WHAT’S claimed to be the first ever restaurant on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill has opened its doors.
Built on a cantilever so the outlet is partially suspended over the hill, The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage offers “breathtaking views” across the city and Firth of Forth.
The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage – the third Edinburgh outlet from chef director Dale Mailley, who opened The Gardener’s Cottage in 2012 and Quay Commons bakery in 2017 – is open five days a week offering “inventive seasonal dishes”, such as cured sea trout with scurvy grass, malted rabbit and hare yakitori; and halibut with cauliflower and sea purslane, salt baked turnip and walnuts.
Mailley said the new restaurant – a partnership with Collective, the organisation that has redeveloped the City Observatory site on Calton Hill into a new home for contemporary art – offers an “approachable, relaxed dining experience”.
“We developed the menu to reflect the location, keeping everything simple so as not to compete with the views – focusing on simple, earthy ingredients that release a spectrum of good, natural flavours,” said Mailley.
