The Kitchin

Michelin-starred Tom Kitchin is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s culinary heavyweights, a chef whose cooking is driven by pickings from the country’s regional growers, producers and fishermen. Fresh seasonal ingredients are his building blocks, and there’s real craft and complexity about the results on the plate: a terrine of monkfish liver, for example, is served with a carpaccio of octopus and fennel and lemon compote, while rabbit is subjected to ingenious but thoughtful treatment (the saddle is stuffed with spinach and presented alongside a nicely crisped leg and a ragoût of the kidneys). To conclude, desserts such as a délice of elderberries, praline and dark chocolate with elderberry sorbet are simply exquisite. The restaurant itself is a model of informality and restraint – part of a converted warehouse with bare tables, functional furnishings and a large window into the kitchen, allowing diners to see the chefs in action.