Dining at its finest!
We arrived at The Mulroy on a balmy evening last week. It is a wee bit tucked away underneath the opticians on the prestigious William Street in the West End, but I promise you it is worth the search. Celia and I can both hold our hands up and say The Mulroy offers some of the finest food we have tasted…and the most tender lamb I have ever eaten!
The owner of The Mulroy, the charming and chatty Clemens Hoss-de‘Estenfeld is a very interesting chap who has resided in Scotland for many years, and is a great enthusiast for using local and seasonal produce.
The Mulroy is a stunning little restaurant that can be hired out for parties (and what a fabulous venue it would make) and the place feels like you are in a friend’s country house as opposed to a restaurant in the middle of town. From the antique art on the walls to the fine china and dressers, The Mulroy was designed solely by Clemens and his wife, and this wonderfully personal touch really shows throughout.
On arrival we were greeted in the cosy bar area and taken through by their incredibly helpful and knowledgeable waiter/sommelier. Clemens suggested we try the 5 course taster menu….and what a treat we had in store (and at £48.50 a head this is not bad at all for such exceptional quality).
Damien Rolain, head chef at The Mulroy, is originally from Avignon and worked in numerous Michelin Star restaurants before arriving at The Mulroy. His food has a strong French feel but with an emphasis on locally sourced produce and seasonal ingredients.
Our 5 course spectacular started with Scallops, Port Seton langoustines, quail eggs and a sweetcorn espuma. The espuma was as light as a feather and the sweet taste complimented the Scallops and langoustine beautifully.
Next came a Guinea Fowl ‘galantine’ complete with beef tongue and pistachios. All I could say was “mm mm mmmm!”, (though Celia got a little squeamish about the tongue) Both our plates were quickly cleared – the perfect second course.
Now for the fish. This was probably my favourite course and all because of the sweet Gewurtztraminer sauce which accompanied the wild sea-bass with poached rhubarb (a smashing and very unique touch) and aubergine and saffron potatoes. At this point we were slowly filling up, but we knew the next two courses would be outstanding so we battle on…. (Surely you ate more?! Ed)
For the meat course we had the infamously tender tenderloin of lamb. Presented beautifully (as all the dishes had been) with black olive polenta and baby artichoke and mushroom ‘duxelles’. It was very rich but the flavours combined very well and I would be more than happy to eat this course over and over again.
Finally the pièce de résistance for me and Celia…the pudding. We are definitely partial to a pudding (Yep noticed that! Ed) and The Mulroy did not disappoint our sweet tooth. We were presented with an absolutely divine caramelised apple tarte ‘tatin’ with vanilla ice cream and calvados caramel. Yum! A fine end to the finest of meals.
Throughout the meal we were treated to a glass of wine with every course. The wines were perfectly chosen and although we left The Mulroy a wee bit tipsy, it has to be said that the wines were exceptional and complimented the food. I am a huge fan of Sauvignon Blanc and the Montes Sav Blanc from the Curico Valley, Chile really jumped out as being a fresh and very easy drinking wine (perfect with the sea bass).
All in all, our evening at The Mulroy was a very special dining experience and I would recommend this place to everyone, the food is fantastic and the atmosphere is relaxed and cosy – in fact I have already sent a client there!
The Mulroy, 11a-13a William Street, Edinburgh 0131 225 6061
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
