The Little Chartroom

First time here for lunch on a Saturday. Lovely vibe in the small dining room with a view into the calm open kitchen. Background music helped create a good ambience although my dining companion, who is slightly hard of hearing, found it a little too loud. The short 3 choices for each of 3 courses is highly original placing ingredients rarely seen on menus at the heart. A venison carpaccio with tiny crispy crunch capers and buckwheat flakes was a triumph, accompanied by blobs of egg yolk and micro herbs. A hispi cabbage starter was equally successful and compelling, with an exquisite cheese foam topping some fermented grains and a yogurt sauce. The main course of fillet of hare with a filo-pastry encrusted homemade hare boudin, deep fried, and served with a deep, rich jus, some creamed celeriac and a slightly underbaked candied celeriac slice was also excellent. Very imaginative in design and extremely well executed. Desserts came with perfectly matched dessert wines. The bay leaf infused crème caramel was absolutely spot on; wonderful texture of smooth deliciousness; the bay did not dominate, in fact it was so subtle it was barely there. The accompanying deep fried doughnut was amazing. The orange-infused cranberries were good but perhaps slightly overwhelmed the crème. The rice pudding dish was served warm, with some chopped fig and diced stem candied ginger, with a ginger ice cream on the top. Although this was the dish I had most anticipated, it fell a little short of expectations and didn’t have quite the ‘wow’ factor of all the other dishes. Service was first class. Exemplary in every way. Would strongly recommend and will definitely return.

Probably being Controversial here but just can’t agree with the high number of five star reviews . The meal tonight was decidedly average. Treacle bread was heavy and difficult to eat. The ravioli was cold and totally undercooked, The saving grace was the venison, perfectly cooked. I question the portion sizes, as what accompanied the mains could have sat on a tablespoon, tiny bits of purée and veg placed around the plate accompanied by jus/reduction which was good Sweets were ok with the crème caramel for me set to hard and very cold with the accompanying doughnut being quite tasteless. Possibly an off night in the kitchen but no excuse really for not checking the pasta before allowing it out of the kitchen. Staff were lovely and really friendly and engaging but the food, in my opinion tonight, just didn’t live up to the previous five star reviews

This restuarant is quite simply phenomenal. Second visit in recent months. Warm and engaging welcome from front of house team before enjoying the most wnderful elevated cooking in comparison to many other still great restaurants. Love, love love.

The restaurant was buzzing on arrival, we arrived a little early but were warmly welcomed and shown to our table. I had to change seats with my wife as the seat I was on dug into the back of my legs but was perfectly comfortable for her. We quickly settled and focused on our choices. We opted for the 5 course taster menu. The food was delicious, and our recommended wine excellent. The venison starter and cheese tart stood out for us and we loved the cheese course rather than a standard board. Overall we were very impressed and look forward to returning to what is clearly a very popular destination.

I have been wanting to dine here for a while, but as an irregular visitor to Edinburgh getting a reservation has, until now, proved impossible. It was worth the wait. The food is imaginative, with a strong emphasis on Scottish produce, and the execution was absolutely on point. The young staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and the minimalist decor to my taste. My only (very minor) complaint was that the extraction system in the open kitchen didn't quite do its job, and there was a smell from the small deep fat fryer they use. We have in the past visited The Kitchin quite a few times, and I would say this is on a par for the quality of food, but in a smaller, more relaxed environment. Leith is firmly establishing itself as a culinary hotspot: long may it continue.