Stac Polly - City of Edinburgh

This second branch of Stac Polly was established in 2007 located in Edinburgh's historic Old Town, just off the famous Royal Mile. This small bistro features beautiful flower arrangements, with prints and pictures including an illustration of the south elevation of the full length of the Royal Mile adorning the walls.

The kitchen takes Scottish ingredients seriously, but applies plenty of modern twists and turns along the way. If you just fancy grazing, there's a mini-menu of 'wee bites' such as duck liver parfait with pear chutney or steamed mussels with white wine and dill cream. Alternatively, the full menu expands the possibilities with – say – cured ham, asparagus and poached egg with sauce mousseline and pan-fried scallops with crushed pea and marjoram cake, red wine and balsamic reduction.

Cheeses from Iain Mellis might round things off perfectly; otherwise go for one of the desserts, such as lime pannacotta with sweet chilli drizzle. There's plenty of gluggable, everyday drinking on the well-chosen wine list.

If you're wondering about the restaurant's odd name, it refers to a mountain in the northwest Highlands, known in Gaelic as 'Stac Pollaidh' (which apparently means 'peak of peat moss'). It has distinctiveness and individual character – just like the restaurant, say its owners.