Seadogs

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the 2011 edition.

With a chequered but often brilliant history in Edinburgh restaurants, David Ramsden’s headline-grabbing eateries are never dull. His newest venture Seadogs is no exception and here this seminal figure has come up trumps. Distressed chic best describes décor that is as far from the neighbouring Rose Street pubs as the bright, inventive seafood menu is from the microwaved fish and chips that plague many of those drinking dens. Fittingly, fish and chips star here with sustainable choices of haddock, hake, rainbow trout, whitebait and super-trendy coley on a main menu that also features a challenging Spanish-Scots crossover of paella made with barley instead of rice. Experiments like this might not suit every diner, but the mahi mahi with apple massala curry is a real triumph. Chicken cock-a-leekie is a heartwarming option for non-fish eaters and is as well executed as the assured desserts with ‘gaelic coffee cheesecake' a decadent crescendo. A sparkling, fun, and certainly most atypical Rose Street dining experience.

• High point: Creative cuisine served with lo-fi aplomb
• Low point: More experimental dishes don't always work