Bouzy Rouge

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

An impressive interior of floor-to-ceiling cream and green glazed tiles, scarlet banquettes, deep red carpets and white tablecloths lends this venue an Edwardian elegance and charm. Although it's lost 'Seafood & Grill' from its name (since the original Bouzy Rouge on Wellington Street closed), the restaurant still offers a good selection of Scottish fish and shellfish including an opulent, piled-high assiette of seafood. There is also a commitment to other home-grown produce such as Orkney cheese and Lewis haggis, together with distinct nods in a Mediterranean direction. A trio of Scottish puddings (black, white and haggis) with a cheese-flavoured sabayon makes for a substantial starter, as do soft scallops served in their shells with a sweet hollandaise and given a pleasant citrus tang from accompanying orange segments. Chunks of monkfish work well with roasted sweet vegetables and carrot crisps, but a thick teriyaki jus fails to hide the fact that the Gressingham duck breast has spent a little too long on the grill. The Blairgowrie berry and Drambuie trifle is fruity and sweet, while a creamy cranachan has a rounded sweetness – but both lack the promised alcoholic kicks.

• High point: Imposing setting
• Low point: Disappointing duck