the rhubarb restaurant

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. 

theserviceis 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,servicekind 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. theservicewe 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 sayservicewas 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...

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 delightfulservice- 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!

prestonfield has a reputation for luxury, opulence, decadence and indulgence. i've twice before, some years ago, and on both occasions food andservicewere 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

sumptuous and incredible. located in a very posh hotel, rhubarb is delicious and a very good value. upon arriving we chose to have a drink in the front parlor, which is very cozy - you feel like you're at someone's country estate (apparently the building used to be a private family home). at 30 pounds for 3 courses, the celebration menu was an insane bargain. my dining companion had the jerusalem artichoke soup to start, which was delicious; i also enjoyed my main of beef with liquid oxtail and some other accoutrements. the main dining group reminded me of the haunted mansion at disney world but was gorgeously decorated. overall, we loved it, only complaint was that theservicewas a bit uneven (waiting just a little too long for our aperitifs, a waitress who was not very attentive). still, i would absolutely recommend rhubarb for a special occasion or a romantic meal.

it's about the whole experience, not just the food.serviceis ok, food is high quality, the place is phenomenal! thumbs up!