number one

Michelin-starred Chef Jeff Bland (see the image in the gallery), awarded the honour of being named as Drambuie Scottish Chef of the Year in 2003, ensures that number one lives up to its name. Recently refurbished, number one is currently the only hotel restaurant in Edinburgh to have gained a Michelin Star, first awarded in January 2003, which it has retained to this day, a fine tribute to Chef Bland and his brigade.

Using only the finest Scottish ingredients, Bland creates outstanding à la carte dishes using favourites such as Scottish beef, roasted venison, seared scallops and the finest Scottish salmon. It is easy to see why number one was given the Fine Dining Experience Award at the inaugural Scottish Restaurant Awards 2008, when the panel delivered their verdict that number one restaurant offers its customers "the ultimate sophisticated dining experience".

With that sort of accolade it might seem slightly superfluous to proceed any further, but a little detail might not come amiss. The success of number one revolves round the wonderful dishes on offer on the a la carte, with a Chef's tasting menu that is recommended for the whole table, to which we will return.

A stunning starter is provided by the broccoli soup with lamb sweetbread cannelloni and smoked bacon, quite one of the best dishes out the six choices on offer. It has close competition from the Anjou pigeon with pea puree, baby gem and white asparagus, traditional but beautifully prepared.

Wild salmon is fast becoming one of life's great treats, and here it is combined with braised Kohl rabi, sautéed comfrey, morels and herb gnocchi to make an outstanding mains dish, though I would find it a hard choice between that and the fillet of halibut with lemon pomme mousseline, brown shrimps and asparagus, the shrimps providing that essential touch of difference. Pork fillet and pigs trotter with pancetta and sage risotto again has that magic touch, this time with confit onions.

Scottish cooking has, with one or two notable exceptions, to make do with more widely spread attributions when it comes to desserts, which makes them no less tempting. Banana parfait with salted caramel, peanuts and sherry and maple reduction is a work of art, and the Agen prune soufflé with Armagnac ice cream seldom fails to please wherever it goes.

A pre-theatre dinner offer of £45 for three courses is available if ordered before 6.45pm. Whilst, as previously mentioned, the Chef's tasting menu is an eight course affair, each with its own wine pairing. At £60 a head, or an extra £50 with wine pairings, this is not for the faint hearted, but should you wish to travel along this most wonderful of gourmet roads you would be hard pushed to find anywhere better to do it than number one at The Balmoral.

The Balmoral - part of the Rocco Forte Collection and one of Edinburgh's leading hotels - is situated in the heart of Scotland's most compelling city. Click on the Website for more information about number one, the 5 star Balmoral Hotel and all its establishments.