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Four years ago, Tom Kitchin launched his eponymous restaurant in Leith. Within six months, The Kitchin had been awarded its first Michelin star and, not long afterwards, Tom was becoming a regular face on the telly thanks to his appearances on the Great British Menu.

Next Wednesday, he launches Castle Terrace, a sister restaurant to The Kitchin, on, you guessed it, Castle Terrace in Edinburgh. Dominic Jack, an old kitchen comrade of Tom, will be heading up the brigade.

Typical dishes from the a la carte might include a saddle of organically farmed Perthshire rabbit, served en pastilla, with heather

honey glazed turnips and a light mustard jus (£25) or the tartare of wild seabass from Usan, served with ginger, lemon and apple (£14). A three course lunch is £19.50.

The blog had a chat with them both about sofa surfing, poncy presentation and Michelin stars.

5pm: What was the catalyst for opening Castle Terrace?

TK: Castle Terrace is about two things: it’s The Kitchin expanding but it’s also about creating something for Dominic Jack. He will be the chef patron at Castle Terrace. He is part of the business but it’s his restaurant.

I will never cook at Castle Terrace, only at The Kitchin. Dominic will cook at Castle Terrace all the time. It’s everything that The Kitchin stands for in terms of seasonality, local suppliers and friendly service which is laidback but still fine dining.

The management team from The Kitchin will be overseeing both ventures. It’s completely under the same umbrella as The Kitchin but Dominic is the man there. He is the one who will make his name and people will come for his cooking.

5pm: Are you two old muckers?

DJ: My first memory of Tom was his curly hair coming into the kitchen at Gleneagles. That was a bit of a no no then and he had to get it trimmed. I thnk he was marched off to the barber’s. Gleneagles, back in the day, was pretty severe like that.

TK: We met at Gleneagles and then we both went down to London and on to the Michelin restaurants in Paris together. Dom was in Paris before me and when I pitched up I crashed on the floor of his tiny studio flat while I sorted myself out. I thought I’d be there for a fortnight but was kipping on that Li-lo for a year.

5pm: Were they tough times?

TK: There were all these inspirational rock ‘n’ roll chefs around. We would finish our shift at night and read books like Marco Pierre White’s White Heat. We would be looking at one another and saying, ‘You know what? I fancy a bit of that.’

You needed to have that raw enthusiasm to work eighteen hours a day and get your arse kicked for most of them. We were 21 and those were some of our best days ever. We lived and breathed cooking.

5pm: How do your cooking styles differ?

DJ: Our styles are similar in that we are both trained in the same sorts of kitchens. The difference is that I’m more poncey when it comes to dressing the plate while Tom is a bit more rustic.

TK: He is more influenced by Mediterranean cooking. He uses more olive oil based sauces and a huge variety of vegetables. Dom’s cooking is probably more refined than mine. He loves his presentation but he is very honest in his cooking.

As he settles into his own restaurant, his own personality and dishes will come through. Chefs’ cooking evolves when you give them the chance to work in their own space.

5pm: Dominic, few chefs want to tempt fate when it comes to Michelin but you’ve worked in Michelin restaurants for the last eight years. Is gaining a star on your mind?

DJ: It’s the dream of every chef that has worked in a Michelin environment to do it. If I got one of my own it would be amazing. But, it’s not the be all and end all. As long as the restaurant is busy and the customers are happy then I’ll be happy.