A look inside Ottolenghi Edinburgh ahead of opening
The chef, author and restaurateur’s first Scottish restaurant will open in Edinburgh on Friday 2 October.
Twenty-four years after its first deli opened its doors in Notting Hill in London, Ottolenghi has headed to Scotland for the first time.
Opening on George Street on Friday, the new all-day dining room brings Ottolenghi’s famous vegetable-forward cooking to the capital.
The menu, created by Scottish-born executive head chef Neil Campbell, puts seasonal produce centre stage, reflecting the bold flavours, vibrant vegetables and generous sharing that have become the brand's signature.
Expect plenty of Scottish seafood on the menu, such as the mixed shellfish Jerusalem grill and East Coast langoustines grilled with fermented chilli butter.
The langoustines are supplied by Ochil at Crieff, with megrim sole coming from Glasgow’s John Vallance and lobster and smoked salmon from Welch Fishmonger at Newhaven — suppliers Neil got to know as a young chef at Ondine.
Vegetables and high-welfare meat come from The Free Company's no-dig market garden, while the crowdie, the star of the restaurant's baked cheesecakes, is made using Katy Rodger's Knockraich, one of Neil's favourite cheeses. Chocolate is from the Chocolate Tree in Dunbar, with mushrooms supplied by Clare at Rhyze Mushrooms at Lauriston Farm in the north west of Edinburgh.
The drinks list has been given equal consideration, with a selection of natural wines, an extensive whisky collection, including Ottolenghi × Woven Whisky Makers collaboration, blended in Leith – and a trio of house martinis available individually, or as a flight of minis with a selection of house-made pickles.
Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman last month, Mr Ottolenghi said: “I’ve been following Edinburgh and Scotland for quite a while and its flourishing of ingredients and cooking. It has been on the list for a long time (to open in Edinburgh) and Neil Campbell - who is our executive head chef, and who is in charge of the restaurants - he's from here. He grew up here. He's got a very strong connection to Scotland. He's got family here. He worked here in many restaurants over the years, and that connection meant that it felt very natural to do this. It was a combination of wanting to come here anyway, Neil and finding this great spot on George Street that just worked really well.”
For Mr Campbell, who grew up on the Isle of Skye and built his career in some of Scotland's leading kitchens before spending the last decade at Ottolenghi, the opening is a homecoming as much as a new chapter for the business. He said: “Coming back to Scotland to open Ottolenghi's first restaurant here is incredibly special. This is the food and landscape that shaped me as a chef, and it's a privilege to celebrate the ingredients I've always loved through the flavours and cooking style I've spent the last decade developing with the Ottolenghi team. I can't wait to welcome people through the doors.”
Alongside the restaurant, guests will be able to shop a selection of Ottolenghi pantry favourites, books and gifts.
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