Rafael's

Deanhaugh Street, Edinburgh

visited 17/12/09

This is a neighbourhood restaurant of some friends of mine, and it was indeed neighbourly. It's in a small (but not dark) basement room in Stockbridge, tables not crowded together, proper linen, glasses and cutlery, and soon a general sense of pleasant anticipation arose. Rafael came out to run through the dishes (on a blackboard, they don't bother with menus) in a friendly fashion, which, if you like chatting about food as I do, is an added pleasure. I was expecting it all to be a bit more Spanish than it was--it's more generally European, simple and direct with good reductions rather than a lot of added flavours.

I started with lambs' kidneys--plump and perfectly tender (and with the ammonia removed for those who are anxious about such things). They came in a gravy with mash. I had to get my head round this as I had anticipated something a bit more Spanish (sherry, mustard, so forth) but they were perfectly cooked. Next I had a wonderful duck confit--a model of its kind, melting from the bone and free of fat. All dishes come with a bowl of plain, boiled vegetables, which is a bit uninspired and would not go down well in Spain--but Rafael's does seem to be aimed at the British Palate. We had some excellent Rioja from the slightly pricey wine list (the food isn't overpriced).

Rafael's is a generally soothing experience--comfy room, unobtrusive guitar soundtrack, friendly service, and food that's really satisfying without being very exciting. I will definitely come again when in the mood for this kind of treatment.