Where to celebrate a birthday? A restaurant that celebrates food seemed a good idea. And we don't want to take chances, we want a restaurant that we can get excited about beforehand and know that it will deliver an amazing meal on the day. We've got some days free for short break and are willing to travel. In the end, it seemed a remarkably easy choice: Tom Kitchin's Leith restaurant 'The Kitchin'. Furthermore, learning that the 'Game Tasting Menu' was being served for the final few remaining days of the 2012/13 game season was all the more reason to make the pilgrimage to Edinburgh. We're thrilled we did, The Kitchin is a lovely restaurant, Tom Kitchin a remarkable chef and the food of courses sublime. Look below, see for yourself, this really felt like two star food; we were blown away.
For a restaurant delivering such seriously good food, The Kitchin nevertheless remains a place where you can relax. There are no white table cloths, no intimidating maitre d' (but bountiful Scottish hospitality) and no starchy dress code. What there was, however, was a room alive with chatter, the sound of people having a good time, people who are dressed in every style, suits to short sleeves and people who are comfortable. Yes it's Michelin, yes, it has been voted in the top three restaurants of Scotland, and yes, it has a famous chef, but The Kitchin remains a down to earth restaurant with only the food 'out of this world'.
We had chosen the game tasting menu well in advance for Chef Kitchin is well known for his talent in this area and when we cook game at home, his cookbook, from nature to plate is always kept close by for handy reference. Today, it would be a masterclass. A jellied pheasant consomme starts us off, as clear as the lochs of Scotland and almost as pretty, helped by the sun coming out for the first time in a week, allowing the dish to literally dazzle at the table. The tartare of venison with game terrine that follows is another luminescent plate with citrus orange more prevalent than the advertised red currant jelly, but it is expertly judged and the balance of the plate is exceptional, something that is a recurring theme of the meal.
Next up, a pithivier is a perfectly delicious parcel of game, though despite the nod to a smaller portion, this remains a mighty offering on a tasting menu. A classic follows: woodcock. As is traditional, the whole bird is utilised and the open head offers up a morsel of the sweeter tasting brain. An intestine pate on toast delivers intense flavour but again, nothing throughout the entire meal is 'too gamey' and we might reasonably guess that people who ordinarily shy away from game would have their eyes opened by this menu that shows just how accessible game can be when expertly done. Also here, the leek terrine is so stunning in its artistry that taking a knife and fork to it seems almost wrong.
Often underutilised, roasted teal proves to be the 'surprise' dish of the day, possibly due to the endive tatin on which the breast sits. The teal leg, falling off the bone, is served with a sticky sweet glaze and the sweet tatin, making a guest appearance alongside that, is an eye opening yet mouth watering revelation. We finish the hot savouries with hare a la Royale which is a rich dish challenge after all that we've eaten but despite its depth, there's balance and measure here and we both cross the game finish line before cleaning up with a sea buckthorn sorbet. Rhubarb cheesecake closes.
This is the first game tasting menu to appear on the blog and our high hopes and excitement ahead of visiting The Kitchin were amply rewarded in a stunning and unique meal that emphasises both the quality of Scottish produce and the brilliance of vision by Tom Kitchin. By the time you're reading this post, the game menu is likely to have finished, until it returns again much later in the year, but we have no doubt that whatever menu is featured, it will provide you with plenty to look forward to ahead of the visit and plenty of talk about after. We loved our time at The Kitchin, for it is truly a world class restaurant, and for a way to spend my birthday, well, there was no other restaurant in the country in which we would have rather been.
For a restaurant delivering such seriously good food, The Kitchin nevertheless remains a place where you can relax. There are no white table cloths, no intimidating maitre d' (but bountiful Scottish hospitality) and no starchy dress code. What there was, however, was a room alive with chatter, the sound of people having a good time, people who are dressed in every style, suits to short sleeves and people who are comfortable. Yes it's Michelin, yes, it has been voted in the top three restaurants of Scotland, and yes, it has a famous chef, but The Kitchin remains a down to earth restaurant with only the food 'out of this world'.
We had chosen the game tasting menu well in advance for Chef Kitchin is well known for his talent in this area and when we cook game at home, his cookbook, from nature to plate is always kept close by for handy reference. Today, it would be a masterclass. A jellied pheasant consomme starts us off, as clear as the lochs of Scotland and almost as pretty, helped by the sun coming out for the first time in a week, allowing the dish to literally dazzle at the table. The tartare of venison with game terrine that follows is another luminescent plate with citrus orange more prevalent than the advertised red currant jelly, but it is expertly judged and the balance of the plate is exceptional, something that is a recurring theme of the meal.
Next up, a pithivier is a perfectly delicious parcel of game, though despite the nod to a smaller portion, this remains a mighty offering on a tasting menu. A classic follows: woodcock. As is traditional, the whole bird is utilised and the open head offers up a morsel of the sweeter tasting brain. An intestine pate on toast delivers intense flavour but again, nothing throughout the entire meal is 'too gamey' and we might reasonably guess that people who ordinarily shy away from game would have their eyes opened by this menu that shows just how accessible game can be when expertly done. Also here, the leek terrine is so stunning in its artistry that taking a knife and fork to it seems almost wrong.
Often underutilised, roasted teal proves to be the 'surprise' dish of the day, possibly due to the endive tatin on which the breast sits. The teal leg, falling off the bone, is served with a sticky sweet glaze and the sweet tatin, making a guest appearance alongside that, is an eye opening yet mouth watering revelation. We finish the hot savouries with hare a la Royale which is a rich dish challenge after all that we've eaten but despite its depth, there's balance and measure here and we both cross the game finish line before cleaning up with a sea buckthorn sorbet. Rhubarb cheesecake closes.
This is the first game tasting menu to appear on the blog and our high hopes and excitement ahead of visiting The Kitchin were amply rewarded in a stunning and unique meal that emphasises both the quality of Scottish produce and the brilliance of vision by Tom Kitchin. By the time you're reading this post, the game menu is likely to have finished, until it returns again much later in the year, but we have no doubt that whatever menu is featured, it will provide you with plenty to look forward to ahead of the visit and plenty of talk about after. We loved our time at The Kitchin, for it is truly a world class restaurant, and for a way to spend my birthday, well, there was no other restaurant in the country in which we would have rather been.
the dining room
Jellied pheasant consomme served with a celeriac cream and bacon
Tartare of venison from Humbie served with a game terrine and red current jelly
Game pithivier served with apple, quince and grapes
Woodcock from the Borders served with Jerusalem artichoke and a pressed leek terrine
Reoasted teal from Blackford Estate served with spinach, beetroot and an endive tatin
Wild hare from Humbie cooked a la Royale served with salsify, pumpkin and gnocchi
Sea buckthorn sorbet
Yorkshire forced rhubarb cheesecake served with a rhubarb and blood orange consomme
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