Eating out in Edinburgh: This contemporary Scottish restaurant should be on your must-try list

If you’re looking for an established and authentic eatery offering contemporary Scottish cuisine and quality seafood then First Coast should be on your list.

This cosy 60-seater restaurant is the perfect size to offer a lively atmosphere as well as intimacy, some personal service and attention and a menu extensive enough to give plenty of choice for the discerning diner.

Being just a short walk from Haymarket train station in Edinburgh it has a city centre location, but with the welcome and friendliness of a local neighbourhood bistro. It’s casual but classy dining, with a friendly and lively atmosphere.

Lighter and brighter

Under new management since September last year First Coast has undergone some cosmetic updating whilst retaining its core menu and adding even more speciality seafood.

The interior now has a fresher, more modern and lighter look and a brand new bar area, giving it a contemporary style to match the cuisine.

Seafood is a speciality at this Dalry Road restaurant, and with an abundance of fresh and fabulous fish and shellfish available within just a few food miles it’s no surprise that it is one of the most popular choices with diners.

For example, your starter oysters can be eaten just fresh and chilled, or grilled with a parsley and butter crust; scallops with ox sauce and pickled daikon, Shetland mussels marinieres or with tomato and caper sauce or salt and pepper squid may tickle your seafood tastebuds.

Sticking with seafood for mains how about monk fish tail, cauliflower purée, potato crisps and a white wine emulsion or Whole Sea Bream with green veg and roast potatoes, lemon, garlic, parsley sauce or a hearty piece of roasted Hake with peppers, chorizo, light cannellini beans and tomato stew.

Of course there is plenty for the meat-lovers too - Homemade haggis, neeps, creamy mash, ginger gravy for starters perhaps and for mains sirloin steak (10 oz), watercress, roast tomatoes, beef jus and fries or duck breast, Jerusalem artichoke purée, kale, cranberry jus and roast potatoes. And there are a few well-thought out vegetarian options on the menu as well, such as fettuccine pasta, wild mushrooms, marsala, pecorino crisps.

And with starters from £5.95 (for soup of the day) and main courses from £12.95 (monk fish) on the evening dinner menu it offers great value too.

First Coast

The restaurant gets its name from a small village in Wester Ross in the North West Highlands. It was established in 2003 before being taken over last September. Area manager Roberto Silvagni says whilst it has a fresh new look its commitment to superb ingredients, well cooked and a friendly ambiance remain the same.

With ingredients sourced as locally as possible, the chefs focus on using bold flavours and unfussy presentation to create fresh, tasty, homemade food while still incorporating flavours from around the world, showcasing the best of Scottish produce, in an original and interesting way.

Find out more, check out the menu and book a table at First Coast.