If you’ve ever been to an extremely posh restaurant for a taster menu....

[ItchyScratch]

DH & I are soon going to be going on our first night away in MANY years (lost count)

We decided to push the boat out and book a very fancy restaurant (I mean these days you’re lucky if we can manage McDonalds)

The restaurants we are looking at are those type that do a 7 course taster menu, usually about £100+ per head.

My first question is- what was your experience like and do you recommend it?
We are thinking you only live once and to try it out. Just don’t want to be disappointed and think we wasted money.

My second question- the websites for the places I’m looking at don’t show a drinks menu but do say there is a choice of a paired wine tasting menu (£75 each! What!!) but neither of us drink wine (I would be drunk after one glass)
But the only other option is named as a ‘non alcoholic flight’ and that’s £48 each- god knows what you get for that!
So what did you do?

I’d be embarrassed to call or email and ask as I’m sure their usual customers would be well accustomed to their ways and would have no qualms in paying £48 each for some unspecified none alcoholic drinks.

Thanks in advance- from someone desperately trying to experience being rich/posh

Pity The Kitchen is not available it really is fabulous.

Number One is also very good.

I wasn’t impressed by the witchery - very average food and no real ambience/service. Definitely a one off tourist trap.

I always take the wine pairings (some restaurants are better than others at keeping you topped up rather than giving to your one glass) but a cocktail before / after always helps.

If you’re not drinking just take water.

Btw, for Edinburgh, try Condita if you can get in. It's tiny, so usually they're booked, but they might have a cancellation. If so, completely worth it following up.

I've done it twice in different restaurants and they were both stunningly good. The second one we did the paired wine and tbh it was just too much. I would have been sick if I had drunk all the wines that came with each course. I wouldn't bother again.

I love tasting menus. They're such a great evenings out!! If you don't want a wine flight I probably wouldn't bother with the non alcoholic one (though I am tempted by the super expensive "water pairing" I've seen advertised, I can't remember where, just because it's so obnoxious)

Go, go go...

Don’t worry about wine pairing. It’s not that popular in my experience.

We went to Gordon Ramsey’s in Chelsea. Very grown up and not at all stuffy, and it was wonderful providing that you don’t go mad on the alcohol.

I hope you have seen the menu - these places usually have a lot of stuff on that I won't eat . As I am known to say " a truffle too far ". There is a foraging restaurant near us which charges a fortune - nettlebed creamery 😱😂 FFS 😂

We've been to Midsummer House in Cambridge. Was amazing! Really, really delicious and food presented like theatre. My top tip would be to start the meal very hungry as by the end I was so stuffed I felt I was going to pop.

yes i have you dont have to have the pairing drinks or u didnt used to

its a great experience textures and flavours are amazing if you can afford it id say go forit

Two of my colleagues have been to Six by Nico in Edinburgh several times and speak very highly of it

Any time we have a babysitter ( not often!) DH and I like to go to Michelin starred restaurants or otherwise 'posh' places. We find we are never disappointed as it's not just dinner, It's a whole experience that you're paying for which is worth it imho. It will be something to enjoy and remember. I hope you have a great time.
I definitely wouldn't skip lunch as was suggested , the portions are usually very small and hardly any carbs. I never really feel massively full up afterwards. And with regards to drink I once had the wine flight and got so drunk it spoiled my enjoyment of the food , I might as well have been eating a dirty kebab!

I've only done it once and hated it, couldn't get out fast enough at the end. Stuffy waiters that seemed really offended if you asked questions, paired wine that I didn't enjoy (I'm not much of a wine drinker), and the food was nice enough but I was expecting an absolute wow (it was a Michelin starred restaurant that is no longer in business).

I didn't like that there was no choice, it seemed so weird to just have to eat without choosing from a menu. I mean I knew that's how it would be but it felt really ofd on the night.

Funnily enough today DH has just booked us to go to Martin Wishart’s next
month and we were there a couple of years ago too and got the tasting menu. It was an amazing experience and I got the paired wines as well. I was stuffed and more than tipsy by the end of it. I’m not drinking alcohol now so intend to get sparking water.

I had the best meal of my life at fhior in Edinburgh. The ambience was a bit more casual and chill that some other posh places and the food was incredible.

@Mrsbadger77

Any time we have a babysitter ( not often!) DH and I like to go to Michelin starred restaurants or otherwise 'posh' places. We find we are never disappointed as it's not just dinner, It's a whole experience that you're paying for which is worth it imho. It will be something to enjoy and remember. I hope you have a great time. I definitely wouldn't skip lunch as was suggested , the portions are usually very small and hardly any carbs. I never really feel massively full up afterwards. And with regards to drink I once had the wine flight and got so drunk it spoiled my enjoyment of the food , I might as well have been eating a dirty kebab!

It was me who suggested skipping lunch... based mainly on the fact that the one I was talking about was 12 courses and even my bottomless pit DH had to undo the button on his jeans at the end!

ive never been stuffed having a tasting menu some i was hungry after some was just right

Unfortunately for whoever recommended Castle Terrace it’s not reopening after it closed in lockdown.

Absolutely gutted, I loved CT, had my wedding reception lunch there.

@itchyscratch: did the tasting menu at Taisteal last year and it was fantastic - thoroughly recommend. From memory, it was quite reasonably priced as well. Think their current menu is up on their website. I enjoyed Six By Nico (did the Glasgow one at New Year) and it was good but of the two, I preferred Taisteal.

Taisteal gets very good reviews, I’ve not been yet though.

My husband worked in a place like that when we first met...he said lots of people asked for tap water. Nobody judged them at all.

Ok so I’ve just spent a while finding which ones have availability- good location for where I will be etc and these are the options:

Aizle- can’t find a price though

No.1 at the balmoral - £110pp

Purslane - £65 pp (probably cheaper as I think it isn’t Michelin starred)

Any advice on those much appreciated

Also any good bars to go before or after- we are 38 & 41 so not to young and not too old 😃

Now i really want to go out for a posh meal ... sigh.

@policeandthieves
Castle Terrace hasn't survived Covid.
Scran and Scallie and The Bonnie Badger are still going though.
I've been to The Scran and Scallie and loved it, great quality food in a very relaxed pub setting, with classic dishes, but more interesting dishes too.
Highly recommended.

It’s become a birthday tradition and we are never disappointed. We always have the wine flight; I reckon a non-alco one would be as awesome.

Although they are all great, I admit that some restaurants have not been as memorable as others. We went to a 2-star restaurant in London that was lovely, but I can’t remember any dish in particular from the menu, however, I do remember this amazing halibut dish we had in a restaurant that was ‘only’ Michelin recommended.

Obviously you can’t be doggedly squeamish or fussy (allergies obviously excepted). Even if it’s something you’d not normally have (venison tartare for example, which I remember I think from the halibut place and that was also amazing), you have to trust the chefs and eat anything they put in front of you 😆

DH and I do these as our gifts to each other for birthdays and Christmas. They are amazing. Can't recommend highly enough.

We usually choose a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner from the drinks list which they will have their. We do occasionally push the boat out and have the wine flight too.

Enjoy!!!

Depends what you're after really.

I've never eaten at the Balmoral but I have stayed there years ago, it's very red trousers posh mixed with American tourist pleasing Scottish.
It's posh in a knowing way and you would be able to wear a posh frock without a raised eyebrow (though I'd just wear a posh frock if I wanted to anyway).

Purslane looks like it's less posh but takes its food seriously.

If you wanted a big posh event night out I'd go Balmoral, if you wanted to focus on the food go Purslane.