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November 15, 2018

Bruntsfield has become something of a gourmet hot spot recently and the launch of a new restaurant from the Michelin-starred Tom Kitchin will do nothing to cool things.

Southside Scran opened to the public in soft launch mode over the weekend.

After The Kitchin, Castle Terrace and Scran and Scallie, the Bruntsfield Place venture is Chef Kitchin's fourth restaurant in the capital.

A fifth venture, The Bonnie Badger, is currently taking shape in Gullane, East Lothian.

If the two most recent venues are anything like the previous ones then the project will have been a team effort with Tom's wife, Mikaela, playing an important role in their development. Tom and Mikaela are pictured above. Picture by Marc Millar.

Southside Scran is billed as an 'exclusive neighbourhood bistro'. This very much suggests that it is following more in the footsteps of Stockbridge's Scran and Scallie gastropub rather than the high end, destination dining of Castle Terrace or The Kitchin.

We have had a peak at a couple of online reviews plus a squint at a menu which early diners have already posted.

Bearing in mind that all this may change, we have gleaned the following:

The menu is split into the following sections: starters, Southside comforts, rotisserie and grill; sides and salads plus desserts and a compact kids' choice.

While we don't have the breakfast menu, the info we have seen suggests that the restaurant will be open for breakfast and brunch from 9am on Saturdays and Sundays.

Nature to plate ethos

A special from the rotisserie: whole roasted John Dory.

A special from the rotisserie: whole roasted John Dory. Pic: Tom Kitchin's Instagram

Alongside Loch Fyne oysters, a West Coast shellfish ravioli and a Borders game pithivier, the dishes which leap out include a whole roast Gartmorn Farm chicken; grass-fed Highland Wagyu tail and Clash Farm pork belly.

There is a also a Highland Wagyu burger; battered North Sea haddock; Shetland moules marinière and a vol-au-vent filled with artichoke and Katie Rodger's crowdie.

In common with the rest of the chef's menus, it demonstrates both the nature to plate ethos of his cooking and his commitment to local sourcing.

As we mentioned, the above info has been filleted from online reports of the soft launch period. Part of the reason for doing a soft launch is to see how a menu beds and possibly make changes.

So, if you make a booking for a week's time then the dishes may be a little different.

As always, the 5pm Dining blog wishes Tom and his team every success.

Side dishes from the menu at Southside Scran.

Side dishes from the menu at Southside Scran. Pic: Tom Kitchin's Twitter