HAUTE DOLCI
It seems as if hardly a day goes by without another restaurant opening in the (what seems still new) St James Quarter. At the opening event for Haute Dolci they had a rather charming magician. Could he magic up some hospitality staff to work in all these new joints? This new offering has a prime spot at the Princes Street end of the centre and the USP of being a dessert only restaurant after 4pm.
As my daughter and I had opted to eat at 6pm it was sugar rush time. The sweet offerings were plentiful and almost infinite, as there are ‘build your own’ choices where you can select how many scoops, which flavours, toppings, sauces, sprinkles and extras you would like. I had a sundae with coconut ice cream, Raffaello chunks and chocolate fudge sauce.
My Christmas party frocks looming, I had a modest two scoops but I was drawn to the potential indulgence. My daughter had a milk chocolate fondue with all the marshmallow, strawberry and other confectionery dipping accoutrements you could want. It was insane in scale. A mild coronary waiting to happen.
For a beverage she chose the Chocolate Avalanche Milkshake and I opted for a tropical Mocktail. Everything was delicious, sumptuous and beautifully presented, fit for an Instagram photo.
Equally, the decor with its blush pink banquet seating and gold light fittings is what young women with lots of eyelashes apparently call ‘bougie’. Those who know me at all might be surprised I had a ‘mocktail’. No, I’m neither knocked up or fresh out of rehab. Haute Dolci is, and always will be, a no alcohol establishment. Fair enough as this allows underage people to be admitted later on in the evening and also a proper going out place for those who, for whatever reason, don’t like to be around the inebriated. I once made a rather show of my self in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam after scoffing a large pistachio ice cream cone and even my then ‘four sheets to the wind’ boyfriend was taken aback, so too much sugar can come with its own humiliations. If the sugar fairy and a healthy cardiovascular system are your friends then Haute Dolci is for you.
St James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AD
Hautedolci.co.uk