Aizle Restaurant : Scottish Gastronomical Delights

#AizleRhymesWithHazel

I’ve been meaning to write about our tasting menu experience at Aizle ever since we visited. Hoping that the experience of writing about the meal would magically transport me back to a dining experience that I won’t easily forget. Aizle (pronounced like Hazel) is Scots for a burning coal; a glowing hot ember; a spark. How apt, as this Edinburgh restaurant is an absolute firecracker of a dining experience.

A Meal to Remember at Aizle

Aizle works with the harvests. Ingredients sourced locally and seasonally, with some items being on the menu for a few weeks, others for a month or two. There is no menu, just an array of ingredients that will be featured in your 6 course tasting menu. And while Aizle can accommodate (if advised in advance) vegetarians, pescatarians and an allergy or two, this isn’t the restaurant for fussy folks or people with complicated food needs / preferences.

I opted for the no-fish option, but on reflection I wished that I had tried the fish; as the replacement chicken course wasn’t the same showstopper as the rest. Note to self, when dining at Aizle again, trust Chef Stuart Ralston’s initial vision!

Aizle offers a matching drinks package on top of the six-course tasting meal.

To Start…

Our first treat was a homemade pine-flavoured gin, which contrasted beautifully with the onion salt atop a thick slice of sourdough bread. The earthy start to the tasting menu really reflected the vibe of things to come, and the general ethos of the place. After my slice of sourdough was finished, I relished licking my finger and nabbing the leftover onion salt off the plate.

Meat Starter

This course was, visually, the most impressive. Two wooden trays of daintily placed delights. Beef tendon crisp, bone marrow cream, pickled onions; Pomme dauphine with miso; alongside ajo blanco and sourdough with edible flowers. This was a textural masterpiece, and I enjoyed how the rich marrowbone was played off agains the creamy elements and my ever-favourite picked onions.

Vegetarian Starter

A melange of tomatoes followed. Tomato ‘bacon’, Isle of Wight tomatoes and Burrata cheese. I actually don’t like raw tomato (I know, catastrophe!), unless it’s in a salsa and sitting alongside some habaneros. But, despite that, I found this vegetarian course quite delightful.

Poultry Not Paltry

The chicken dish was delicate, creamy, and understated. Corn-fed chicken from the border town of Kelso, a proud green pea and broad bean pillow, and a savoury sabayon sauce. It was the first time I’d had a savoury sabayon (zabaglione in Italian), so the familiar texture of the sweet marsala wine dessert in a savoury dish was a new treat for me.

Un Morceau de Viande

Kimchi is made onsite at Aizle and is used liberally in cocktails and other delicious meal combinations. The meat course was a spectacular fusion of Korean flavours and Scottish ingredients. A duo of Ayrshire pork (belly and cheek); chicory kimchee; pear purée and sesame. The pork cheek was particularly spectacular – falling apart and melting in my mouth. Pear and pork go together like pigs of a feather, so this combination was simply perfect.

I’m a fan of the Guanciale pork cheek bacon (used in traditional carbonara), so it was interesting to see that cut of meat in a different style of dish.

Cheese Is A Winner

The cheese coarse knocked my socks off. Loire valley goats cheese, pickled apple and edible charcoal; served with honey mead. Living in France, I get to taste a lot of incredible cheeses and live in an area famous for its goats cheese too, so my standards are pretty high.

The balance of this dish was absolutely perfect. The softness of the goats cheese, the sharp pickled apple, the earthiness of the charcoal, and dark rye bread. With the honey mead chaser, I was in classic combination heaven. More please.

Dessert

Now, I’m a picky wench when it comes to desserts. And this one was not something I would’ve ordered. But I’m glad I got to witness the magic of Scottish strawberries in this combination. Scottish strawberries, cinnamon creme anglaise, sorrel ice cream, and sweet crunchy buckwheat with a strawberry sugar biscuit.

The sorrel ice cream stole the show wholly and completely. The sour lemony sorrel caressed the cinnamon creme anglaise and lifted the juicy strawberries to a new level. If you haven’t tried Scottish strawberries, you’re missing a trick – they are huge and wickedly sweet.

Check out some of my other Edinburgh content while you’re here: My local’s guide, dog-friendly restaurants, and a visit to the Kelpies!

Aizle Restaurant at The Garden Room, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel

Aizle located in the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End. Make your reservation via their website or phone. If you’re looking for a tasting menu that combines a really neat ground up ethos with excellent Scottish produce, and at a really reasonable price; then Aizle is somewhere you should definitely try.

I was not compensated for this article – I just really really loved this dining experience.

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with an iPhone.