The John Hope Gateway opens tomorrow at the west end of Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden. A new £15.7m visitor facility, it is aiming to be a shining beacon of green construction, sustainability and an important biodiversity resource as well. The grub looks pretty good too.
The 120 cover restaurant is run by Prestige Scotland who are employing plenty of enviro-friendly techniques and products to chime with the green ethos of the centre. Bespoke chairs and tables have been designed for the restaurant with the timber for the tabletops coming from tress previously felled and seasoned from the four Gardens of RBGE in Edinburgh; Benmore, in Argyll; Logan, in Dumfries & Galloway and Dawyck, in the Scottish Borders.
Locally sourced, seasonal food are key to the menu at John Hope. This might mean a breakfast of Ayrshire middle bacon, Stornoway black pudding, haggis, grilled tomato, field mushroom, pork sausage, tattie scone and a free range egg or a starter dish of Eyemouth crab salad, sweet and sour cucumber and radish salad with a lemon and pepper dressing. Typical main courses include pan fried woodland mushrooms, grilled sour dough, garlic, lemon and parsley butter sauce.
