Restaurant review: Purslane, Edinburgh

IT WAS with a nagging sense of sorrow that I heard Redwood, Stockbridge’s enjoyably easy-going Californian eatery, had closed down.

But it turns out that one plant’s demise has provided fertile ground for another equally impressive organism – albeit a scrubby herb – to take root.

Purslane, my arboreally inclined friends tell me, is a pretty but otherwise unimpressive little plant that is sometimes known as pink purslane and which, like the majestic Redwood, originates in north America. Transplanted to this country in the 1700s, a white variant is known as the Stewarton flower because it is found largely just outside the village near Kilmarnock – although its pink variety is also found throughout the Highlands and islands.

A leafy vegetable with a slightly sour and salty taste that is often used in salads, soups and stews, purslane is cooked in the same way as spinach, and is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also the name chosen for the new restaurant launched before Christmas by Paul Gunning.

He’s a chef who has largely flown under the radar but who has had the good fortune to work under a trio of Michelin-starred chefs – Marco Pierre White, at the River Room, Jeff Bland, at the Balmoral, and Phil Thompson, at Auberge Du Lac. He has also time spent under Edinburgh’s inestimable evangelist for Languedoc cuisine, La Garrigue’s Jean-Michel Gauffre, and at Dalhousie Castle.

Six months ago, Gunning moved into the basement space formerly occupied by Redwood, but instead of offering a notably different proposition – as Redwood did – his menu looks at first sight like one that would not be out of place across the road at the Stockbridge Restaurant. Although Gunning’s offering was clearly a good deal more high falutin’ than many of his immediate neighbours, he was nevertheless planning to operate in an affluent little enclave of the capital that is stuffed full of decent restaurants – from Bell’s Diner to Room in the New Town – ploughing the same furrow of contemporary Scottish cuisine, not to mention the superior pub grub served by Iglu or the seafood option provided by Café Fish.

Yet such is the quality of Gunning’s cooking that we soon forgot our misgivings about his location, parked our prejudices and got down to the important business of savouring one of the most enjoyable meals of my year. It was also, by some measure, one of the best-value. So my advice to any Edinburghers who fancy a good evening out is to get yourselves down to St Stephen Street pronto.

I’ve had several recommendations for the place, and word has clearly already spread because when we arrived at Purslane, on a bog-standard Wednesday evening in March, the place was heaving. The other thing that was unmistakeable was the extent of the makeover the place has undergone since Redwood called it a day: instead of hippy reds and endless cushions, throws and other bits of year-off chic, the decor is now stylish, contemporary and unobtrusively classy.

This is all matched by a menu that promised so much that it eventually took a pin to decide which dishes to eat and which to leave out. In the end, we overlooked the pork cromesqui with black pudding and celeriac purée, gave the crispy chicken Asian salad and chilli and soy dressing a sideswerve and ignored the salmon ballontine with parsley mayonnaise and celeriac remoulade. Instead, Vicky opted for the prawn and leek remoulade with crab bonbons and tomato dressing while I chose the cauliflower velouté with walnuts and blue cheese.

And if our appetites had been whetted by the menu, the sublimely doughy home-made bread gave an indicator of a fine meal to come – and we weren’t to be disappointed. The first thing that struck me about my cauliflower velouté, however, was that there wasn’t anywhere near enough of it – about half the amount I would ideally want, or what Vicky termed a child’s portion (which is disappointing because its raw ingredients are fairly inexpensive). But the more important thing was that it was otherwise absolutely perfect, with a velvety slickness that was allied to a deep, resonant flavour of cauliflower and an explosion of taste every time one of the chunks of blue cheese made it on to the spoon.

If I liked my starter, Vicky was equally enamoured of her prawn and leek roulade. Light, vibrant and with a definite emphasis on the prawn rather than the leek, it was served with a perfectly judged tomato salsa and deep-fried crab bonbons that provided a lovely counterpoint to the citrussy-fresh main event.

Our main courses were none too shabby either. My black-as-the-ace-of-spades braised ox cheeks were melt-in-the-mouth delicious; as succulent as any meat I can remember. If I didn’t enjoy the six large gnocchi discs that accompanied it – too cloying, too unctuous – the wild leeks and extraordinarily mushroomy cream sauce more than atoned (although, yet again, there was too little sauce and both Vicky and I asked for more). Vicky’s roast guinea fowl with fondant and stuffed cabbage was also well executed, with beautifully moist meat – although clearly a notch below the almost unfettered excellence on my plate.

If pudding is generally the Achille’s heel of such meals, for once the occasion rose to a crescendo rather than falling meekly away. My pair of crisp plum spring rolls with mango salsa and sweet chilli sauce were absolutely outstanding (and reminded me a little of the chocolate spring rolls that made the much lamented neighbouring Saint restaurant’s name). Vicky rated her rhubarb and ginger cheesecake as comfortably the best pudding she has had this year.

There was virtually nothing about Purslane that jarred. The service was home-spun but friendly, the wine list represented very good value (including a dessert wine for £2.75), and the place has the sort of low hum of enjoyment that constantly and subconsciously reaffirms your decision to eat there. Best of all, though, was the price. With two courses coming in at £22 and three courses at £26 at all times of the week, Purslane is not one of those luxuries that needs to be reserved for special occasions. For that, we should all be extremely thankful.

Purslane

33a St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh (0131-226 3500)

Bill please

Two courses £21.95 Three courses £25.95