Martin Wishart opened his restaurant in Edinburgh in February 1999. Since then he has opened three more restaurants and a cooking school but his first restaurant in Leith, Edinburgh, is his flagship.

Before opening his restaurant Martin worked at several renowned restaurants such as Restaurant Marco Pierre White, L’Ortolan and Le Gavroche. There he acquired his skills and technique which shows in his French style of cooking but with some unique twists. While the cooking is French, Martin uses seasonal Scottish ingredients as much as possible, but first and foremost is quality of ingredients.

Even though Martin is busy with other places, has written a book and working on a second, you will still find him in the kitchen during service working beside his experienced staff. You can taste from the flavourful and well-executed dishes that there is a lot of skill in their kitchen. Martin has a loyal high-performing team. His Head Chef Joe Taggart has been with him since the start and Head Pastry Chef Ricky Preston since 2003.

Even though the restaurant started in 1999 it has constantly developed, expanded and refurbished its interior into what is now a subdued and comfortable elegant interior. It is situated in Leith that once served as the port of Edinburgh but is now also a lively quaint harbour area.

The menus are constantly evolving and you have a choice of à la carte or three different tasting menus. There is a more classic tasting menu which will mix both shellfish and meat and where you can find dishes like local hare but also white Italian truffles when in season. Situated by the port there is also a fish and shellfish menu that has a stronger focus on local ingredients in season. It is not often you come across a pure vegetarian tasting menu as at Martin Wishart where you get to enjoy the same high level of fine dining for vegetarian food also. There are of course matching wine menus with predominantly a European selection and you also have a wide selection of wines by the bottle. The front of house staff is as professional and relaxed as the kitchen staff.

So if you are in Scotland and want to enjoy some fine dining at a high level when it comes to taste, execution and service, then Martin Wishart is the place to go.

Written by Joakim