Paul Kitching 21212

Paul Kitching doesn’t have his star for nothing. Yours is refined, beautiful food without — I should hasten to add — too much of the over-​the-​top stuff he was famous for when he ran Juniper in Altrincham half a decade or so ago.
The food — and accompanying wines (after too much indulgence elsewhere on our trip around Scotland, we decided to go easy and not take the full wine flight) — are a dream. This is Michelin-​starred cooking without the high-​strung frantic über-​fashion that you will sometimes find. It is refined fine dining to enjoy. Highly recommended!

Excellent meal. Every dish was carefully designed such that every bite was different and left you wondering what you were tasting. The starter — I had the «Shell Fish Shells — was perhaps a little over-​complicated as it came in two parts, but both the prawns and crab were impeccably prepared and fascinating to eat. The vegetarian soup was an absolute surprise in terms of the depth of flavors and variety of textures. The Guinea fowl in my main melted in my mouth while the duck bacon was inspired. The cheese plate was wonderful and I would have preferred to end the meal there and then instead of having a proper pudding. But there’s no need to quibble over a largely perfect meal. We also had the wine pairing, which was very well thought through. Kudos.

Picked 21 212 from a list of restaurants from travel guide after arriving in Edinburgh. It was not the highest rated place in the travel guide — just an entry about the food and cost. I called around 8:00pm to see if any reservations were available and they said yes, 9:00pm available for 2.
My daughter and I arrived on time and were seated promptly. It turned out to be one of the best meals I have had in a lifetime. The pictures of dishes do not do this justice. We selected the 3-​course menu, and my daughter and I ordered different dishes through-​out. Each dish was consisted of a melody of flavor and texture — all were excellent. We were never rushed and the service was outstanding. And the décor is fantastic as well!
The travel guide should have rated 21 212 as outstanding. The restaurant is small, so reservations are a must. If I travel back to Edinburgh, I would eat here again!

I’m sorry to say that the service level we experienced at 21 212 last evening didn’t do the food justice. The food was excellent (*****), but the service was not good (*), considering the price level of the establishment (££££).

Fantastic meal and excellent service. I was excited to try a Michelin star restaurant overseas. They were so nice even though we came in sopping wet from the rain! That would’ve been frowned upon at similar restaurants back home so we fully appreciated the kindness! Fav dishes were the smoked salmon, soup, halibut, cheese… so, mostly the entire meal. Went back a couple days later when they were closed to snap a pic outside… and met Paul Kitching! But we were so dumbfounded when he introduced himself we must have come off as idiots. Totally kicking ourselves we didn’t think to ask for a pic with him. Ah well…

Little concerned over the price but they have a set lunch menu for £22 pounds two courses and it was to die for! Highly recommend it and we even went as far as ordering the cheese plate as the service, food and ambience was 5 stars! Happy customer

I am a very very lucky girl. I was taken here as a surprise birthday treat for dinner and an overnight stay last weekend, I have a wonderful boyfriend I know.
Although I have done fine dining, this was my first michelin star dining experience, wow! It started with a bottle of champagne in the room. We stayed in room no. 21 on the top floor (there are only 4 rooms) which has beautiful views over the city and out towards the firth of forth. There’s quite a lot of stairs which was no problem for us but just in case anyone reading this struggles with stairs. The room has been decorated beautifully with a massive bed, luxurious shower room and a lovely sitting area with window seats that allow you to take in the amazing views. Only criticism would be that there was quite a lot of mirrors — I don’t usually like seeing so much of myself!
We got ready for dinner and headed down to the drawing room for a complimentary glass of champagne. As others have noted, the décor is a beautiful and understated boutique hotel. I loved the custom made carpets. They do seem to have a things for urns…
They only do 2 seatings in the evening — an early and a late one. We were on the late one. We were due to be seated at 930, and it was about 945 before we were taken down to the restaurant and, ironically, bumped into old friends in the restaurant who we stopped and talked to so it was about 10 before we ordered (our fault I know).
The menu is intriguing and dishes have names that aren’t immediately obvious as to what they are — so there is guess work involved! At the weekend, its a set 5 course menu with a choice for course 1 (starter), 3 (main) and 5 (dessert). I chose cauliflower cheese, steak and lemon tart.
I have never seen such beautiful and imaginative dishes. You can see through to the restaurant and there is a large team of chefs working — it’s amazing to see how they prepare dishes — each chef is responsible for a garnish on the dish and they all come together at once as its being plated. It reminds me of a closh!
The stand out for me was the steak for the main, absolutely amazing dish and beautifully presented. Sorry, I don’t do food photos so can’t show you how stunning it was!
Cheese was next and that was fabulous. Eight types of cheese so a great range and portion wasn’t too big. By the time dessert came I’m afraid it was late and we were both pretty full so we really struggled. Plus we’re not dessert people so I’m afraid wasted on us and we didn’t manage to finish.
By that time, too late for coffee so finished it off with a wee whisky in the drawing room. The whisky selection is ok but we’re whisky buffs so probably hard to please.
It was a truly stunning experience and I couldn’t fault the service, the food, the wine or the surroundings. The only downside was the lateness of it all but I guess that’s our fault for going for the late seating. It was about 12.30 by the time we finished dinner which is a bit late for us. In hindsight, I would go for the early one.
Although I would call this a once in a lifetime experience, I really hope it isn’t!

