Edinburgh's Hilton Grosv-enor Hotel, just a stone's throw away from Haymarket train station, has recently benefited from a bit of a makeover.

But its on-site restaurant, The Townhouse, has yet to be refurbished so the goldfish bowl dining experience may be due for a change.

As it stands the restaurant is essentially a glass box on three sides with open panelling allowing the chart hits from the bar to filter into the section.

The menu - which at just under s25 a head appeared to be something of a bargain - had a good mix of traditional Scottish and European-influenced cuisine.

For starters, my dining partner chose the grilled Venison pave, which basically meant the meat was cut into rectangles, on warm ciabatta with Stilton and a mixed peppercorn dressing.

I opted for the Stornaway black pudding with mature cheddar rosti (Swiss fried potatoes) topped with a poached egg and smothered in hollandaise sauce.

The black pudding was cooked perfectly and was well matched with the hollandaise sauce, which didn't overwhelm the other flavours of the dish.

Although the venison was cooked perfectly, the Stilton was just too strong a flavour, overpowering the peppercorn sauce and detracting from the meat Dragging the Stilton to one side made the dish more palatable.

For the main course I went for the braised Oxtail with mushroom haggis, topped with a braising liqueur, while my partner chose the medallions of Scotch beef in a red onion and whisky sauce with fondant potato.

We opted for a South African Shiraz, which was a perfect match for the rich meat dishes.

To round things off, Ann went for a cheese selection which was, again, overpowered by the strength of the Stilton.

I decided on a sweeter option with the banana and caramel brulee, which arrived with two thin slices of fruit on top of what was just a caramel brulee. The simplicity did not detract from my enjoyment of it

With its set price menu, The Townhouse does offer real value for money with not able highlights. but I was letdown at times by having too many flavours clashing on one plate.

The Townhouse

Hilton Grosvenor Hotel

Grosvenor Street



0131 5271409 (Reservations)