Rafael's

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The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

Homely, unflashy and resolutely untrendy, chef and owner Rafael Torrubia’s eponymous restaurant has built a strong local following over his near-decade in business. Set in a cosy corner basement premises on the Water of Leith, the restaurant’s ambience might almost be described as kitsch: peach walls, trinket decorations, miniature guitars on the wall and soothing Spanish muzak in the background. Yet Torrubia deserves praise for perfecting the simple things. The daily-changing blackboard menu (set price only, at £22.50 for two courses and £26.50 for three plus a glass of wine) is explained at your table by the owner himself, and cooked with a perfectionist’s emphasis on quality rather than gimmickry. Starters might include a caldero de piscado mixto (a flaky and flavoursome blended fish stew) or a potage de judias medina Sahara (beans in a tomato sauce with spicy depth of flavour), while the main courses may feature pechuga de pollo (stuffed chicken breast with a well balanced sweet and sour white wine and pineapple sauce) or a delicately oven-roasted catfish fillet wrapped in smoked salmon.

• High point: Fine food, classic charm and one-to-one service
• Low point: Style may be a little retro for some