In the lovely seaside town of South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Orocco Pier Bar & Restaurant sits on the high street and backs onto some of the most impressive views of any restaurant in Scotland. When the scenery is this good, the high quality of the food served is a big bonus. The dining room was stylish, with quaint little booths with curtains for privacy and larger tables with stunning views out over the Forth and onto the bridges.

The menu looked very appealing, as did the cocktail menu! So after ordering a Cherry Blossom cocktail (probably one of the best cocktails we’ve had) we decided on one of the sharing boards to start. This came with a nice selection of cured meats and char grilled vegetables. The star of the show on the board however, was the Spanish black pudding. Rich, earthy flavours of black pudding were combined with chorizo sausage to make something that was truly delicious!

Langoustines are our new favourite thing right now, so when we seen them on the menu, they were a must order. As you would expect from a restaurant situated so close to the sea, the seafood here is excellent and these langoustines did not disappoint. They were sweet, juicy and the garlic butter they were served with was also delicious.

We also had Fillet of Beef with a Haggis Crust. The steak was cooked a perfect rare and was full of flavour. The haggis crust gave a real earthy flavour and added a nice bit of crunchy texture to the meat. The whisky sauce was lovely, I’d have liked a little more. The beef was served with a fondant potato which was buttery and full of flavour.

For dessert we had the Dark Chocolate Bar with Orange Sorbet. The chocolate was velvety and smooth and the sorbet cut through the richness really nicely.

We also had the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. The sponge was light and absorbed the sauce nicely. The ice cream provided the right contrast to the warm sponge and it wasn’t too sweet either.

Overall, Orocco Pier was an amazing place to enjoy some fantastic food. The service provided by Michael was also excellent and we will most certainly be back.

Orocco Pier
Location:  17 The High Street, South Queensferry
Price: Starters between £4-£8, Main Courses between £15-£30
Good for: Relaxed fine dining with spectacular views and amazing service.