There was a nice pat on the back for Dominic Jack, chef at Edinburgh’s Castle Terrace, when he was recently visited by his old employer and mentor, Alain Solivérès.
Chef Solivérès, the current holder of two Michelin stars, spent eight years training and mentoring Dominic Jack at the well posh Restaurant Taillevant and Hotel Vernet in Paris, where Dominic held the position of Sous Chef.
Solivérès was rather complimentary about the quality of Scottish produce. At his restaurant in Paris, Solivérès champions Scottish produce including langoustine, lobster, scallops, beef, lamb, grouse and even talked of his love for haggis.
He says: ‘I have travelled the world, from New York, to Hong Kong and now to Scotland and the one thing I have learnt is that regardless of where you are in the world, if you are cooking with fresh, local, seasonal produce – living and breathing excellence – that’s the making of a great chef and outstanding restaurant. Scotland has a tremendous chance to be up there with the world’s best restaurants having all the best produce at its doorstep.’
As well as being anointed as a Michelin Rising Star, Castle Terrace was awarded the Newcomer of the Year award at the Scottish Restaurant Awards earlier this year. In the vid below, Ross from the restaurant explains a little about the aims of the new Edinburgh venue.