- Best Restaurant in Scotland 2018, 2019 & 2021
With a longer name, a fresher look, and a new robata grill in the kitchen, some may wonder whether Roy Brett’s renowned Edinburgh restaurant is poised for a change in direction. But with a menu still rich with quality seafood, fish definitely remains the dish of the day at Ondine.
Edinburgh-born Brett has a CV that includes St James’s stalwart Le Caprice and Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, so it’s no surprise the quality of the fish and shellfish he serves is second to none. Fresh produce is sourced from various locations including the Shetlands and the south coast of England, but the bulk comes directly from Newhaven’s Welch Fishmongers.
Ever since the first spice boats docked in the port of Leith, the area’s food has been open to worldwide influences and that is the approach Ondine embraces in its menu with splashes of international flavours. The introduction of a robata grill has also seen the restaurant serve more meaty options, including Perthshire rib of beef.
Ondine was opened by Brett in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town in 2009, and has become something of an institution in the Scottish capital. A ‘proper seafood restaurant’ is how the chef describes his place, and it’s hard to argue with him.
