LOVE him or loathe him, Gordon Ramsay knows what it takes to make a restaurant work.
If you have any doubt about that, tune into Channel 4's Kitchen Nightmares and check out the methods he uses to turn a failing business into a successful one.
It's painful viewing, particularly when he has a go at someone who falls short of his st
andards. But I guess you should take it on the chin – if you're smart. Tough talk has made this high-profile chef a multi-millionaire.
Businessman Barry Larson has his own pot of gold, but that didn't automatically guarantee success for his Inverness restaurant La Riviera. It was losing money fast and he was looking to the great Ramsay to turn things around.
After what was an undeniably fraught period, the guru simplified the menu, reduced out-goings and in the process, dented the French chef's pride, expediting his departure. But if the formula works – and Ramsay's does – it's sensible to work with the tide. Two years on from that first encounter, Ramsay returned to find that a new bistro had opened next door to La Riviera, which in turn had been renamed Abstract.
Much to his despair, he found the formula out of kilter with his creation. However, it seems part of the master plan had taken root, with Larson planning then launching Abstract number two, this time in the Capital.
So here we are, bang up to date on Castle Terrace on a sunny Saturday afternoon, slowly being seduced by an amuse bouche that looks as if it had come straight from the pages of a classy food magazine.
How could something so ordinary taste this good? The kitchen had transformed that much maligned veg, beetroot, into a silky gazpacho, which bore zero resemblance to anything we'd come across before.
Perhaps chef had discovered a particularly fine crop because here it was again, across the table, only this time, incorporated into a starter of small rounds of risotto. fashioned into crisply little balls placed around a scoop of creamy horseradish mousse.
This was a great marriage of flavours and textures – the essence of sweet veg and light pungent mousse.
I kicked off with something equally impressive – lightly braised onion, which had been hollowed out to make way for a goats cheese crème brûlée, which flowed on to the plate like a soft, warm blanket.
It would be easy to dismiss the handful of rocket leaves and scattering of plump sultanas as nothing more than garnish, but, of course, that wasn't the case. For chefs like Abstract's Sean Kelly, even the simplest addition has a purpose and on this occasion, the peppery/sweet combo cut through the cheese just enough to soften the rich after-taste and leave a clean taste on the palate.
Next up, corn-fed chicken breast so perfectly assembled, it seemed a pity to take it apart. The mini helping of potatoes fashioned into doll- size pillars was a nice touch and kept textures and flavours balanced, while the soft poached egg – a popular addition in contemporary French cuisine, helped keep everything moist.
There's no denying the Caesar baby gem vinaigrette was an inspired addition, but it didn't really work for me. It was rather too wilted and added nothing to the dish overall.
The meaty fillet of coley opposite got the thumbs up. It had been cooked to the point of translucency to lock in moisture and placed on a bed of parsley pomme purée.
Declared "fresh, succulent and amazing", chef could easily have left it at that, but he'd pushed things a little further by adding potted pork lardons dressed in a reduced jus, which elevated the whole experience to an entirely different level. We managed to resist luscious sounding desserts like caramel bavarois with space dust and confit banana and panna cotta.
Instead, our sugar fix came form the selection of sweets served with coffee – macaroons with a subtle infusion of aniseed, beetroot jellies and squares of fudge, with a salty aftertaste, just like the creamy creation you find on the Ile de Re in western France.
There is no question, Abstract's future in the Capital is assured. What had begun as Ramsay's formula can now rightfully be claimed by Kelly. His creativity and talent have gone into producing a slick business where everything dovetails together effortlessly.
Some days later, after sampling a variety of excellent malts at Taste Edinburgh on the Meadows, we came across Abstract's stand and despite cramped cooking conditions, paper plates and plastic forks, the food still tasted wonderful. Judging by the comments floating around, everyone thought the same. That really says it all.
THE BILL• 2 x set lunches £25.90
• 2 x coffees £5
Total £30.90Quality ****
Menu Choice ****
Surroundings ****
Service *****
Value ****
•
Abstract Restaurant & Bar, 33-35 Castle Terrace, 0131-229 1222The full article contains 822 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
