A couple of weeks ago we visited The Walnut on Leith Walk for Sunday lunch to celebrate a family birthday. The Walnut only opened in 2015 and we had heard good things, read some very good reviews and were looking forward to finding out if it lived up to the hype. They say good things come in small packages and that certainly applies in this case. The interior is very cosy, with just a handful of tables inside. Despite the relatively small space the tables are well set out so it feels cosy and welcoming without feeling cramped. The decor is simple but suits the feel of the place and the main focus here is clearly the food.
As it was a birthday celebration we had armed ourselves with some prosecco and wine to take advantage of the restaurants BYOB policy – corkage is a reasonable £3.50.
The menu in The Walnut is in the form of a blackboard on the wall listing the day’s dishes. As we were in on a Sunday roast was the main focus with Beef short rib and Roast Chicken on offer. There was also a substantial selection of starters on offer along with a number of mains including seafood and veggie dishes.
While waiting for our starters we had some lovely rosemary sourdough bread which i couldn’t get enough of. To start I went for the Mussels with Chilli & Lime. The mussels were substantial and really tasty and presented very well. One of our party went for the crab claws to start which again was very well presented and seemed to go down a treat.
For the main course I went for the beef short rib with Yorkshire pudding, roast potato, carrot and parsnip. The beef was delicious, perfectly cooked, lovely and moist and the roast veg and Yorkshire pud were also tasty and well cooked.
The roast chicken was also a success. Again nice and moist and cooked perfectly. Both dishes were also very substantial and everyone was left feeling nice and full. However there’s always room for dessert and after the quality of the starter and main I couldn’t not sample one of the desserts on offer!
There was a few tasty sounding dishes on offer for dessert but I had to go with the dark chocolate, sea salt and rosemary tart. Lots of chocolate and very rich, perfect. The sea salt and hint of rosemary also added a nice mix to the flavour. Mrs Edinburger went for the sticky toffee pudding with cream. Another successful dish here the sauce was tasty and a good consistency, the sponge moist and flavoursome and the accompanying cream rather than ice cream was a nice change.
Having lived and eaten in and around Leith for years I can honestly say this is one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had. It’s clear that a lot of thought and effort goes into the food on offer and it’s served up in a friendly relaxing atmosphere. We will certainly be back very soon.
The Walnut | 9 Croall Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH7 4LT | 0131 281 1236
Facebook: TheWalnut
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