Tried & Tasted: Galvin Brasserie de Luxe

It may have taken the astounding sum of £24 million to restore Edinburgh’s Caledonian hotel to its former glory, but it is money well spent, writes Colette Doyle. The property’s gleaming spaces are redolent of the sophistication and glamour of a bygone age and the hotel can rightly claim its place within the swish Waldorf Astoria portfolio.

In keeping with its upmarket aspirations, the Galvin Brasserie de Luxe effortlessly combines the best local produce with more than a nod to the Auld Alliance – the historic friendship between Scotland and France. Amid the congenial surroundings, you’ll find Loch Fyne haddock and Loch Duart salmon keeping company with such Gallic classics as Terrine Pressé and Vichyssoise (best not to try and pronounce that if you’ve overdone the house wine).

The dishes are presented with delightful little flourishes: my smoked salmon was topped with an alluring morsel of caviar. The Steak Tartare was expertly mixed to my exact specifications and needed no accompaniment, while my companion’s dish of sole was served à la Grenobloise – in a sauce of browned butter, capers, parsley and lemon.

If we’re sticking with the French terminology, then the pièce de resistance has to be the right description for the desserts. My Rum Baba was incredibly moist and made even moreish by the ministrations of the attentive maître d’, who kindly poured on another drop of the delicious liquor. Despite the ample portion, it didn’t deter me from sampling the other dessert on offer – a melt-in-the-mouth passion fruit soufflé.

The wine list, meanwhile, is helpfully categorised into different sections, with appellations that are amusing rather than alienating – Shellfish Heaven includes a Petit Chablis and The Spicy Bunch features a Côtes du Rhône and a Syrah.

Their tenure at The Caledonian is the first foray north of the border for the eponymous owners, Michelin-starred brothers Chris and Jeff, and on this showing the good denizens of Edinburgh should welcome them with open arms.

Prix fixe menu available at £15.50 for two courses and £18.50 for three; wines start at £26 a bottle.

The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2AB
thecaledonianedinburgh.com; 0131 222 8988