Review: Nàdair, Edinburgh

There’s a new kid on the block in Marchmont, so Richard Bath went to investigate.

This new 20-cover Marchmont restaurant from ex-Wedgwood chefs Sarah Baldry and Alan Keery is right on trend.

It has the now customary Gaelic name (Nàdair means ‘nature’), it has a five-course set menu (which changes daily), it’s big on the Scottish and foraged provenance of its produce, trumpets its Scandi influences, aims to ‘create experimental and bold flavours’, has pared-down décor and is sensibly looking to build a neighbourhood vibe/following.

 Sarah Baldry and Alan Keery.

If that’s all the good stuff, I’m more equivocal (bordering on worried) about another facet of being on trend. Nàdair is yet another new restaurant with a tasting menu that is towards the top end of most diners’ financial tolerance.

With a menu that costs £65 menu (£25-30 for lunch), if you have a bottle of the cheapest wine at £28 (or paired wines at £45 per person), by the time you’ve paid the discretionary service charge you’re realistically looking at a meal for two that costs around £175. If you both have the paired wines, the bill is £250 for two.

This new spot it right on trend.

On a wider note, it’ll be interesting to see what the market will bear in these straitened times. But for our purposes the real question, as ever, is whether Nàdair is worth that outlay.

It certainly helps that it’s one of the few restaurants based in the fast-gentrifying and Airbnb-heavy district of Marchmont, so will benefit from locals and tourists who don’t fancy the trip across the Meadows into town. But, as ever, it’s the quality of the food that will determine its success or otherwise.

On this front, the auguries are good. Our starter of focaccia, smoked butter, tomato and dashi – basically fancy bread and butter – was fine, but the meal really kicked into gear with a superb second dish of cavatelli pasta, chanterelles and black garlic, topped with buckwheat to provide some crunchy topping which elevated an already excellent dish. My dining partner, a hard-to-please foodie, was cooing by the time she’d finished the bowl.

The sliced scallop cooked with buttermilk, onion and sweet cicely was a little heavy on the onions, which threatened to overwhelm the light flavours of the scallop, although the anise notes of the sweet cicely complemented the scallop perfectly. More straightforward was the main meat course of beautifully tender duck breast with leg croquettes, with elderberry, tiny neeps and lavender. If we savoured that, the isle of Mull cheddar beignets disappeared with indecent haste.

Orkney scallop, onion, liquorice, buttermilk & sweet cicely

Dry aged mallard, leg croquette, courgette, rosehip, lavender.

The meal rounded off with an excellent chocolate pudding given added depth by the addition of peppermint and sea salt. Once again, the reaction from the other side of the table was uproariously enthusiastic.

It was a really solid meal enhanced by a sensibly priced bottle of Viognier (£30) and a glass of their decent house red from a wine list heavy with organic options. We also enjoyed the knowledgeable commentary from our waiters.

Nàdair, 15 Roseneath St, Marchmont, Edinburgh EH9 1JH. 0131 629 2322. 

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