ONE of Scotland's leading chefs is to open a gastro-pub in Edinburgh.
Tom Kitchin, chef-patron of the Michelin-starred The Kitchin in Leith and regular MasterChef judge, will open the eaterie in Stockbridge in the spring.
The venture marks Kitchin's first move into the mid-market dining-out scene, and is in partnership with his lifelong friend and chef Dominic Jack, whose Castle Terrace restaurant in the city is part-owned by Kitchin and also has a Michelin star.
Kitchin's wife Michaela, who trained in management with the Savoy group and executive-managed top establishments Claridge's, The Connaught and the Berkeley in London, will oversee front of house with sommelier Philippe Nublat.
Locally sourced and seasonal ingredients will be prepared by a team of young chefs from both restaurants. Fish and chips and roast partridge, Scottish rhubarb and custard and other items are likely to be on the family-friendly menu, jointly devised by Kitchin and Jack to reflect their "nature to plate" philosophy. Kitchin described it as "honest food at affordable prices" – an ethos that captures the current zeitgeist of knowing where your food comes from in the wake of the horsemeat-in-burgers scandal.
He does not yet have a name for his new pub, less formal than his restaurants, which will open in the former San Marco Italian restaurant in St Mary's Place on Comely Bank Road.
He refuted the suggestion this was an admission fine dining is in difficulties during the recession. "Everyone wants to eat well and we want to present the opportunity of doing so on a variety of different occasions. We're simply trying to spread the joy," he said.
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