Here are the most memorable meals we’ve had in the first six months of this year

We’re more than halfway through 2022, so it’s time to take stock of where we’ve been eating this year.

As far as The Scotsman Magazine restaurant reviews go, it’s been a pretty good vintage so far, with 27 weekly reviews in the bag. Here’s hoping that the remainder of the year will bring more top scoring meals (and maybe even bag that elusive 10/10).

Eleanore 9/10

This was one of the first reviews of the year, so we peaked pretty early. At the end of last year, The Little Chartroom moved to Bonnington Road, and the second project from Roberta Hall-McCarron and her husband Shaun McCarron, slipped into their old property. It’s a lovely, though bijoux, space, with a design as if you’re on a boat, coveted window seats and a soundtrack that includes Fleetwood Mac. On our visit, we had cured halibut and orange kosho, as well as BBQ king oyster mushroom. The current menu is just as exciting, and includes a couple of top fish dishes - trout, crab bisque, XO sauce and sesame, or halibut, fennel, walnut and fermented white asparagus. For pudding, there’s strawberry, creme fraiche, sake and pink peppercorn.

This place recently won Restaurant of the Year at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards.

30-31 Albert Place, Edinburgh (0131 600 0990, www.eleanore.uk)

Shucks 8.5/10

It seems that everything the team at Cail Bruich touches turns to gold at the moment. They’ve got their original Michelin-starred restaurant, which is looked after by head chef Lorna McNee. Then there’s all-day venue Epicures and, just across the road, this new seafood restaurant, which we visited back in June. It’s pretty plush, evidenced by the fact that it has a cruise ship style Champagne trolley that includes a bottle of Dom Perignon. We had the beautiful kingfish dish and Peterhead coley with crushed potato, mussel and Arbroath Smokie cream. However, they’ve currently offering oysters at a “buck a shuck” from Wednesday to Friday, 4-6pm, and there’s a new BBQ mackerel, oyster and wasabi emulsion, cucumber and bonito dish that we have our eye on.

168 Hyndland Road, Glasgow (0141 473 0080, www.shucksglasgow.com)

Our favourite Scottish restaurant reviews of 2022 so far