Tuesday, April 16, 2019

AIZLE (EDINBURGH, NEWINGTON, SCOTLAND)

Aizle
107-109 St Leonard's St
Edinburgh EH8 9QY
www.aizle.co.uk
Tel: +44 01316629349
Cuisine: Scottish
$$$$ ($50+)
Thurs, 2/21/19, 8:30pm reservation
     (4.5 Piglets)


Prior to my trip to Edinburgh, I decided to research what restaurants were the best in the city that served Scottish food. It was one of my good friend's birthday and I wanted to take her out to a nice dinner. A few popped up, one of them being Aizle. 

Aizle is defined as a spark or a glowing hot ember in the Scottish language. The restaurant encompasses local, seasonal ingredients where everything is made in house. As ingredients change, so does the menu consisting of a set 6 courses at 55 pounds per person.

Upon entering Aizle, you are enlightened by the warm decor the restaurant brings to its atmosphere. A menu of ingredients used for the meal is displayed on one of the walls at the entrance. The waiters and staff were oh so welcoming among the candlelit tables. As we were seated, we were greeted with some snacks to start and advised that the menu would be presented at the end of the meal. So without any knowledge of what would be presented before us other than the ingredients used to create the menu, we were set on a journey of Scottish cuisine:

SNACK: CHEDDAR CORNETTO. MOUNREYAC PEAR
SNACK: DUCK LEG. KIMCHI. 
SNACK: MUSHROOM CHAWANMUSHI, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, PARMESAN. 
MY FAVORITE: COURSE ONE: SHEEP'S MILK AGNOLOTTI, WILD LEEK, WHEY. 
BREAD: CONFIT CHICKEN, BRIOCHE BUN, TRUFFLE. 
COURSE TWO: COD, CELERIAC, GRAPES. 

COURSE THREE: PEKING DUCK, HERITAGE CARROT, SANCHO, BUCKWHEAT. Sorry, I ended up eating this before I took the picture. IT was delicious though and the duck was cooked perfectly! 

COURSE FOUR: GRANNY SMITH APPLE, WHITE CHOCOLATE. 
COURSE FIVE: YORKSHIRE RHUBARB, HIBISCUS, SCOTTISH OATS. 

We got this absolutely delicious wine! 
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Aizle. Some dishes took some time to be delivered to our table in between courses, but they were all beautifully executed. My favorite was the pasta dish: pillowy soft pasta filled with deliciously creamy cheese with a light broth to accompany the dish. It was wonderful in its own right. The staff were on point with catering to our needs and after a 2.5-3 hour meal, my friend and I left happy with a full tummy. 

Notable Dishes: Agnolotti and Mushroom Chawanmushi