTYLE AT21212, EDINBURGH
THAT'S A LONG WAY TO GO FOR DINNER...
Any foodie worth their salt-baked beetroot knows 21212 has a Michelin-star restaurant and four fancy AA rosettes, too. Make no mistake; this is not cuisine I could knock up at home. Ever. Nor do I live in an elegant Georgian townhouse with four swish bedrooms in the heart of a really cool city. So yes, it’s well worth the journey (and if you actually live in Edinburgh, this is where to hit for every special occasion – any excuse will do). I'M STARVING, WHAT SHOULD I ORDER? It’s all about the five-course tasting menu, which awardwinning food master Paul Kitching whips up in the buzzy kitchen, which you can see from the plush dining room (think crisp white table linen and floor-to-ceiling windows).
I’m vegetarian so for some courses I went off-menu (they were happy to oblige), including an amuse-bouche of mushroom parchment (better than it sounds) and toasted hazelnut butter. Forget being gluten-free for the night, the homemade bread here is so good it’s worth the bloating. Just save room for cheese. And dessert. An innocentsounding Pear of Plums is anything but: trifle laced with honeycomb, almond fudge and tempered strawberry chocolate. Dishes change weekly as Kitching gets bored easily – which is good news for us. PHEW! CAN I GO TO BED NOW? Hold your horses. Before crashing out, we stopped off at a small mirrored bar and beautiful sitting room, sank into a squishy sofa and sipped gin and tonics.
The best thing about a restaurant with rooms is you can just roll into bed. No Ubers or chilly bus stop required. And 21212’s rooms are amazing, with a massive bedroom, lounge area and bathroom, and not a scrap of clichéd tartan in sight. There’s nothing starchy or formal here – this is a Michelin-starred experience set in a small boutique hotel, where the service is as warm as the dram of whisky they leave in your room. Well, when in Scotland… EAT, SLEEP AND PLAY?
We walked off our heartybut-healthy home-cooked breakfast with a brisk hike up Calton Hill, and were rewarded with stunning views across the Firth of Forth. A quick stroll down the other side delivered us into the centre of town where we just had time for a mooch around the National Gallery and shops along Thistle Street before catching the train home.