Forth Floor at Harvey Nichols

There was much rejoicing in Edinburgh when it was announced that Harvey Nicks was coming, largely because that meant the store would not be going to Glasgow. The bar, brasserie & restaurant here never quite manage to hide the fact that you are in a department store. Fortunately the food & the views from the terrace make up for it. It’s hale & hearty stuff in the restaurant with red mullet escabeche & salt cod dumplings with mango salsa, & duck done three ways (roasted breast, rillettes of leg, & spring roll with seared foie gras) with juniper & aniseed sauce, while seared bluefin tuna with fine bean & mange tout salad, & chargrilled lemon & garlic chicken with polenta & provencale vegetables are typical brasserie dishes. The bar & brasserie can get quite lively on weekends & during the festival opening hours are extended, & they open on Sunday & Monday evenings, too.