the rhubarb restaurant

we had to change our booking from thursday night to saturday night due to illness. the staff were excellent and accommodating. we had a fantastic night once again at this fabulous hotel. the ambiance in rhubarb is just perfect. my husband had the guineafowl and even though my fish dish was excellent i did have food envy. thank you prestonfield for making saturday our valentine's day.

rhubarb at prestonfield house possibly the fanciest place i’ve ever dined in. i went for dinner and tasted their three course meal. honestly, it’s not as what i expected. the flavour was just ok as well as the presentation.
in the otherside, the ambiance was great!

rhubarb is one of my favourite dining establishments in edinburgh; it's luxurious and opulent, but without any pretentiousness. located within the stunning prestonfield house hotel, the ambiance and decor are both incredible. the circular dining rooms are adorned with victorian style drapes, rich fabrics, and antiques, and the large windows provide views of the beautiful grounds and arthur's seat in the distance. 

i've been to rhubarb twice - once for dinner and once for afternoon tea - and both were fantastic experiences.

i sampled a three course dinner in october as part of the edinburgh restaurant festival. soup, hake, and a chocolate lava cake - all three courses were beautifully presented and delicious. we finished the meal with a cheese board, which was served in one of the drawing rooms on the upper level. four scottish cheeses, quince paste, truffled honey, and oatcakes - it was divine!

champagne afternoon tea was also delightful. it may not seem like a large amount of food, but my friend and i both left full and satisfied. there's an assortment of sandwiches, two savoury items, scones with clotted cream and jam, and various cakes and sweets. standouts include the fresh scones with home-made raspberry jam, goat cheese pastry, and chocolate passionfruit macaron. the champagne was lovely as well. 

the service is top-notch, and every staff member is friendly, welcoming, and helpful. 

i can't recommend rhubarb highly enough!

this place is spectacular! the location is stunning. countryside villa with dining rooms, details are incredible, service kind and elegant but not too much, even in jeans you can feel comfortable. the lounge rooms upstairs are my favourite part, feel s like going back in time. not cheap at all but worth every penny

i decided to book dinner at rhubarb for the edinburgh restaurant festival, for my boyfriend and i. the restaurant festival is a great chance to try fine dining restaurants at a discount price. rhubarb has an excellent reputation; james thomson has a few high class restaurants in edinburgh, because of this my expectations were very high.
i love prestonfield house, it is a beautiful building and perfect for a cold autumn/winter evening. the restaurant is filled with heavy drapes and warm, crimson colours. the service we received here was great, except we had to ask for the edinburgh restaurant festival menu, despite stating that was the menu we wanted when booking. also the menu that is published online for the edinburgh restaurant festival is different from the one we were given. luckily it was sill a great menu.
to start, i ordered the salmon, followed by the hake and finally, the chocolate dessert. i thoroughly enjoyed my entire meal, especially the chocolate desert, which was a chocolate molten lava cake. i would the best part is that i got all of this delicious food for £25. i was pleasantly surprised to find that rhubarb offer a 3 course menu for £35 out with the festival, which would definitely encourage me to go back. i would also go back for a special occasion, as it is a lovely setting with a very exclusive feel.

i was actually upstairs in what used to be the smoke room - nestled by the fire and under plaster cupids for afternoon tea (which included a cheeky gin and tonic).
the food was plentiful and pretty well faultless - delicious sandwiches, mini savoury bites, plain and fruit scones with jam and clotted cream and four lovely little cakes.
the tea itself was a little disappointing and i would say service was a little off (the door staff were lovely and attentive though). 
it wasn't all that practical having everything sit on a narrow, soft footstool (with our gin on the floor) though i suppose it added to the casual sumptuousness.
but it's the kind of place i could spend hours in given the chance - lounging on chairs curled up with wine and poking about the rooms, or perched outside in summer great gatsby-style with a cocktail. lookout for the sweet little nook off a stone turret stair which you can hire for two...

the rhubarb restaurant is absolutely lovely. the ambiance was perfect for a cold and snowy january. you definitely have to visit prestonfield to truly appreciate how magical it feels when you are there. 

we came for afternoon tea and being so hungry didn't think the beautiful selection which arrived would be enough for the two of us. about half way through, we realised there was definitely more than enough. there were small sandwiches, small bites and then amazing little desserts- small macaroons, small cheesecakes, fruit and plain scones with clotted cream and jam - the list goes on! the staff were so accommodating and friendly and frequently topped up our tea and coffees. 

the only reason i haven't given 5 stars to rhubarb is because i would have liked more savoury and less sweet options for the afternoon tea -  but this is a personal choice, other people may prefer more sweet options!

prepare to be transported to a place of indulgence, located in the grand setting of prestonfield house, where rhubarb wows from start to finish. pure decadence is reflected in the rich fabrics, evocative fragrances and delightful service - a definite date night winner.

prestonfield house is a five-star boutique hotel located in the prestonfield area of the city of edinburgh. about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the royal mile depending on traffic and nestled in the shadow of arthur's seat. luckily for me it is technically my local – shame! as tatler says it is 'triple a rated spoil me factor'!

it is part of the james thompson group of restaurants (owners of the fabulous witchery and the tower restaurants) and has been done up to a fine standard with themed rooms, antler furniture and velvet and chandeliers galore.

rhubarb? apparently sir alexander dick , one of prestonfields first owners was the first person to introduce rhubarb seeds to the uk after a trip to china. the plant was first planted in scotland at prestonfield in the 18th century and still grows there today in the garden.

the a la carte menu is equally grand, with my favourite starter - scallops, cauliflower puree and iberco ham, which the husband ordered and i had the duck liver parfait with grapefruit and pistachio bread.

