Super Sleek Dining in the Heart of the Old Town
Hotel Missoni on George IV Bridge is home to the delicious Cucina. Cucina is the proud winner of Scottish Italian restaurant of the year for the second year running so Celia and I knew we were in for a treat when we went to review their special lunch menu.
Cucina at Missoni is far more than aesthetically pleasing it is a cultural delight the absolute mecca for every fashion lover. Once you get over the beautiful interiors, awash with the Missoni trademark style, it is all about the food.
The lunch menu is authentically Italian and at £14.95 for two courses or £17.95 for three courses you cannot go wrong. For starter I opted for the Brown Shrimp salad with a light mayonnaise dressing. There was definitely no shortage of shrimps and it filled just the right hole ready for the main course. Celia chose the Crespelle filled with mushroom, ham and Béchamel in a tomato sauce; she particularly enjoyed this as she has had a craving for savoury pancakes since Shrove Tuesday (a Crespelle is just like a pancake!)
The starters were delicious and the service so far was impeccable, attentive and pleasant – just how we like it. Our main courses comprised of homemade conchiglie with an authentic pork ragu which had, I was reliably informed, been cooked for many hours. We also had the grilled chicken with spicy tomatoes and spinach which Celia affirmed was a taste sensation and the chicken is a great alternative if you fancy staying clear of a carb overload!
For pudding I had a very interesting Tiramisu which looked huge and I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage it but in fact what I took as the mascarpone was an interesting frothed cream – it was incredibly light and I would certainly have it again. Celia went for the Chocolate Torte and Orange sorbet. The torte was beautifully rich and the gorgeous orange sorbet complimented it beautifully. Sorbet was another option for the dessert and having tasted the orange flavour if I went back I would definitely try a sorbet selection; it was obviously home made and very refreshing.
The wine list at Cucina is vast, comprising of a wide selection of Italian wines a theme which was kept up throughout the meal from the Italian bottled water to the rich Sicilian Olive Oil.
Cucina at Hotel Missoni is a fabulous restaurant with stunning interiors, it’s a ‘light’ Italian not bogged down with the usual stodgy pasta and pizza mix – I would definitely recommend this place to all.
Cucina at Hotel Missoni, 1 George IV Bridge, EH1 1AD 0131 240 1666
The Reporter Food reviewer, Holly Jones, is a partner in The Lifestyle Company Scotland You can follow the company and their lifestyle tips on Twitter
