Masterchef finalist Dean Banks plans new restaurant in Edinburgh

The Scottish chef took to social media to ask followers for help finding a 40 to 55 seater restaurant in the city centre.

He opened his first restaurant, Haar, earlier this year in St Andrews at the five-star Kinnettles Hotel and now plans to expand the venture.

“I’m basically looking for a restaurant in Edinburgh to open the Haar two, which will offer a tasting menu only,” said Mr Banks. “The idea is that it is five courses, for £55.55, five days a week.

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“The restaurant is very much based on premium products from scallops to seabass, pheasants and high end products, every supplier knows what is best at the time. We want to let the suppliers decide what they give us when the product is at its best and we will create the menu with what we are given.”

The changing menu will be inspired by the chef’s worldwide travels where he is particularly inspired by Asian and Mediterranean flavours.

Following his last appeal for a restaurant space which the Evening News reported, he was approached to open Haar in St Andrews.

He added: “The St Andrews restaurant is going fantastic, we’ve had rave reviews and it is just taking off, but we have a lot of people visiting from Edinburgh who wish we had a restaurant there. The food is inspired by my travels while keeping it using Scottish produce, for example if I was doing a Thai green curry, I would make it but all the products would be from Scotland.”

An important factor for the Edinburgh restaurant is that it will be a space that is sustainable.

Mr Banks said: “I want to bring the concept of sustainability into the restaurant, what I don’t want is to go into a space and have to do a complete refit because that isn’t sustainable.

“I would like to go in and just add my own touches using reclaimed wood and recycled products.”

Ideal locations for the restaurant would be the top of Leith Walk or behind Edinburgh Castle.

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