Cellar Door

George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

visited 16/10/10

The Cellar Door is the latest incarnation of a spacious but downstairs room, that, though well designed, can be gloomy. It has seen many restaurants come and go from the excellent l'Herbe to the OK Olive Branch. I've never seen it busy until tonight, a Friday. Yet, strangely, I thought this was the worst occupant to date. I started with smoked haddock fishcakes, a mushy, watery, pallid deep-fried version of this dish with only a fugitive hint of smoked haddock. I also tried a mushroom tart--the pastry too thin and hard and the mushrooms overwhelmed by feta. Next I had venison--a generous portion but a little dry and with an allegedly chocolate and beetroot sauce (neither flavour was apparent) that needed to be reduced and finished. This came with a potato cake that was too starchy and bready, and some cabbage (fine). The dish wasn't awful but it wasn't the rich, earthy combination it should have been. The wine list is good and the mark-up is fine.