New Kid on the Block
The Lookout Edinburgh
Rising above Edinburgh’s sandstone landscape atop Calton Hill, The Lookout by the Gardener’s Cottage team takes the food philosophy of the founder’s first restaurant in a modern direction at a striking new location.
Founder: Dale Mailley
Calton Hill, Edinburgh EH7 5AA
SCALING CALTON HILL in the centre of Edinburgh leads to panoramic views of the city’s renowned landmarks – look over the New Town towards Edinburgh Castle and spot Arthur’s Seat, and gaze towards the coastal Firth of Forth to the north. Now, the contemporary, glass-sheathed structure that houses The Lookout – from the same team behind the city’s popular locavore restaurant Gardener’s Cottage – means catching it all from inside a sleek dining room.
“It was a great opportunity to take on a brand new, stunning building and evolve what we’ve been doing at Gardener’s Cottage,” says chef-patron Dale Mailley.
Mailley opened Gardener’s Cottage in 2012 inside a former cottage in the city’s Royal Terrace Gardens where the comfort food menu is driven by a sustainable and home-grown philosophy. The communal dining space is known for its relaxed, seasonal sharing plates, focusing on Scottish produce and what’s on hand from their veggie and herb plots out the back.
“Sustainability is a massive thing for us. It’s behind the restaurant we’re creating, the jobs we supply, and the people we support.”
The Lookout opened in November 2018 and takes Mailley’s food to new heights. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and industrial-inspired décor, it seems like a departure from his first restaurant, yet the ethos remains the same. “It has all the same bearings in terms of sourcing and provenance, but the food is sharper and more polished,” Mailley says. “Whatever the restaurant, we always choose well-sourced ingredients.
The produce used is still largely from Scotland, with wild or sustainably-reared fish, meat and game, but the techniques have matured, incorporating sous vide, yakitori grills, fermentation and inspiration from Asian cuisines. “We’re trying to get interesting flavours. From day one, we’ve had a rabbit, grouse and hare yakitori – we make a glaze out of malt extract and fermented barley, so we’re using things we can source locally to take on flavours you might expect to find in a Japanese restaurant.”
Designed by Collective Architecture, The Lookout forms part of a broader redevelopment of Calton Hill’s heritage buildings, including the architecture firm’s new office, an art gallery and refurbished rooms for events. “Collective were keen to have an interesting offering for other things going on in the buildings as well as art – we do events such as gin tastings with a local distillery, and private dining throughout the site,” Mailley says. At The Lookout, groups can book the chef’s table for a meal right by the pass, and this Christmas Day, the restaurant will host festive season experiences with multi-course lunch and dinner menus.
With such a striking setting, there comes high expectations. “The biggest pressure on us is trying to live up to such an impressive building. We need to keep up the pace, to make sure we’re continually on top of our game,” says Mailley. Holding true to the values established over seven years of service at The Gardener’s Cottage means keeping things approachable – The Lookout doesn’t have a dress code and the kitchen is completely open to welcoming curious diners behind the scenes to see the cooking. In addition, the team will continue to emphasise seasonal, local sourcing. That said, Mailley points out their approach goes well beyond how ingredients are purchased. “We try to build restaurants that last.”
Warm salad of fermented Brussels sprouts, kale and pancetta with hazelnut dressing
SERVES 4
Start the fermented sprouts 7 days ahead (you will need a large preserving jar) or you can skip the fermenting and start the recipe at Step 2.
1kg Brussels sprouts Sea salt
80ml hazelnut oil,
plus extra to drizzle 50g hazelnuts
40g grated parmesan,
plus extra to serve
20g chopped truffle (optional) 200g
pancetta, cut into lardons 200g rainbow or regular kale
1. Trim and thoroughly wash the sprouts and pack tightly into a large sterilised preserving jar. Cover with a brine made by mixing sea salt with water at a ratio of
2.5g to 100ml. Ensure the brine covers the sprouts entirely and use a weight (a fermenting weight or a small plate) to keep them submerged in the liquid. Seal the jar tightly and leave to stand at room temperature to ferment for 7 days.
2. For the hazelnut dressing, preheat the oven to 160°C. Drizzle a little hazelnut oil over the hazelnuts and roast for 4 minutes or until lightly roasted, then cool slightly and chop. Combine the nuts with 80ml hazelnut oil, grated parmesan and chopped truffle, if using. Season to taste and set dressing aside.
3. Drain the sprouts and pat dry on kitchen paper. Gently fry the lardons in a frying pan over a medium-low heat until golden, then remove from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the sprouts to the pan and cook until golden, then increase heat to high and add the kale. Cook, stirring, until wilted, then reduce the heat to low and return the lardons to the pan with half the hazelnut dressing and toss to gently warm
through.
4. To serve, transfer to a serving bowl, dress with the remaining hazelnut dressing and grate over parmesan to garnish.
Chef Dale Mailley on what to eat this winter:
“This time of year is prime for game, which is really exciting for us; we’ll get partridge, duck and deer delivered to the kitchen. It’s an absolute treat to eat them through the wintertime; for me it’s the ultimate in free-range. Shellfish is also great now too, including lobster, razor clams and oysters. Scotland can become sparse in terms of fruit and vegetables, so we get quite inventive with turnips, like salt-baking and fermenting them.”