north bridge brasserie - the scotsman hotel

the brasserie has a formal restaurant and a bar/cafe area, given it was lunch we opted for the latter. the place looks like a former bank or office building hall with high ceilings, a spiral staircase and thebarin the middle...

impressive surroundings, delicious food. if you are looking for a really nice meal out, not too far from the high street, look no farther than the north bridge brasserie. offering a lunch, pre-theater and dinner menu as well as a wide selection of cocktails and other drinks at thebarthis place does it all and does it well. the food is fantastically prepared, reasonably portioned and beautifully presented by a team who are obviously proud of what they do. the wine list is ample and the cocktails at the trendy islandbarare lovely and unique costing no more than in similar bars on george street. the historic (while remaining open and airy) atmosphere of this high end restaraunt makes it a treat to visit time and time again.

a restaurant that lives up to it's surroundings. i freely admit that my first visit to nbb was prompted not by the menu, a review or a recommendation, but the building.
the restaurant sits in the old editing room of the scotsman newspaper building. with it's incredible high ceiling, the mezzanine level that hugs the wall in strip around the edge creating a series of intimate booths, the wrought iron spiral stair case, grand piano & islandbarthis is one brasserie that wears it's ambition on it sleeve.
after all that it would have been truly gutting if the food hadn't been up to scratch. fortunately they try to make the food as impressive as the surrounds. sticking to the classic french/scottish style so beloved in edinburgh, they barely put a foot wrong. by no means cheap, but equally not overpriced, this is an ideal spot of a romantic dinner in the city centre.