One Square

We rarely go to restaurants in hotels, but in the case of One Square at The Sheraton Hotel this has proven to be a big mistake, particularly if you’d like to take advantage of their pre-theatre supper offer (see details below).

On arrival we headed for the gin bar, where they have a choice of 52 different gins.  I opted for a Caorunn with Fentimans tonic – the result was clean and refreshing drink with zesty undertones. My dining partner isn’t a gin fan so she had a very reasonably priced glass of white wine. The waiters in the bar were attentive and managed to notice how much we loved the smoked almonds and replenished them when they were running low.

After drinks in the bar we headed through to the restaurant where one amazing dish was rapidly followed by another.

The crab cake starter was recommended. Don’t think the normal fare of potato with a little bit of crab thrown in – this was just the opposite – flakes of delicious white crab, well seasoned with a beautiful creamy texture.

My dining partner chose the monkfish scampi. The fish was soft and succulent and, however it had been fried, not a trace of oil was in sight. The lime mayonnaise was a perfect accompaniment.

For the main course I chose the lamb Wellington. Hidden inside the crispy pastry were tender pieces of pink lamb cooked to perfection. My dining partner chose the venison, which was also beautifully tender. We shared a side salad and sweet potato bubble and squeak. The salad was so fresh we wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a garden hidden behind the kitchen and Pentland Dell and sweet potato cakes with leaks, a soft poached egg and chive butter were a knockout.

The dishes at One Square at The Sheraton are very generous but somehow we managed to force ourselves to try desserts.

We’d never tried a citrus fruit jelly with gin and tonic sorbet or an After Eight bomb (see photograph) so decided to take the plunge. The citrus fruit jelly was refreshing and tangy and I’m mystified by how the grapefruit didn’t overpower the flavour. The Gin and tonic sorbet accompaniment was an absolute triumph and balanced beautifully with the zesty jelly. There’s obviously a very imaginative chef in the kitchen and we take our hats off to him or her.

As the hot chocolate sauce was poured over the After Eight bomb the top melted to reveal subtly minty, almost mousse-like, creamy ice cream.

The view of the Castle and The Usher Hall proved to be a real hit for a bit of people watching whilst eating and the service at One Square is attentive without being intrusive. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and more than able to guide us.

We’d struggle to make a criticism of our evening and the only, very minor, comment we could make would be that the portions are perhaps over-generous, but this may only be for ladies. That said we did manage to squeeze in desserts so we’re really not complaining!

PRE-THEATRE SUPPER OFFER

The seasonal set menu offers two courses for £16.00 or three courses for only £20.00 between 12:00 and 19:00. This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. For bookings please contact One Square at The Sheraton on 0131 221 6422 or email info@onesquareedinburgh.co.uk and quote “Pre-theatre”.

CONTACT DETAILS

Address: 1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, EH3 9ST
Tel: 0131 221 6422
Website: One Square at The Sheraton Hotel

We loved One Square, but do you agree with our restaurant review score? Submit your own star-rating below!