In an awards ceremony held on Monday 3 February, Edinburgh won The Good Food Guide’s prestigious accolade of “Most Exciting Food Destination.”
The notion of a “culinary award” conjures images of meticulously-presented tiny dishes made of exclusive ingredients at £300 a pop. However, for the 75 years it has been operating, The Good Food Guide has adopted a broader perspective on dining, ranging from Michelin stars to dive bars.
Inspectors use a scoring system to rate restaurants and give detailed reports on each experience, visiting anonymously to avoid any special treatment and in order to provide the most accurate information. With a reputation for reliable information, each year foodies eagerly await The Good Food Guide’s nominations.
Explaining their decision to rank Edinburgh as “Most Exciting Food Destination,” the body commented: “Every year, our coverage of Edinburgh’s dining scene ranks among the most-read content by our knowledgeable readers and this is the era in which the city is answering their voracious appetite for great restaurants at every level.”
Edinburgh triumphed against competition across the United Kingdom, chiefly from London and Bristol. Specific locations in Edinburgh were also shortlisted for certain categories, as detailed below.
Stuart Ralston’s Lyla was shortlisted for “Best New Restaurant.” Ralston already has three successful restaurants across Edinburgh: Aizle, Noto, and Tipo. Lyla opened with a specific focus on Scottish seafood in a tasting menu – a menu which cemented Ralston as one of the United Kingdom’s most innovative chefs.
Moving to Stockbridge, sister restaurants Timberyard and Montrose were shortlisted for the “Drinks List of the Year.” The Radford family, who run both, have stressed the importance of sourcing their ingredients from local, artisan suppliers to maintain a respect for nature.
Ironically set in the shell of a former bank, The Palmerston was shortlisted for “Best Value Set Menu.” The menu is constantly changing as a result of the restaurant’s drive to only use what local farmers have available that week, thus reducing excessive food miles and waste.
There are many more restaurants and food trucks which could be used to demonstrate the expansive culinary scene of Edinburgh. The available variety of cultural influences, price ranges, and dining atmospheres truly make the city worthy of its title as “Most Exciting Food Destination.”
Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash