Dominic sees stars in his eyes after top Michelin tip

The only new addition to Scotland's list of top places to eat in the latest version of the guide, Castle Terrace Restaurant has been open for just six months and is run by chef and patron Dominic Jack.

The 35-year-old said he'd had a "very intense" few months, after a spell at The Kitchin in Leith, setting up the joint-venture with friend and former colleague Tom Kitchin.

The Michelin rising star is awarded to restaurants in line for a Michelin star in the future and whose chefs are the gourmet dining stars of tomorrow.

Castle Terrace Restaurant sits in the former premises of Abstract and was redesigned by Mr Kitchin's wife, Michaela.

Mr Jack said: "I actually hadn't heard anything about it until this morning, when I had a phone call from one of the chefs to say 'congratulations'.

"I'm just back from holiday and was a bit jet-lagged. One of the boys from the kitchen had ran out to get it and there we were."

He added: "The last six months have been fantastic. I have a great team, front and back of house, who are fantastic and it's thanks to all of our efforts that we've done so well in such a short period of time.

"It's been very intense, from opening in the summer.

"Tom and I are good friends and he's invested financially in Castle Terrace.

"He's been here for four or five years and he knows the suppliers and the market so he's helped me out enormously."

Mr Jack said that he thought his restaurant had opened too late to be considered for the Michelin guide, and so was delighted to discover it had been included.

He added: "We opened quite late in the year and Michelin like to do two or three visits. I know they were there once because the assessors announced themselves when they paid the bill.

"I sat down and chatted and the guy was very positive, but he said himself it might be a bit late for this year.

"Next year we're going to be full on. We've got a good solid team and we'll continue to push ourselves."

The city's other Michelin-starred eateries - Number One (Balmoral Hotel), 21212, The Kitchin, Martin Wishart, and the Plumed Horse - all held on to their one-star accolades.

Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, in Perthshire, remained Scotland's only twice Michelin-starred restaurant.

Tony Borthwick of the Plumed Horse is celebrating the tenth year since it was first awarded a Michelin star.

He said: "We are delighted to have maintained our Michelin star, which we were first awarded ten years ago."Even with our long track record, you can never become complacent about such a prestigious award, so we work hard to constantly exceed expectations.

"It's fantastic to be a part of Leith's renowned 'Michelin Mile', with all three restaurants maintaining their star in 2011, which really cements Edinburgh's reputation as a top foodie destination, and Leith as its focus."