Dining at Noto, Edinburgh's hottest new restaurant
Carrie Mitchell goes on a culinary journey at the hottest new restaurant in town
I have just discovered my favourite new ingredient - chicken skin. Deliciously crispy yet also chewy, salty yet smooth, full of flavour…and fat, yes, but aren’t all the best things? Besides, here at Noto, it’s not attached to a chicken and covered in gravy, it’s pepping up my saintly salad of gem lettuce, parmesan and herbs, £8.50 - like the more sophisticated cousin of every American’s favourite salad garnish, the bacon bit.
It’s no surprise that the dish has an American influence, Noto proudly proclaims itself as a New-York inspired restaurant with a love for Asian cuisine. A Japanese influence is certainly notable in the décor which I’d describe as sparse but stylish: plain walls, a few artfully arranged twigs, the odd plant. And the menu ascribes to the latest trend for small sharing plates. We choose eight of these, each of which is impeccably presented and surprising in its own way. Notable mentions go to the oysters, £2 each, zingy mouthfuls topped with cucumber mignotte and dill; the whole boule of buratta, £12, with fresh peas and green chilli adding a clean edge to the unctuous cheese; and the North sea crab, £8, which comes in its shell already mixed with warm butter, alongside incredibly moreish sourdough.
If the meal ended here, my tastebuds would be satisfied but my appetite demands more and I’m glad we don’t bypass the Lobster, XO, koshihikari, £16. The silky, spicy seafood risotto is topped with chewy, fishy-flavoured petals, which taste phenomenal. We’re both stunned to discover that they’re tuna flakes which you can buy for next to nothing in the Japanese supermarket on Leith Walk. Sticking to the sharing ethos, we choose just one dessert: The Michel Cluizel chocolate, miso, hazelnut, £8. The combination of rich chocolate mousse with salty, syrupy miso is another stroke of genius from chef/ owner Stuart Ralston and a surefire sign that this, his second restaurant, will be just as much of a success as his first – the much-loved Aizle. I feel like my tastebuds have been on an educational journey, taking in all the best, most interesting bits of New York and Asia – perhaps not surprisingly, such a trip doesn’t come cheap and our bill, for two (including wine) comes in at an eye-watering £140. On the bright side, my shopping list for miso, tuna flakes and chicken skin will hardly cost a penny.
Noto, 47a Thistle Street, EH2 1DY 0131 241 8518, notoedinburgh.co.uk