SquareMeal Review
Silver Award
“Wonderful space… wonderful food” raves a fan of Timberyard. Housed in a shabby-chic timber warehouse and one-time theatrical props store, this restaurant is rightly proud of its enterprising approach to foraging, butchery, curing and growing your own, while the “delightful” owners also support Scottish producers, as well as stuffing their drinks list with “hidden gems” (including natural wines, floral cocktails and small-batch beers). Meals revolve around a choice of multi-course menus, with many dishes beautifully adorned with herbs and flowers from the Timberyard ‘patch’. Well-balanced small plates might range from mackerel, oyster, parsley, kohlrabi and horseradish to veal sweetbread with truffle, artichoke, sea purslane and hazelnut, while bigger items could include cod with white asparagus, capers, raisins and turnip or a combo of venison and beetroot bolstered by ramsons, juniper and onion. For dessert, sweet strawberries might appear alongside lemon verbena, sheep’s yoghurt and elderflower. Private dining takes place in an old brick shed and there’s a sought-after south-facing yard for alfresco meals, while “enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff” add the final gloss to this idiosyncratic Edinburgh destination.