Notwithstanding a temporary delay in opening, he’s now presiding over this welcome addition to Edinburgh’s high-end and competitive seafood restaurant market.
Ondine’s incongruously bland, modern exterior looks rather unprepossessing, and somewhat eclipsed by the showy flash of fashion house Missoni’s haute couture hotel next door.
Ascend the stairs and you’re greeted by a scene of surprising industry and efficient bustle, with chefs stacking intricate seafood platters and shucking oysters in front of diners who’ve arranged themselves around the striking, horseshoe-shaped crustacean bar – its shellfish, regimentally laid out in glistening ice, immediately instilling an impression of impeccable, subsequently confirmed, freshness.
With 80 covers, including a private dining space with a porthole-shaped window into the kitchen, it’s a beautifully crisp, pristine dining environment of black, white and grey mosaics, with panoramic views around Victoria Street and over the Old Town, the only wall that’s not a vast expanse of plated glass dominated by a vibrantly colourful mural.
Although the emphasis is on fish, there are several non-seafood options, including a gratifyingly flaky potted rabbit terrine with piccalilli and sourdough bread, whipped goat’s cheese with pickled beetroot salad, grilled veal chop or rib-eye steak with Béarnaise sauce, the latter certainly tender enough, but ultimately as underwhelming as pricey steak in seafood restaurants can occasionally be.
In contrast, a hearty fish soup, in a huge bowl for repeat ladling, is unusually blended, thick and, a minor revelation, with a rouille adding a gentle spice to its orangey tang, and a nutty Gruyere available to further tinker with the depth of flavour.
Six Colchester oysters, meanwhile, smack satisfyingly of briny freshness and the cured salmon is equally delicious, although a visibly evident treacle glaze is curiously incognito to the taste buds.
An exquisitely cooked, unctuously buttery sea bass is outstanding enough to overlook the nondescript brown shrimp it arrives with, while a meaty, baked crab with Mull cheddar, served in its shell, delivers a simple but deliciously strong, herby aftertaste, ideally complemented by crisp pieces of walnut toast.
Stunningly presented on a spectacular mound of crushed ice, the £28 shellfish platter is everything a dedicated sea foodie could desire, sadly save for langoustines on the evening we dined, as the kitchen had temporarily run out. Nevertheless, there was still half a lobster, whelks and crab piled high upon winkles, clams and mussels, the most memorable elements proving to be the sweet, chewily succulent razor clams and a selection of Cumbrae, Carlingford and Colchester oysters, each disappearing like a fresh slap of ocean spray across the palate.
Catering for this Neptune’s banquet called for attentive service and the staff’s patient explanation of the various culinary instruments employed for eking the morsels out of their shells was greatly appreciated.
That said, we had to suffer a prolonged wait for our second wine order and ultimately cancelled it, long after a substitute bottle should have been offered when our initial selection proved impossible to locate.
Still, the projection of starched white formality softened around the edges by voluble warmth is decidedly well judged and echoes the tempering of this establishment’s clinically clean, monochrome decor with the sociable chatter at the bar.
Ondine
2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh 0131 226 1888
Style: Sleek, modern
Food: The freshest fish
Price: £137 for four two-course meals with a bottle of wine
Wheelchair access: Yes
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