This is not in Glasgow, but if you fancy a wee jaunt to our neighbouring city of Edinburgh then Ondine is well worth a visit. Situated on George IV Bridge in the heart of the city centre, just off the Royal Mile, Ondine is a luxurious, modern, swanky pants type Seafood restaurant which delivers on both style and substance. The type well suited for good ‘auld celebration.
My mum, and now step-father, had finally tied the knot (after 20 odd years) at the local registry office just across the road, so there was plenty reason for celebration. The wedding was a discreet affair with only my brother and I in attendance. The happily married couple were even happier (I’m sure) to treat the two of us and our companions to an indulgent and epicurean lunchtime feast to continue on the celebration.
Ondine is run by award winning chef Roy Brett. Chef Brett spent his early career under Rick Stein and this seems to have had a heavy influence on his passion for seafood. There is an abundence of fresh and creative sounding seafood dishes on the seasonal menus available. Awards for the restaurant include “Seafood Restaurant of the Year ” at the Scottish Restaurant Awards.
Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted with a display of fresh crustaceans in a small cabinet, sitting on ice, looking up at you, and saying “eat me. eat me now” – well don’t mind if I do! The décor is what you would expect of a “fine-dining” establishment like this. However, although minimalist, modern and pristine, it is bright and has very nice views of Victoria Street and George IV Bridge. The staff were also very welcoming and friendly.
In true hedonistic style, we started with a sharing platter of oysters (obviously not to everyone’s taste). These were brilliantly fresh and served with a home-made shallot vinegar which added the needed acidity and sweetness to make a wonderful raw, seafoody, mucousy, vinegary explosion of flavour and texture. You got to love it! We were given 3 different types of oysters (don’t ask me to remember what they were), each with a subtly different flavour. Alongside the oysters we were also given some smoky chorizo which was very nice, but not sure if you were meant to eat with the oysters or after.
For my starter (yes, the oysters were just a pre-starter darling), I chose Salt and Pepper Squid with Dipping Sauce. These were crisp, light, perfectly cooked and well seasoned. They were also very very more-ish! Anna (my girlfriend) chose the mussels which provided all you would want from a pot of mussels and more; rich, creamy, well cooked and altogether delicious.
For the main, I chose to be a bit adventurous and order the Steak Tartare with Chips and a Seasonal Salad. I think this would have been better suited as a smaller portioned starter as there was quite a lot to get through as a main course. Saying this, the beef was very good quality and was completed with a perfectly zingy seasoning of mustard, capers and the like. The chips were very good chips.
I had the Salted Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Crème Fraîch to finish. The mousse was light and there was a little surprise in the middle when a toffee like sauce started oozing out. Very nice!
I was not paying the bill (thankfully), but there did seem to be plenty choice for varying budgets. £8.50 – £10.50 for a starter, £12.50 – £32 for a main and around £6.50 for a dessert. A tray of 6 Oysters will set you back £16.50 (or £2.75 for a single) or if you would like something from the Crustacian bar you would be looking at £14.40 – £38 for a sharing platter for two.
For those on a tighter budget (or those who are not being treated by one of their parents), there is a very reasonably priced lunch-time/pre-theatre menu. This features some scaled down versions of dishes from the main menu and plenty to satisfy the adventurous diner. The lunch-time/pre-theatre menu runs from 12pm – 3pm, 5.30pm – 6.30pm. 2 Courses for £16.95 or 3 Courses for £19.95, but I heavily recommend sampling an Oyster or two on the side!!
This was my second visit to Ondine and once again an incredibly enjoyable eating experience. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for some very good quality food with a little bit of extravagance thrown in on the side
Ondine
2 George IV Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1AD
Telephone: 0131 226 1888
Opening Hours: 7 Days: 12pm – 3pm & 5:30pm – 10pm.
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