they always have local produce and seasonal options we were tempted by tender slow-cooked lamb, smoked with rosemary and served with crisp sweetbreads, liver royale and buttermilk potato mousseline, and also by the chateaubriand which i am sure would have been awesome. in the end we chose the venison with winter vegetables and truffle and i had the hake which was served with wild mushrooms and lentils in a creamy sauce and crispy mussels. both really were excellent.

this is a unique experience, perfect for a special occasion, but the sumptuous surroundings can also be sampled with a reasonably priced table d'hote menu for only £35. even better a fantastic 3 course sunday dinner is only £18.95 think crab salad with micro herbs, roast rib of beef and the works with a chocolate pudding and a very reasonable ventoux on the house wine list at £24 – we have this every time! afternoon tea is also a great option at just £19.95 too in the decadent dining room or lounge a glass of fizz with it is a must!

the waiters at rhubarb, prestonfield’s exquisite restaurant just outside the heart of edinburgh’s centre, were consummate professionals and instead of allowing me the opportunity to fulfill some weird victorian fantasy of mine, they simply provided an outstanding dining experience from start to finish.

far too long..... really bad experience. took an hour between courses, on a sunday; we were the first to arrive and the last to leave - by no choice of our own. often no wait staff in the drawing room to ask about progress. it was a special occasion, and i had mentioned that when booking, but still that didn't speed up the service. i can't fault the food, but when dining somewhere like the rhubarb, it's about the whole experience, not just the food. i subsequently emailed the general manager and got an apology, but have now just spoken with a colleague who waited equally long for lunch yesterday. a very disappointing experience overall and i wouldn't go back.

as far as the basics go the hotel uses only the very best seasonal and wild ingredients to produce modern, seasonal, sustainable,scottish cuisine…just how i like my food , rich and luxurious with classic influences.the kitchen team hang all their own meat and game, buy fish whole to portion it perfectly themselves and also utilise an expert forager to supply the wild fungi, seaweed, berries and herbs.scallops come from guy grieve in mull, lobster from north berwick, strawberries from perthshire, glamis for asparagus, loch duart salmon, local free range eggs and organic vegetables…the list goes on and on.

starting with a little drink while warming our bones next to a roaring log fire, we chatted before being escorted through to our table. walking through the grand rooms, and past many nooks and crannies, everywhere you looked there were ornaments and curiosities. it gave me the feeling of being a guest at an eccentric lord’s hunting lodge, or perhaps the feeling of finding a completely different world like they do in the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.

champagne afternoon tea. my heart was racing at the prospect. look at the beauty of these cakes. i bet your mouth is watering. they were scrumptious, fruity and squashy and lovely and oh so good.


-----20 dec, 2010-----

petit fours. a lovely end to a superb christmas meal


-----20 dec, 2010-----

spiced carrot cake. moist, carroty and christmasy.
usually served with iced mascarpone lemon sherbert but here shown with mulled wine ripple ice cream served by special request


-----20 dec, 2010-----

valhrona manjari chocolate marquise, candied chestnuts and prunes with armagnac. delicious and light


-----20 dec, 2010-----

balvenie malt-washed howgate brie with golden raisin and caper bread and pear compote. again delicious. melt-in-the-mouth, malty and beautifully sweaty brie. it had obviously been allowed to warm to room temerature - it doesn't taste nearly as good straight out of the fridge.


-----20 dec, 2010-----

roast rump of beef with roast roots and savoy cabbage with hazlenuts and bacon. beautifully cooked beef - pink and tender


-----20 dec, 2010-----

pan-fried sea bass, lobster risotto with coconut and coriander dressing. a winning combination. first-class!


-----20 dec, 2010-----

duck with gingerbread stuffing, stir-fried sprouts, medjool dates and quince chutney. the duck was among the best i've tasted. excellent!


-----20 dec, 2010-----

home-smoked salmon: bavois, hot-smoked, tartar with beetroot and wasabi - beautifully presented. the salmon has to be the most beautiful salmon dish i've yet seen presented. and from comments from fellow diners it tasted as good as it looked.


-----20 dec, 2010-----

roast pheasant and ham hough terrine with cider apple jelly and pomegranate vinaigrette. had the roast pheasant and ham hough terrine with cider apple jelly and pomegranate vinaigrette. it was wonderful. i simply loved it! an imaginative dish in which the flavours worked beautifully. the apple jelly and pomegranate vinaigrette were both firsts for me. i'd like to do them again. a sweet (but not too sweet) complement to the pheasant and ham hough terrine. oooh salivating at the thought of this magnificent starter.

on a very snowy sunday afternoon just before christmas i went for champagne afternoon tea at prestonfield house hotel with six gorgeous girlfriends. what an afternoon it was! oooh super-fabulous doesn't really cover it. arriving in full snow-gear prestonfield was very busy so we were in rhubarb (the restaurant) rather than the tapestry room but it was wonderful there too. cheers! when the cakes and sandwiches arrived there was much excitement. mmmmn my heart was racing at the prospect. look at the beauty of these cakes. i bet your mouth is watering. they were scrumptious, fruity and squashy and lovely and oh so good. the close-up. oh it was so good! just in case you want a little more. more eye candy the ladies toilets also require some attention. you see at prestonfield the ladies toilets are exactly as ladies toilets should be. that is to say, padded and pink and floral with the essential chaise longue.

prestonfield has a reputation for luxury, opulence, decadence and indulgence. i've twice before, some years ago, and on both occasions food and service were exceptionally good. the hotel looks simple from the outside but inside is grand, sumptuous and elegant. at christmas it looks particularly wonderful . we entered along the main hall past 2 huge christmas trees sparkling with twinkly red lights and made our