Rocpool Rendezvous

To anybody who has been reared on a diet of tartan and dark oak in matters of décor, Rocpool must come as something of a shock. A glass confection occupying a key site on the River Ness it certainly speaks for a modern Scotland, and attracts very considerable attention. The cosmopolitan set is ecstatic about it and within, everything matches the compelling exterior. However, this is about food, not design, and a range of fashionable dishes, many with a modern kick, compete with tapas and snack foods to ensure that everyone spends not less than the required sum on food during an evening to justify their presence.

Starters may include crechiette pasta shells with chilli, broccoli and pine nuts, crispy duck and watercress salad with spicy tomato dressing, or pan fried fillet of mackerel with Serrano ham, pesto and rocket. Moving to the bigger issues we encounter veal schnitzel with fried egg, herb butter and potato sassi, roast halibut with Thai spices, fragrant rice and tsatsiki dressed leaves and fillet of beef wrapped in parma ham with wild mushrooms, creamed celeriac and a grain mustard mash.

The atmosphere is buzzy, particularly when the crowds are packing in and the cocktails are swinging, even if the cocktail concept is still seen as more than a touch daring by some. House wines start at £11.95.