The story
Purslane sits on St. Stephen Street in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge, a neighbourhood known for its village feel. The restaurant describes itself as “casual fine dining” – a space where ambitious cooking meets a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. The approach is rooted in fresh, local produce, combined with a mix of old and new techniques and worldwide influences.
Head chef and owner Paul Gunning runs the kitchen. His career has taken him from London to Brittany and Australia, experience that informs the modern cuisine on the menu. The website notes that “regardless of what you decide to eat on the day, you’re guaranteed to be in good hands.”
The kitchen delivers “a large variety of freshly prepared dishes, delivering an intense, high quality of flavour with every mouthful.” The style is modern, with a focus on Scottish ingredients interpreted through global techniques. The Michelin Guide describes the food as “ambitious modern dishes which mix tried-and-tested flavours with modern techniques.” This is modern cuisine that respects tradition while looking outward.
Purslane has been recommended by the Michelin Guide, a mark of consistent quality. It was also named Scotland’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant at the 2015 Scottish Entertainment & Hospitality Awards, and has drawn praise from Scotland on Sunday (“One of the most enjoyable meals of my year!”) and The Telegraph (“Best fine-dining restaurants in Edinburgh”). The restaurant’s own website sums up the ethos simply: “It’s all about fresh local produce with a mix of old and new techniques using worldwide influences.”
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Sitting pretty in Edinburgh’s trendy Stockbridge district, this bijou, personally run restaurant plies its trade in a cosy but smart basement furnished in pleasantly informal, metropolitan style, complete with cushions, plants and prints. Dinner is a tasting menu of five or seven courses, where classic ideas are given savvy modern interpretations: roast pigeon breast might arrive in company with quinoa, beetroot, chicory and Granny Smith apple; salmon gets the elevated ballotine treatment; and there’s a complex assiette of lamb involving roast cannon, a boudin of sweetbreads, braised leg and sautéed lamb’s liver with all manner of accompaniments. After that, a pre-dessert heralds the likes of chocolate and raspberry mousse or rhubarb with apricot purée, vanilla-poached apricots, ginger bread and yoghurt sorbet. At lunchtime, you can pick from a smaller carte of simpler dishes such as smoked ham hock with white bean cassoulet or roast chicken breast with fondant potato and Vichy carrots. The wine list is a hand-picked selection of (mostly) organic bottles from vineyards and producers across the globe.
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