We’re finally taking our honeymoon, to coincide with our first anniversary, and fortunately/unfortunately the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (fun/expensive). Pescatarian-friendly, no tasting menus (I don’t like the loss of control), nothing too crazy-expensive but some fanciness okay because honeymoon. Partial to “only in Scotland” seafood and whiskey and cask ales.
I’ve read through the existing threads and now have on my radar The Scran and Scallie, Whiski Rooms, Teuchters Landing, The Bon Vivant, The Oyster Shed, Claymore Restaurant and the Stein Inn. Also EE-USK in Oban, if we can swing that.
Thanks in advance!
ETA And if you know of a way to navigate the offerings of the Fringe Festival, I’d be very grateful to learn of it. Even after slapping 87 filters on what’s available via the website, the choices are overwhelming.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
5
If your budget runs to it, I can thoroughly recommend Tom Kitchin’s flagship restaurant - The Kitchin. If the pockets are not that deep, then the Scran & Scallie might be regarded as “Kitchin Light”.
Unfortunately, my trip up to Inverness is too long ago to be any use for recommendations
It might! I read your glowing accounts of it. But the nose-bleed prices we’re paying for accommodations in Edinburgh are putting a bit of a crimp into our food money.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
7
If visiting the Royal Yacht is in your plans, then the Kitchin is literally just a few minutes stroll away, so could be good for lunch.
Looking fwd to your trip report. There’s a possible Edinburgh visit in our future, if a conference there should materialize for July of next year. My PIC was suggesting a 2-week stay in Scotland, which I vehemently vetoed.
That said, my dad took my sis and me to a fancy hotel in Nairn, which is close-ish to Inverness. Needless to say we took the boat tour on Loch Ness, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of the monster… but this was in the early 80s, so it’s probably dead by now
I remember visiting the battlefield of Culloden and several fancy castles, like Cawdor Castle.
It was decidedly not a food trip.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
9
It used to be a truism of Scottish cuisine that the country produces fantastic ingredients but doesnt know what to do with them, except deep fry. Much has changed in recent years.
We were recently talking about whether there is such a thing as common law marriage, like in the UK. A friend who broke up with her partner (and father of her son) after 15 years prompted the convo, and she said there was no such thing in MA. Now I wonder if it’s federal or state law
Ironically, my dad had unwittingly booked us into a super-fancy place (not sure how the price tag didn’t tip him off) for which we were decidedly underdressed and ill-prepared.
The breakfast cart alone was amazing (grapefruit & apples, anyone?), dinner was multi-course with several choices, and two dessert carts would be rolled to each table afterwards, with mocha & mints waiting in the coffee/tea salon.
I was 11 or 12 & def the ‘foodiest’ of our trio, and also the only one with a decent command of the language.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
14
Ah. This is tricky. Whilst most Brits would understand what they mean by a “common law marriage”, the phrase has no legal status and confers none of the benefits that a married couple, or a couple in a civil partnership, might enjoy. At least, that’s as I understand it.
I’ve only been to Inverness once for two nights. Our purpose for being there was a visit to our clan castle near Golspie and the airport had KLM flights to Amsterdam, our next stop. We stayed at The Waterside and ate our meals there as it was very cold, wet and windy and a long walk from the inn to most of the restaurants. The room was lovely with a view of the Ness and the food was good.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
16
Welcome to Edinburgh! And congrats! You are coming at the most chaotic time of the year but chaos can be fun LOL.
I’ve been vegan for 7 years so probably not a great source of seafood knowledge, and I haven’t done much upscale lately (though I’d suggest posh cocktails at either Harvey Nichols or Voodoo Rooms or both). I’d probably recommend afternoon tea at one of the posh hotels like the Caledonian or the Balmoral (£££ but truly an experience). The Sheep Heid Inn is now part of a chain but a good one and it’s the oldest pub in Edinburgh. Mum’s Comfort Food is yummy school dinner chic (sausages and mash, haggis and mash, mac and cheese etc.). And if you like Indian, I do love Mother India’s Cafe (their fish curries were lovely when I ate fish).
And if you want a list of Fringe acts I like, happy to oblige but with the caveat I have a weird sense of humour LOL. What dates are you here?