This has got to be one of thee least well known out of the very few michelin star restaurants in Edinburgh and I really don’t know why!!! It is set in a lovely big ol’ townhouse on Calton Terrace. The interior is understated elegance, which was a relief! Didn’t leave me thinking I was massively under-​dressed (silly, I know). We sat in the drawing room with a G&T whilst waiting for our table. Lovely surroundings but I was slightly underwhelmed by the Gin selection. Good. But not great.
We were then later sat. The dinner room stuck with understated elegance. Big windows infront of the kitchen are always a nice touch. I liked it.
I shall not recount every single little thing we ate. But I can tell you one thing — every morsel of food we had here… was… incredible. 5 courses of truly incredible food… with a couple of wee treats inbetween courses.
As you would expect. The portions are not massive. But we left feeling very satisfied but not uncomfortably full.
There is no better way to end the review. We recieved our bill — 2 years ago I would have been gobsmacked by the price of it. But… my response was, you know what, that is very reasonable considering it is without a doubt some of the best food I have ever eaten. And that makes it worth every penny. A great treat.

Part of my Christmas gift this year was being treated to dinner in a fancy restaurant — a gift I couldn’t wait to receive! We looked into several restaurants, but one in particular stood out, and that is 21 212.
The name is derived from the structure of the menu; for each of the five courses you either have 1 or 2 options. You have 2 options for your starter, 1 soup, 2 main courses, 1 cheese selection and 2 desserts. Simple!
The restaurant received a Michelin Star within 8 months of opening, and by looking on their website you’ll see the masses of other awards they have achieved… and with good reason!
It’s stunningly decorated — decorated like a boudoir almost. The walls are hidden by silky curtains and the chandelier in the centre of the room gives the room a patterned glow. The seats are a massive upholstered booth that stretches to the end of the room, adorned with cushions to break up seating spaces. When we arrived it was quiet — too quiet — and we were worried about being too loud. You can see the kitchen from the restaurant and the chefs are working away — quiet, intricate and composed. It busied up quickly and there was conversation in the air. I relaxed a bit then!
The staff are very attentive and so welcoming. I was having a chat with a lovely woman at the end… turned out to be the co-​owner! As well as warm, I found everyone very knowledgable and they gave us very clear breakdowns on the food we were being served, as there were several components to each dish.
We started with Beef a la Grecque — To describe this would be impossible. there were so many different element s to it! Slow cooked beef, ratatouille, parsnips, apricots and feta, egg omelette, Brazil nuts, cucumber and yoghurt, anchovy, garlic and rosemary. It was also served with a little tub of aubergine purée. I’m not going to even try to describe it because there are just no words. The beef was rare, thinly cut and just ridiculously tender. I was in awe eating this. Read the ingredients. Imagine them together. It was incredible!
The soup was a vegetable soup. This vegetable soup was unlike any soup I’ve ever tasted. It was delicious! It was formed over three layers: vegetable purée, a layer of vegetables and then peas pudding on top with a decorative froth. The portions are tiny, rightly so, but with the soup I genuinely wish there was at least double. The absolutely mouth watering flavour just blows you away and you feel addicted to it!
The main course was Trout, Cauliflower & Pasta with Smoked Cheese — Delicate, oven baked pink trout fillets, smoked pasta and cauliflower cheese bake, celery, sprouts, white cabbage and pak choi. Served with Dijon mustard mayonnaise, sesame seeds and pine nuts. I absolutely love cheese, especially smoked cheese and added to cauliflower and delicate, rare trout. Oh it was just lovely!
The cheeses served were: Old Winchester, Manchego, Clava, Abondance, Bleu d’Auvergne, Hansi, Langres, Sainte Maure, Ticklemore, Montenegro and Rocamadour. The waiter explained each cheese and it was really interesting to listen to. He knew and seemed interested in what he was talking about and gave us trivia about where and how each was made! The stack of biscuits and crackers gave variety and atop the stack was shortbread. If you’re like me and mouldy cheese isn’t your thing then you’ll love this: shortbread takes the taste away completely! Does everyone know this? I found it amazing!
Festive Egg Coconut Custard Nog was the dessert — Glazed festive egg custard, crushed shortbread, meringue, sultanas, nutmeg, golden pears and pecans, fresh mincemeat purée, yoghurt, coconut anglaise with a hint of rosemary.
The presentation of this was something I loved — the coloured pieces placed on top of the custard matched the restaurant logo. I found it cute. The shot glass contained a layered gathering of the nutmeg and yoghurt as mincemeat with the frothy topping, and the custard was served in the rectangle dish with a lovely crispy glaze. It was served with a collection of popcorn and orange zest.
I had an amazing experience here. The food was spectacular but the staff made it for me! I just LOVED everything about my meal here.
Please see the full review and photographs here:

