Rhubarb

James Thomson is perhaps Edinburgh's most ambitious restaurateur (The Witchery, The Tower) so it was no surprise that when he acquired Prestonfield House Hotel, he gave it a sumptuous makeover, and re-opened it as simply Prestonfield in 2003. Reviews didn't rave so much as gush, enthusiastic about the way the original 17th-century Scots mansion had been turned into a kind of late-period-Stewart-meets-Gaultier interior design extravaganza. Its restaurant meanwhile, Rhubarb, aims at the same ambitious standards as Thomson's other establishments (seared Isle of Sky scallops to start; veal with foie gras and girolles as a main; rhubarb creme brulee for dessert) and there's quite a wine list too. The sheer multi-faceted sensual onslaught means that you come here for the whole experience rather than just the food.