Witchery by the Castle - City of Edinburgh

Located at the gates of Edinburgh's tourist-trap castle, this restaurant's name immediately evokes a sense of Gothic theatricality - and it doesn't disappoint. You can choose to eat in the atmospheric, oak-panelled Witchery - a lavish dining room draped in luxurious tapestries and antiques - or the droolingly romantic, enchanting Secret Garden, which is reached via a stone staircase and decorated with extraordinary paintings on both the ceiling and doors.

As might be expected, the kitchen makes patriotic use of Scottish produce for dinner menus with a contemporary accent. Begin with a tian of scallops with roast langoustine and lemongrass butter sauce or steak tartare, ahead of line-caught sea bass with wild mushrooms and roast butternut squash or herb-crusted rack of Borders lamb with baked polenta and broad beans. Finish with a terrine of three chocolates or passion fruit and Mascarpone trifle.

Lunches and pre-theatre suppers are altogether simpler affairs, defined by brasserie-style dishes such as braised lamb shank with summer bean cassoulet or grilled mackerel with caramelised fennel and tapenade. The encyclopaedic wine list runs to some 1,000 bins and is worth a serious read; for a quick choice, focus on the Witchery Selection of house recommendations by the glass.