Ondine
Monday, March 12, 2012 at 10:10PM 
I have just returned back from a gut-busting, gastronomic weekend in Edinburgh. It is a testament to how much I ate over the weekend that today I was perfectly happy with some cereal for breakfast and a Be Good to Yourself sandwich from Sainsbury’s for lunch, usually a guilt-induced chore.
The weekend got off to a disappointing start at Ondine. Voted Scottish Restaurant of the Year in the Good Food Guide 2012, I had reasonably high expectations.
The best bit of the meal was the part they can’t really take any credit for – oysters au natural. Well they have good suppliers, I’ll give them that, and they were fresh as can be, but that goes with the territory – if they weren’t I would’ve spent the weekend glued to a toilet seat, rather than dining in better restaurants.
There were 3 oysters on and I had one of each - a Dorset, a Maldon and a Carlingford. The Dorset was largest so I ate it first because they are usually my least favourite. I must have had them out of season before because usually the intense creaminess is too overwhelming for me, but this time it was the selling point. If it had even a hint of the metallic bitterness that an off season oyster can have it would have been too much, but this was clean, fresh and bright.
The Fish and Shellfish Soup was good but nothing exceptional. This disappointment can be partly attributed to the fact that I was expecting actual fish and shellfish, rather than just the essence of them. The waiter had said it was Spanish in style, which made me think of an aromatic broth packed full of seafood bits, saffron and perhaps some chorizo. It was actually just a thick bisque with Spanish spices. A rich garlicky rouille saved the day, smothered over the crunchy croutons and dunked in the soup; delicious. It would have been an better side for the dish I was imagining though.
For mains I had Grilled Hand Dived Scallops with Chorizo. They came highly recommended by the waiter and at £17.50 for three, with no other accompaniments than a wedge of lime, you’d hope they were bloody good. Sadly, they were not.
The main problem was that they were overcooked. Now I know not everyone likes their scallops as rare as me, but even a scallop cooked medium should slip easily out of the shell. These, on the other hand, required some aggressive work with a knife and fork. This was particularly problematic because the plate had been lined with salt – table salt not rock salt – so as I dislodged some meat from the shell I accidently flung it across the plate and into the salt. Rock salt, apart from looking more classy, would have been easier to remove. Powdered salt sticks.
The chorizo too could have done with less time on the cooker, and would have worked much better if it had been cut into little squares rather than left as whole baby sausages. It was quite hard to cut them into smaller pieces so instead of complementing the scallops, they drowned them.
The waiter forgot my mixed salad, which was a pity since the scallop dish could have done with some greenery to lighten it up and I found that I was still quite peckish at the end, so I decided to go with the cheeseboard. I thought it would be hard to go wrong there, but alas they served the cheeses far too cold. These were delicious farmhouse cheeses which should have been stored and served at room temperature, not chilled. Most of them were not quite at their prime, but the young manchego was soft and pungent, just as a like it. It was great with the quince, which was a good quality one; it’s a pity their generosity with the cheeses didn’t stretch to the condiments because I could have done with a lot more.
The restaurant doesn’t seem to be able to decide what it is. The food is bistro style, but the moody lighting and monochrome colour scheme suggest something more refined. A land to sea mural brings things back to the beachside, but formal service (my soup was ladled from a tureen at the table) suggests a quality and standard that the food does not deliver. Indeed, even the service failed to meet the standard they had set themselves – when I was asked how the scallops were I politely replied that they were a bit overcooked for my liking and was dismissed with an “oh, ok” from the very waiter who’d recommended them. I wasn’t fishing for freebies – “I’m sorry to hear that” would have sufficed.
Not a great start to my foodie weekend, but the only way was up from here, and ignoring a few late night visits to the Golden Arches, that was exactly the direction it went.
Ondine: 2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1AD; 0131 226 1888
Mon-Sun: Lunch 12-3pm, Dinner 5.30-10pm
Entrees from £8.50 to £14.50; Mains from £14.50 to £42
Reader Comments (3)
So .... am keen to hear about the "ups" . Its years since I've been to Edinburgh , and I don't remember anything about the food. Glasgow on the hand has the best black pudding in the UK and also Macsweens Haggis , I went on line to check I got the name right and found to my amusement that you can now get a vegetarian Macsweens Haggis !!!
Is that little square in the righthand side of photo the extent of the quince paste, or membrillo as I prefer to call it ? And whats that nonsense greenish garnish in the middle of the plate ? Was it relevant ? If this is Scotland's top restaurant and they don't know to handle cheese they need to devolve into oblivion
soonest !
Hi Ma - one of the ups is now posted, the high point is yet to come. I had quite a bit of black pudding, but didn't think it any better than elsewhere. The haggis on the otherhand was delicious! I saw vegetarian options in a few places too and was similarly amused.
Hi Hasi - yep, that was it. Such a pity, as there was plenty of cheese. No, the garnish wasn't relevant, but I suppose they often aren't. I was more offended by the temperature of the cheeses!