I had an extraordinary dinner in this place. A great experience I would say.
Environment: Very elegant dinning room, tasty fabrics, original combinations, comfortable chairs. If you aloud me to say, the washing rooms were so nice decorated.
Staff: Always super kind, polite and professional. They looked like they enjoyed their job.
Food: Very nice combinations, balanced dishes in their taste and their presentation. Every ingredient served in our table found its good combination with the rest.
Wine: Was a joy to drink that wine together with the rest.
Dessert: A nice surprise.
Strongly recommended. Look forward to return here!

nichts, was hier noch zu verbessern wäre. Ist einen Pflichtbesuch wert, wenn man in Edinburgh ist.

This was my first Michelin star dining experience, and was everything that I’d been expecting: flashy foods that looked like Christmas decorations, attentive (not to mention patient) waiting staff, and glass after glass of very expensive wine.
We went along for a friend’s birthday, and it was a very nice day. The meal itself was quite nice but I wouldn’t say it’s the best thing I’ve eaten in Edinburgh. I think I need to explore Edinburgh’s other fine dining establishments before getting a really good picture of how this one measures up!

What can I say? The food, the feel, the service, all of it was phenomenal! They have a Michelin star so they could be pretentious or rude, better than you and not needing your service, but they weren’t, very welcoming and not stuffy in the least. You pay a good price but it is worth it (for me, a once a year kind of meal with my wife).
5 courses, small portions but they give you little snack things as you go that are included although not on the menu. Bottom line, the cheese plate was first class and all of the courses are as good as I’ve had. I eat out a lot, it’s actually part of my job, and this place was special.

We had an outstanding meal here and I would encourage anyone who wants to try a unique and original meal like they’ve never had before to run, not walk, here. I’m somewhat afraid it won’t be around. There was only one other couple for most of the time we were there (and a third table joined later on).
I hope it survives, though, because this was such a special meal, truly different. Every bite was sensational. Definitely worth a visit. Fast!

I live in a city with lots of great restaurants but 21 212 was the was the best dining experience I’ve had all year.
I had the 2-​course lunch there while on vacation in Edinburgh. Each course was structured so to create a different combination of flavors and textures with every bite.
Tasty and innovative cuisine. Gorgeous building and décor. Attentive service. Upscale ambience. Expensive but well worth the money. Go!!!

A relative newcomer to Edinburgh, this unusual restaurant earned a Michelin star in under one year, and deservedly so. The 21 212 name derives from the menu, which comprises 2 starters, 1 soup, 2 main courses, 1 cheese course, 2 desserts. At lunchtime you can go for just 2, 3, 4 or 5 courses. There is an extensive wine list, and there are several wines available by the glass also.
The food itself comes in some startling combinations which work very well together, and is beautifully presented in a most elegant dining room. The lunchtime portions were fairly small, but by the time you have worked through five courses, you are amply satisfied. The prices are high, but worth it for the quality experience. The house itself is a fine Edinburgh Georgian townhouse magnificently restored to add modernity without spoiling the classical proportions or features. They also have a few bedrooms for those who wish to indulge in a splendid dinner and not have to go home afterwards.
A place for a special treat rather than a routine eatery. Reservations are strongly recommended, as it gets booked up far ahead at popular times.