Photo of
July 16, 2018

Brasserie Prince Michel Roux senior, OBE, and Alain Roux get cracking in the kitchen.

Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux launched in Edinburgh's five star Balmoral hotel recently. The 5pm Dining blog put on its best bib and tucker and went along for a peek.

The new restaurant replaces Hadrian's Brasserie and The Balmoral Bar which launched 21 years ago.

First up, it all looks great. The decor is smart but with little retro touches that hint at the hotel's roots as a railway hotel.

The brasserie now has a separate entrance on Princes Street which leads into the bar area. You can choose to sit around the corner of the bar, by the open fire, or lounge in the main bar area and gaze along into the dining room.

Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux The dining room of the brasserie.

As before, the dining room runs up the Bridges side of the building. The kitchen has been opened up so diners can watch the chefs in action.

While Alain Roux's name is above the door, the Roux family are very much involved. Michel Roux senior was at the launch.

He said, 'In my lifetime, I have opened twelve restaurants with Albert Roux and, between them, they have eleven Michelin stars. With Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux, we wanted to create something that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. We wanted something that was less gastro and more brasserie. At the same time, we want this brasserie to be among the best.'

Brasserie Prince: French technique and Scottish ingredients

Michel Roux says that the food is 'to be enjoyed and shared'. According to Alain Roux, the new venture 'will be defined by a seasonally changing menu rooted in French bistro dishes... We will be led by the fantastic array of Scottish ingredients...

'I want to serve the dishes that I love to cook myself at home and seek out with family and friends when we go out to eat. It will be a menu informed by my French heritage but totally inspired by Scotland.'

On the plate, this means dishes such as the classic fish stew bouillabaisse, grilled lobster thermidor, coq au vin tagliatelle and steak tartare with Parmesan and French fries.

Guests can push the boat out and order up the fruits de mer or dine more modestly from the daily specials.

These range from tripe with carrots and new potatoes to the rabbit leg in a mustard sauce with a courgette gratin.

There are also bites and sharing platters. You could snack on a croque-monsieur or feast on a platter laden with Balmoral smoked salmon and halibut with capers, lemon and rye soda bread.

The bar at Brasserie Prince.

Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux is very much a collaboration between the Rocco and Forte families. The Balmoral is a Rocco Forte hotel.

Alain Roux is the Signature Chef at Brasserie Prince. The chef currently retains three Michelin stars at The Waterside Inn, the only restaurant in the world outside France to have upheld this accolade for more than thirty years.

Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux completes a five year refurbishment plan for the iconic five-star Rocco Forte hotel. As well as the creation of the destination whisky bar, SCOTCH, the refurbishment has seen big changes at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant Number One and Palm Court, its afternoon tea lounge.

The main bar area has an entrance onto Princes Street.

Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux The dining room leads into the bar.