Le Cafe St Honore

A long-standing fixture on the Edinburgh scene, Café St Honore has a classic fin de siècle look & could have come straight from a canvas by Manet or Renoir. The cooking is in the hands of Neil Forbes – Scottish Chef of the Year 2011 – who used to be at Edinburgh’s late lamented Atrium restaurant. Ingredients are carefully sourced & the kitchen delivers sound renditions of classic dishes, including lunchtime favourites such as lamb’s sweetbreads in breadcrumbs with tartare sauce, Cornish sardines with crushed organic potatoes, basil oil, tomatoes & capers, & crème brûlée for dessert. The dinner menu adds a few more elaborate options & there’s also a short list of Café Classics – think free-range ham hock terrine with piccalilli, fish pie, Irish stew & desserts including crème fraîche mousse with English gooseberry compote. Decent French wines, with a good choice by the glass (from £5.10).