The Gardener’s Cottage
Have you ever noticed the building tucked away on London Road in Edinburgh and wondered what it is? If so, you’re in for a treat! Let me tell you all about The Gardener’s Cottage.
The Gardener’s Cottage is a restaurant that focuses on creating dishes using local and seasonal produce as well as ingredients grown in their very own garden. It’s very small and homely inside, decorated with the garden in mind as the name might suggest. There are two sides to the restaurant, both of which have two long tables that seat up to eight people. This means you may be sitting at the same table as another party if it’s busy enough.
At the time of writing this, they have just recently released their new summer menus. Their lunch menu costs £20pp and the dinner menu £40, although both with the option to add on extras such as cheese courses etc.
I arrived slightly early for my booking so instead of coming back the server allowed us to sit outside on one of their benches to enjoy a cocktail before we got started. The garden is beautiful so if you’re lucky and get some good weather then I highly recommend doing this. I ordered a gimlet and it certainly set the tone for how the meal would go down.
I was there to try their new summer set menu so once you’re sat down and comfortable with a lovely view of the kitchen, you will get the option to start with some oysters, despite this not showing on the menu. I didn’t take them so the first plate was brought out instead — a Dunbar crab tart with bronze fennel. This one-bite dish was a glorious start to the meal…I could have snapped up another good few if they were going because it was just that tasty.
The next dishes that arrived at the table were a classic plate of sourdough bread with butter alongside a ricotta, tomato shallot and lovage dish. The bread was lovely but other than that I don’t have too much to say. It takes a lot for a bread-and-butter dish to be memorable for me though!
However, the ricotta dish was something special. Paired with the bread to scoop it up too…wow! Two very simple plates for food that when eaten as one make for a very memorable course. What’s even more special, and was a running theme from start to finish, was each dish was finished with ingredients from the garden outside. A rare thing to come by in Edinburgh’s city centre!
My favourite courses of the whole meal were next on the agenda. Firstly, a hand-dived scallop plated beautifully in the shell with charred corn, green beans and a tasty sauce. This was then followed by the roe deer loin course, served with a sweet and tart plum sauce and barbequed carrots. A true match made in heaven!
This brings us to the end of the savoury and onto the sweet. And if you wish, now is your chance to add on a cheese course made up of I.J. Mellis cheeses, crackers and chutney.
For dessert, we had financier, a small French almond cake, in the shape of a madeleine. This sat atop a white chocolate mouse and was paired with a raspberry sorbet — summer in a dish. I can’t forget the rhubarb sauce and the garnish of mint…from the garden, of course!
Last up was a small miso caramel fudge coated in cocoa powder. A very small bite to finish the meal with but any bigger would have been sickly and overpowering.
Sitting next to the kitchen during this meal was an absolute treat. I love getting to see the plates being plated with care and precision as it makes every dish feel that little bit more special. And despite the food being nothing like what I would make for myself at home (not a great cook!), each plate of food served still gave off a feeling similar to dinners made by a family member when you’re only young.
One thing I do want to mention is that you are allowed to bring your own bottle of wine to The Gardener’s Cottage. However, there is a very steep corkage charge with prices starting at £25. The prices are as follows:
£25 – a bottle of wine
£35 – a bottle of sparkling or dessert wine
£45 – a magnum bottle of wine
£70 – a magnum bottle of champagne
Children under the age of 12 years are also not allowed to dine after 5 pm so please also keep this in mind. There is a step to get inside and not much room to move around so it’s not the most accessible place and they’re also able to cater for most dietary requirements (vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian) if you mention this at the time of booking.
The Gardener’s Cottage had such a stunning menu with food and an atmosphere to match the gorgeous, candle-lit venue. Perfect for special occasions or if you’re looking to treat yourself to a great meal without the price tag most other tasting menus have.
- The Gardener's Cottage
- Royal Terrace Gardens, 1 London Rd, Edinburgh EH7 5DX
- @thegardenerscottage
- Reservation required
- £45pp+
- Not fully accessible
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Thank you so much for this lovely review. We’ll need to have you back for next season’s menu!