Rhubarb

toptable Dining Awards 2007 - Winner: Best Ambience category

Minimalists and speed-eaters, avert your eyes. Rhubarb has arrived in all its opulent, theatrical, lingering glory. Set in twenty acres of gorgeous parkland yet a short drive from the Royal Mile, Rhubarb and its hotel home, Prestonfield, are the creation of James Thomson, who bought you the Witchery and Tower restaurants. A black-kilted porter escorts you to Rhubarb's two oval Regency dining rooms decorated in mad baroque splendour, with giant chandeliers, silk wall coverings, and ancestral portraits. The menu, created by chef John McMahon, uses classic techniques and modern inspiration to transform ingredients sourced from small artisan suppliers into sublime grub. Try starter of Gewurztraminer poached foie gras au tronchon with pickled cherries, main course of breast of Loue chicken on tarragon risotto, and top it with the signature assiette of rhubarb desserts. There are more than five hundred wines to choose from, and more than one hundred malts. Linger after your meal in the Leather or Tapestry room and let your senses swoon.