Celebrated Scottish chef Tomás Gormley has opened the doors to Cardinal; an intimate, fine dining restaurant on Eyre Place, Edinburgh.
At Cardinal, Gormley and his team present their elevated take on modern Scottish dining, with a 13-course tasting menu served in the evening (priced at £110 per head), and a shorter, more concise offering for lunch available on Fridays and Saturdays from 5th April.
Each dish on the menu highlights the bounty of Scotland’s natural larder, with the team working closely with local suppliers and producers to celebrate the best of the seasons. Gormley takes a flavour-focussed approach to his menu, with particular attention given to fermenting and pickling, as well as ingredients cooked over flame on Cardinal’s bespoke wood fired barbecue.
Guests begin their meal with a selection of snacks including Oyster, Alexanders, Lake Garda olive oil; Belhaven crab, finger lime, miso, nori and an indulgent combination of Waffle, crème fraîche, fried chicken, N25 caviar. The menu then moves onto the likes of Wild sea bass, vin jaune, white asparagus; an earthy combination of Ibérico pork cheek, maitake, fermented girolle; and Cherry-smoked Belhaven lobster, pink fir potato, hollandaise, chive, presented in cherry wood bowls hand carved by Daniel Wester.
For dessert, diners can enjoy a selection of granitas, Neapolitan ice cream and a Rose and hibiscus pastille, followed by a Sea buckthorn ‘Jammy Dodger’ to round off the meal. The drinks offering has been curated by General Manager Ben Mansour, and features a natural-led wine list that focuses on European producers that use biodynamic and regenerative practices. A short, carefully-selected cocktail offering includes the Cardinal Sour, made with brandy, peach and citrus, and the Cinderella Rockefella (An ode to St. Stephen Street), featuring rye whiskey, amari and spiced honey. The soft drinks programme includes a 0% Boulevardier, and house-made sodas, including Rhubarb and Birch sap.
Cardinal sources its lobster and crab from Belhaven Lobsters; organic fruit and vegetables from Phantassie and The Free Company; poultry from St Brides; rare breed meat from MacDuff 1890 & the Free Company, and dairy products from Katie Rodger’s Artisan Dairy.
Inside the 24-cover restaurant, the dark and intimate space is painted pitch black, with modern, atmospheric lighting courtesy of a large Artemide dome lamp, creating an elegant yet convivial dining space. Tables are laid with stoneware from Samuel Sparrow, and artwork comes from Art In Healthcare, a charity which works across Scotland to bring art into community, health and social care settings.
Of the launch, Gormley said: “Cardinal gives me and the team an opportunity to showcase something we don’t think anyone in Scotland offers people yet. It’ll be fine dining for sure, but we want things to feel exciting and fun at the same time. Expect a lot of the same energy you experience at Skua, just in a longer, more detailed tasting menu format”
Cardinal
14 Eyre Place
Edinburgh
EH3 5EP
www.cardinal.scot
@cardinal.scot
Opening hours:
Wednesday to Saturday, 6-8pm
From 5th April:
Wednesday and Thursday, 6-8pm
Friday and Saturday, 12-1:45pm / 6-8pm
