No 3 Royal Terrace
This restaurant has ceased trading.
Calton Hill
- Food served: Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm
- Pre-theatre times: Mon–Sun 5.30–6.30pm (out by 7.30pm)
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 16
- Private dining: Up to 20 covers
- Also offers: Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Pre-theatre menu
- Music on stereo: Easy listening
- Capacity: 120–150
- Largest group: 120
- Open since: 2000
This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.
With the feel of a sophisticated hotel restaurant, No 3 Royal Terrace is in keeping with its prestigious address. A fantastic tiered 1960s chandelier catches your eye when you enter the main dining room, which has high corniced ceilings, an inviting open fire in winter, modern décor and an enchanting view of the back garden lit up at night. This is a red meat eater's paradise, and it is hard to resist the selection of fine steaks. Bearing this in mind, it's probably wise to start with something lighter, such as steamed mussels in a surprisingly subtle chilli and coconut broth. If you're in the mood for throwing caution to the wind, however, haggis in filo pastry sits beautifully on beetroot in a rich red wine jus. The steaks are excellent value for their quality and are cooked to order with great crunchy hand-cut chips and a choice of sauces, including wild mushroom and port. If this all seems a bit much, there are plenty of fishy alternatives, including a creamy scallop and king prawn duo in a delicate saffron and ginger sauce. After all this, you might struggle to fit in one of the desserts, which, perhaps for this reason, are not quite of the same high standard.
- High point: Meat, meat, meat
- Low point: Mediocre puddings
Comments
- 1. Chris, London – 22 July 2008, 7:11pmReport
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Once upon a time this was an outstanding place to eat. Sadly no more.
Edinburgh is home to one of the most progressive restaurant scenes in the UK so it beggars belief that an establishment that once sat comfortably at the top table of Edinburgh fine dining now wouldn't make it into the car park of half the city's restaurants.
Sold on nostalgia and the promise of outstanding steaks, four of us ventured in for Sunday lunch. We arrived to find the dining room empty and smothered by a surreal ambiance created by the classic but inappropriate melodies of Lionel Richie and Barry White.
Where once stood dark wood, crisp linen and heavy cutlery, now a lame tartan carpet, cheap gloss paint job and polyester waistcoated youngsters lingered to mimic the sad cliché of so many average hotel dining rooms north of the border.
We ordered quickly and were soon greeted with starters, including a soup that wasn't even on the menu (inexplicably, the advertised soup had run out but it was decided we didn’t need to know that). Everything was wonderfully average.
The mains followed briskly afterwards...and here’s where the real trouble started. A chicken and chorizo that would be happy at any dull corporate dinner was the highlight, the vaunted seafood duo was brimming with burnt crustaceans and incinerated potatoes and the steaks....
Well, for all I know they might have been two outstanding aged and reared pieces of beef. However, given that they had been scorched and charred by a chef who may as well have been cooking a pair of shoes it mattered not. What ended up if front of me tasted like coal covered in a (bad) peppercorn sauce. Enough was enough.
To the credit of the staff they agreed not to charge us for the £18 (!)steaks but we grabbed the bill and got the hell out before some new horror masquerading as 'traditional Scottish fare' could be foisted upon us. Without the charcoal, we still paid £80+ for the privilege (without wine).
Now this might have just been a bad day but I'll stick my neck out and say that this place hasn't got long for my money. It simply won't be able to survive if its Sunday dinning room is empty, its prices remain too high and its main strength is, in reality, an unmitigated disaster thanks to chef who would, on this showing, struggle to get a job at Burger King.
My heart goes out to the owners but in the end, this will be no bad thing. Under the right management and in this fantastic location, No 3 not only could be but should be a jewel in Edinburgh's culinary crown. Lets hope its only a matter of time before it rediscovers its sparkle - until then, do everyone a favour and avoid at all costs.
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