Having waited for an age to visit Ondine, I ended up visiting twice in a few weeks! Which is just well, because on our first visit we both had the same for main and dessert and I didn’t really feel I got to taste or see a good selection of the menu – that was rectified at their Taste of Spring lunch.

Here’s a look at what you can expect from Ondine, one of Edinburgh (and Scotland’s) most well respected seafood restaurants.

Where is it? Well blink and you’ll miss it because it occupies a second floor spot next door to the G & V Hotel, just off the High Street (also known as the Royal Mile). A perfectly central location within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, the Grassmarket, and the Festival Theatre.

Prior to the lunch I’d been at a Tales of the Cocktail event where I’d drank an entire cocktail flight. The Gougéres – savoury choux pastry with cheese – were very welcome. In fact, I had to be very grown up about not scoffing everyone else’s!

The Oysters were a surprise not on the menu. As you can see, we had one served raw and the other deep fried in breadcrumb. I must admit I passed on the raw one, but very much enjoyed the crispy one – my advice – if you’re working up to raw oysters, definitely try the cooked ones as I really enjoyed it.

Langoustines are probably my favourite seafood, the single Skye Langoustine was served with a Wild Garlic Mayonnaise (pictured at the top). During our other visit, we’d both ordered a platter of langoustines to ourself, a bit greedy perhaps, but it was a Christmas present. This is how they arrived (above)..there’s nothing tidy about getting through this lot – it was a case of roll up your sleeves and keep the dip bowl close by!

Wye Valley Asparagus which is perfectly in season at the moment was served with quail’s egg and hollandaise. People bang on about the simple things being the best, but it’s so true. If something’s in season – cook it well, season it well, and pick one or two things to complement it – job done. Everything at Ondine seems to adhere to this, there’s nothing complex about the food, it’s simplicity at its best (which in itself is not an easy thing to achieve).

The main of North Sea Cod saw some more of that delicious asparagus, this time in a breadcrumb coating, something I hadn’t seen done before, but worked really well offering the crisp texture the dish needed. The fish was complemented with a Romanesco sauce.

Dessert was a well presented Lemon Meringue Mille Feuille – the desserts at Ondine don’t disappoint. They seem to focus on classics, and you can tell the pastry is produced by a well trained chef. The Treacle Tart we had on our previous visit was just as good.

Great seafood in smart surroundings, if you want to spoil yourself, Ondine is the place to go.

Ondine
Location: 2 George IV Bridge
Price: Mains £17-£44
Good for: Oysters and seafood