Restaurant review: Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Brasserie

SITTING overlooking St Andrew Square in Harvey Nichols’ Forth Floor Restaurant at midday, the menu seemed to be orientated a little too much toward evening fare, and the bustling Brasserie across the partition looked more appealing and ‘lunchy’.

Once resettled by the happy-to-help staff, we were given two menus with choices ranging from lobster and soup, to cote de boeuf.

Feeling like a light lunch before our continued perusal of the shops, my friend chose from the fixed price menu. With two courses at £15 and three at £18 it presents a very reasonable option. She went for the Heritage Tomato Salad followed by Lamb Kofta. I went for the Tomato caprese salad, which was £12, and we shared all three dishes.

The salad was a beautiful combination of red, green and yellow tomatoes. Whilst good overall, some of the tomatoes on the bottom were a touch bland and mushy.

Our kofta, a slight surprise on the menu, was beautifully presented on a wooden board and came with a yogurt dip and a little too much pitta. It was a good dish with a nice combination of flavours, but we agreed it stood out as a somewhat unusual option in the context of the rest of the menu.

The Caprese salad was impressively portioned, with good quality mozzarella and ripe tomatoes. We felt it was a bit much for one person.

On the side we shared the broccoli with garlic crisps (£3). Beautifully cooked and well complimented by the seasoning, they were a delicious and well-executed side.

The staff throughout the meal were attentive. However, we did wait quite some time for our bill.

Overall, the Brasserie is a lovely place to pop in for lunch and is not as pretentious as it may seem.

Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Brasserie, St Andrew Square, 0131-524 8350