Restaurant Review

The Dome (The Grill Room). George Street, Edinburgh

After a morning taking in the sights of the Edinburgh Festival, my two companions and I were really looking forward to lunch, having resisted the temptation to snack all morning in anticipation of our feast.

We headed for The Dome in George St, (the building previously housed a bank). We were not disappointed; the grill room was a magnificent affair with chandeliers, domed ceiling, stained glass windows and a grand circular bar, central to the grill room. Vases of fresh flowers adorned the bar and the whole room had an air of opulence .

My starter of East coast mussels, cooked in sweet chilli and lemongrass, was lovely, spicy enough to be enjoyable and tasty, without overpowering the mussels. One of my companions ordered Haggis wrapped in filo pastry, with a whiskey sauce. She could not praise it enough (we all had to taste it, and agreed wholeheartedly)

My main course of beer-battered Haddock served with minted peas and thick cut chips was delicious but quite a hefty portion. I managed all of the Haddock, half of the batter and two chips. Had I eaten everything I would have felt uncomfortable, and I have a big appetite.

At this point, given what we had already consumed, it would have been wise to share one dessert between the three of us, but, we greedily shared three (the excuse being, it was too difficult to choose). I opted for apple pie and vanilla ice-cream, which was lovely, the walnuts in the pie worked really well. All of a sudden I didn’t want to share, but share I did and I’m so glad I did. The lemon tart was delicious and was topped with fresh raspberries. The chocolate fudge pudding was as light as a feather but still packed a chocolate punch. Everything was beautifully presented.

Service was impeccable, the Maître'D and waiting staff were very attentive but unobtrusive. They cleared the table, brought food, cleared plates, topped up water and wine and you hardly noticed they were there.

There was a children’s menu, wheelchair access and highchairs. The background music was pleasant, not too loud.

The portion size was my only gripe, had I eaten everything it would have ruined the overall enjoyment of the occasion, from a comfort point of view.

Total price for three courses with wine. £120. (Plus a discretionary 10% service charge)

Food 9/10

Service 10/10

Value for money 9/10 Total 28/30