Chef Brian Grigor’s inspiration for eòrna, a Michelin‑recommended fine-dining spot in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge, stemmed from a simple yet ambitious idea.
What if a restaurant could be run by just two people, inviting a limited number of guests through their door each evening for a dining experience unlike anywhere else in Scotland?
The foundations were laid years earlier at the Balmoral Hotel, where Grigor and sommelier Glen Montgomery first worked together at Number One, developing a close working relationship and a shared love of classical cuisine and wines.
Aware that their similar outlook on hospitality could translate into a shared venture at eòrna, it was this former colleague that Grigor approached with the concept.
“Glen and I always enjoyed working together, so I gave him a phone call to talk about the idea for a business where we would have full creative freedom,” he recalls.
“We started to think about what a small restaurant with no staff might look like, and a chef’s table seemed to be the obvious choice because you could cook and serve at the same time.
“Those initial conversations were all about how far we could simplify the restaurant, and that became the building block for eòrna.”
Just over three years on from opening on Hamilton Place, eòrna remains reassuringly faithful to the team of two’s original vision.
An elongated counter with space for only 12 diners gently curves around Grigor’s kitchen, placing them just metres away from where he creates his multi‑course menu.
From the locally sourced ingredients prepped as he goes, to the paired drinks selected and poured by Montgomery throughout the meal, questions are always encouraged, creating an atmosphere that’s even more intimate than your standard chef’s table set‑up.
“We’re a truly, one chef, one sommelier operation which means there is nothing we can’t answer, because we have done everything ourselves,” Grigor explains.
“That was born out of this idea of prioritising efficiency, and keeping things as streamlined as possible with just the two of us,” Montgomery adds.
“It then transpired that there were all these extra benefits to this which we hadn’t predicted.
“Our guests are here for four hours, which sounds like a really long time, but when you have those same two people in front of you the whole evening it allows you to go beyond the bones of basic service and open up real human conversation.
“It feels a lot more natural as opposed to just saying I’m here to put your cutlery down or fill your water before leaving, and that creates a different tone to a more traditional restaurant.”
At a time when pressures facing the hospitality industry – from rising costs to staffing shortages – are widely reported, and many big‑name restaurants choose to pivot away from fine dining, the team at eòrna believe that consistency is the key to their continued success.
In practice, that means a single omnivorous tasting menu served to all 12 guests at once, with no substitutions or tweaks, every evening between Tuesday and Saturday.
“Our philosophy is not to follow any trends,” Grigor says.
“We’ve kept our menu pricing fairly consistent because we don’t want the experience to become unattainable for people.
“We don’t offer different versions of the menu or change the costs at the weekends, which we don’t agree with.
“There’s no question it’s a tough time for the industry, but we like to think that great restaurants will always survive.
“Sometimes, that means learning to adapt, and other times it means being really solid in your foundations and trying to cultivate your own audience.
“We’re confident about what we do and don’t want that to be affected by the ebbs and flows of the world outside it.
“To an extent, there’s no avoiding it, but we’re at least in a position that we’re not concerned with staffing, which for a lot of restaurants can be the final nail in the coffin with bills rising elsewhere.”
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While stripping a business back to operate with minimal manpower may seem an obvious cost-saving measure on paper, Montgomery is quick to clarify that the reality is more complicated.
“It’s only because of the length of time we’ve both been doing this and the experience we both have that we’re able to get away with it,” he says.
“It seems like such an obvious idea to just cut away the fat and streamline the operation, but the reason that is possible is because we’ve both done every job on the way up to where we are now.
“We manage our own website, we do the cleaning, Brian washes every pot and pan himself and I do all the plates and glasses. In this business, people always say that you should respect your Kitchen Porter, and you really understand why when you’re doing that all yourself.
“We’re lucky to have the background that allows us to do that, because on one hand it seems like an obvious business model, but it’s been a long journey to get here.”
It’s this well-established partnership and a shared faith in their restaurant concept that allows Grigor and Montgomery to work perfectly in sync, running the kitchen on their own terms with a seasonal menu that is always evolving.
“We’re pretty much full every night which is good, because it allows us to buy everything we need fresh and know that by Saturday night we’ll have nothing left in the fridge and be able to start again come Tuesday with very little waste,” Grigor says.
“Maintaining a close relationship with suppliers also means we can share small details, like the name of the boat which landed the lobsters or the breed of the cow used for the beef, with our guests during service.
“It shows that there’s a reason for every single thing that is included on the menu.”
This approach appeals not just to international visitors eager to experience the best of Scottish produce in the capital city, but to Stockbridge locals who recognise eòrna as one of the neighbourhood’s standout restaurants.
“I’m a big believer in word‑of‑mouth recommendations, and there’s still evidence of that every night when we talk to guests,” Montgomery says.
“It’s quite heartening to have people come in and say I live five minutes’ walk away and can’t believe this is here.
“That sort of slow, snowball effect seems to still be working for us after three years, and the aim is to keep it going.
“The bones of what we’re doing have not changed since that very first night.
“We’ve just got to know the space better, understand what we can deliver, and try to make it a little bit better every day.”
eòrna is located at 68 Hamilton Place in Edinburgh.
For more information visit eornarestaurant.com.
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