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The Restaurant at Bonham aims to give stylish cooking amidst gracious surroundings and is certainly in the top ten restaurants in the city. You'll be tempted by distinctively European-inspired food and enticed by provocative wines. Start with a fillet of beef carpaccio with a potato salad, winter black truffle and extra virgin olive oil. Fish is rarely so good as in Scotland and my preference would be for the pave of halibut poached in cabernet sauvignon, parsnip and nutmeg puree and a salmon gravadlax sauce.

You might need to be dragged kicking and screaming from a selection of Iain Mellis cheese but once done would gracefully succumb to the rhubarb and lime cheesecake with Earl Grey crème anglaise and rosemary tuile. The wine list is not over long but there are some quite special items, with eight by the glass starting at £3.50.

'It isn't easy to blend modern furnishings with Victorian Interiors, but the visual tug-of-war works at its best in the Bonham's restaurant, with its airy height, stripped floor and cool colours. Lunch is carefully priced - two courses for £12.50, three for £15 - cheap enough to lure one away from the city centre, but not so cheap that the chef is inhibited. Which, with options of rib eye steak, tiger prawns and red mullet, is clearly not the case.' (Gillian Glover, 13th September 2003, Scotsman Magazine.)

Should you be seeking wholesome wholefood at bargain prices head for Susie's, appropriately near the University, whose members are frequent and eager supplicants at this no-frills Edinburgh veggie favourite.

With its slightly Mediterranean décor and free and easy manner it is a natural haven for families and children are made particularly welcome. Hot dishes come in two sizes and prices and it is simplicity itself to adjust your intake to your capacity - or purse. Trouble is it all looks so tasty. Vegan gourmands feature in the scheme of things and the meat and dairy-free cottage pies await.

There is a license, or if you prefer you can bring your own lethal brews, a ploy which indicates the accommodating and bang up to the mark attitude of Susie's. A good two course meal costs about £6 and the house wine lifts off at £8.50.

Located at the corner of Henderson Street, in the Leith district of Edinburgh, The Plumed Horse is a fine dining restaurant serving a wide variety of British and international cuisine. Originally based in Castle Douglas, Tony Borthwick relocated the restaurant to Edinburgh in 2008, regaining his Michelin star the following year. A compact, high-ceilinged space with frosted windows and comfortable seating, Borthwick eschews the standard practice of turning tables over in favour of one dinner sitting. The food is remarkably affordable with the menus being concise and perfectly balanced and ingredients sourced impeccably- whether it is seafood from the Scottish ports or pork from Black Iberian pigs.

To start, there is the homemade mini haggis and foie gras with mashed potato and clapshot or terrine of black pudding with ham hock, pineapple and apricot chutney. Main courses are more intricate and include roast fillet of cod with garlic and fresh herb risotto and scallop velouté; sautéed Scottish calves' liver, with mashed potato, roast parsnips, Dubonnet, orange and shallot sauce.

The original concept for All Bar One was developed by two enterprising ladies, who wanted a bar ideal for women to have a drink and something to eat without the intimidating confines of a traditional pub. Little wonder, that the place has huge glass frontage, open spaces and interiors that are bright and airy. The first outlet opened in Sutton in 1994, became a huge hit, and there has been no looking back since. Today there are close to forty outlets, including one in Cologne, Germany. Irrespective of location, they have identical wooden flooring, menu and service. Antique mirrors, natural colours and reclaimed wooden furniture combine classic and modern styles well.

The menu has tapas from different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean region, Italy and the East. One can also have a variety of burgers, sandwiches and salads. Baked goats' cheese parcels, flat mushroom and halloumi burgers are highlights of the menu, as is the All Bar One beef and coriander burger, a house speciality. With the emphasis being as much on drink as the food, many outlets display a wall of champagne and wines, with beers and spirits thrown in for good measure. The blackboards on the wall often flaunt the impressive selections.

The success formula of All Bar One has been faith in doing simple things well, and that is what they are best known for. A place that is hard to define, for it is not just a bar, restaurant, café or pub, but a special place where people can unwind alone or in company.