Craig's Travel Journal Day 12: Friday, May 27

Friday, May 27

A quick breakfast in the hotel and we were soon dragging our luggage down the steep hill to the train station. A quick stop in the tickets office and were waited a bit for our train to board. Our 3-½ hour journey to Edinburgh was uneventful, arriving into the Scottish city in a mist.

We rolled our bags down Princes Street, catching views of the park and the Edinburgh Castle through a fog/low cloud cover before arriving at The Waldorf Astoria/The Caledonian, a grand old hotel that used to be the Caledonian Railroad Hotel once upon a time. 

Above and below: Edinburgh Castle in the fog.

Our hotel.

We found our room, unpacked a little bit, then went for a walk down Prince’s Street to look at some shops. We stopped for a quick (and late) lunch at Pret a Manger, making sure it was a light lunch as it was so late and our dinner reservations were rather early at 6:30.

Back to our room, got ready for dinner, then grabbed a cab to head near the bay to a redeveloped industrial area. The restaurant was called The Kitchin, and it’s a multi-star Michelin award winning restaurant of some renown. We arrived a few minutes late (we had trouble getting a taxi) but were taken quickly to our table.

Interior of The Kitchin.

The restaurant has a very nice interior design. There was an abundance of service staff who flitted about the restaurant, which Laura found a bit off-putting as it seemed very active and haphazard (my words, not hers). The server gave us each a map of Scotland, notated with the location of each element of the dishes we were to be served. The chef prides himself in his all-Scottish ingredients.

We each had a really nice cocktail and then a not-so-good amuse bouche that neither of us liked, but we were quick to forgive when our tasting menu began. Razor clams, scallops baked in their own shell sealed with butter and herbs by a pastry crust wrapped around the shell—so many good dishes each paired with wine and followed by a delectable dessert.

Housemade bread crisps of different sorts and a cream dipping sauce 

along with my very good cocktail.

The map of Scotland showing where that night's ingredients were acquired.

The amuse bouche we didn't care for. Carrots in a semi-sweet cream. Ick.

Incredible bread and housemade butter.

A confit of razor clams. This was incredible--and all edible (but the shell).

Scallops served in a scallop shell with butter and herbs. They used pastry dough to seal the shell and keep the moisture inside. Table side, they'd pry the shell apart, allowing you to eat from the inside, and break off pieces of the pastry to go with the scallops inside.

Langustine on top of fried, shredded pig's ear and a beautiful piece of pork beneath 

with endive and cumin.

Duck served three ways. 

An incredible first dessert. Sweet, thin biscotti with sweet cream on the side. A sorbet made from a local berry (I don't recall the name but it was absolutely delicious) on top of gooseberries.

A delicious soufflé and an herbal ice cream. Laura didn't like the ice cream.

Housemade petit fours, champagne toast.

Port (for Laura) and a dram of single malt Scottish whisky 

(with Scottish water on the side) for me.

A close-up of the dram and water.

 We moved to the bar so the next reservation could get our seat in the packed place to have our final wine and petit fours before we headed back to the hotel, full, happy, and sleepy.

We stopped at the bar at The Caledonian for a nightcap before turning in.