The restaurant’s signature dish of rolled pig’s head with langoustines tells you everything you need to know about Kitchin’s cuisine. It may begin with an exercise in brutish butchery but the finished dish is exquisitely plated and feels gloriously refined, complete with protruding shards of pig’s ear and a tart sauce Gribiche.

The eponymous Kitchin is the star of this Edinburgh eatery; his vision and expertise see to that. Yet, his wife Michaela is equally as efficient in her Director role. The pair opened the restaurant in 2006 and their stellar CV’s and international experience have seen the restaurant quickly rise to the top table of UK restaurants.

The food may be out of this world but customers can feel at home in the relaxed atmosphere cultivated by the Kitchin’s. Far from being quiet and reverential, the atmosphere has been described as ‘noisy with excited chatter’ by Jay Rayner. The grey-hued décor is designed to showcase the old stone features of the building, while a glass window offers diners a glimpse into the kitchen.

Kitchin can be found behind the stove on most days, and the restaurant offers changeable tasting menus (alongside the more resolute a la carte) which showcase the best of seasonal Scottish produce and the chef’s distinguished style – a true evocation of ‘From Nature to Plate’.