We had a choice of two things to blog about today.

One was the news that Gwyneth Paltrow has a new cookbook in her doubtless spotless pipeline.

It is called The Clean Plate. It contains more than a hundred recipes which can be customised into specific meal plans.

Fair enough.

Then we read on and discovered that the recipes combined 'delicious flavours and clean ingredients'.

We're all for delicious flavours. However, the idea of 'clean' ingredients smells more like a profitable marketing trope than anything to do with sensible, or indeed, enjoyable eating.

Apparently, Paltrow's food can both 'detox' and 'cleanse'. Two jobs which most people leave to their liver, an organ which is very good at both cleansing and detoxing.

Famously, or rather infamously, Paltrow has also advised women to steam their crotches. 

An idea so outlandish that it does make one wonder if she is really the right person to consult for a decent chilli recipe.

So, this blog isn't going to be about Paltrow's new book.

New Edinburgh restaurant

Instead we're going to scribble about the new Edinburgh restaurant from Chef director Dale Mailley, part of the team that already runs The Gardener's Cottage and Quay Commons.

Having enjoyed a number of meals at The Gardener's Cottage, we have no comment to make on the food's detox or cleansing qualities but we can vouch for its inventiveness and careful sourcing.

First restaurant on Calton Hill

Scheduled to open to the public on Saturday 24th November, The Lookout will be the first ever restaurant on Calton Hill.

The cantilevered building juts out from the northwest slope of the hill and promises breath-taking, floor-to-ceiling views across the Firth of Forth and the city skyline.

The restaurant will be open five days a week for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The lunch and dinner offerings will be centred on a seasonal a la carte menu, complemented by a prix fixe menu. Breakfast will also be served from 10am.

Scottish produce

Diners can expect to see dishes like Douglas Fir-cured sea trout with sauerkraut, seaweed and rye bread; Gigha halibut, butternut squash purée, golden sultanas and brioche and clam vinaigrette; lobster smoked over oak with seaweed butter; Tweed Valley mallard roasted on the crown; and spiced pumpkin and chocolate tart, star anise and molasses ice-cream with pear, honey and walnut crumble.

Chef director Dale Mailley said: 'Edinburgh is a vibrant and bustling city with a thriving food scene. There’s already a wonderful array of restaurants in the city, and I believe The Lookout will offer an exciting new option.

'We’ll be serving a modern take on the food we have evolved over the last six years at The Gardener’s Cottage to complement The Lookout’s modern architecture, and of course, those spectacular views.'