When first we visited the Nira Caledonia hotel, back around the turn of 2012/13, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect as while the menu looked tempting, the place was something of an enigma. That first visit showed us that within the elegant confines of this boutique hotel lurked a restaurant of exceptional quality.

Since then, they’ve given the restaurant a fresh name, Blackwood’s Grill, and it has grown a deserved reputation as the finest steak restaurant in the city, with dishes from their Josper grill at the core of an extremely impressive offering.

Over the course of a number of subsequent visits we’ve been highly impressed with all aspects of what chef David Scott does. So, when regular guest quester Patrick was in town, it seemed like a good opportunity to give it another review visit.

The interior retains all the expected charm. The dining room is a classic New Town space with an elegant and quite formal feel. This is nicely complemented by an effusively friendly waiting team who were warmly welcoming and full of useful menu advice, throughout.

We quickly settled on the carpaccio and fillet steak for Patrick, with the mussels and fillet for me. We added chips and onion rings as sides, with the waiter correctly advising that sharing portions between two would be entirely ample.

While we sipped on a glass of prosecco, an interesting amuse bouche of onion bhaji arrived. It was rather tasty. Our starters soon followed. The carpaccio looked very bonnie and proved a winning dish. My portion of mussels was an absolute boat-load. They’d been finished on the grill for a lovely light smokiness. They were delicious.

The steaks were every bit as good as I’d remembered and the accompanying malbec worked very nicely. Showcasing produce from Perthshire’s Highland Drovers, this was beef of the highest quality cooked with real assurance and flair. The seasoning of the steak was just spot on. The accompanying bearnaise was used for chip and onion ring dunking, which all made for highly satisfying eating.

So overall, we could barely have been more impressed with Blackwood’s. When next you’re looking for steak in Edinburgh there’s only one place to go; Blackwood’s is head and shoulders above everywhere else. Make sure to visit at your earliest convenient opportunity.

Scores
Blythe scores Blackwood’s
4.5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4.5/5 for service
4/5 for setting
giving an overall 17/20

Today’s questers were: Patrick, Blythe

We ate: carpaccio, mussels, fillet steak, chips, onion rings

We drank: prosecco, red wine, water, espresso

We wore: blue, red

Total bill: £103