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December 16, 2019

As well as a revamp, the Heritage Portfolio café now has a new name: Paolozzi’s Kitchen.

The interiors and menu have been inspired by one of Scotland’s most acclaimed artists, Eduardo Paolozzi.

The Leith-born Pop Art pioneer has a permanent exhibition at Modern Two and the café is built around his 24ft high Vulcan sculpture.

The new concept for the 72 cover restaurant pays homage to the renowned Scots Italian artist and sculptor who donated a large collection of his lifetime works to the gallery. One of the reasons Modern Two (previously known as the Dean Gallery) opened, was to display his collection.

Siobhan Leith, Head of Marketing at Heritage Portfolio said:

'Paolozzi’s Kitchen is the perfect fusion of Eduardo’s roots, serving classic Italian dishes made with seasonal and local Scottish produce to create a social dining experience. As one of Scotland’s most celebrated artists and someone whose work is very much at the heart of Modern Two, it therefore  felt right to pay tribute to Paolozzi’s work in everything from the dishes and design of the menu, down to the colourful pop art inspired interior of the cafe.'

Italian influence

Paolozzi’s Kitchen aims to create a fusion between culture and food, bringing together Eduardo’s heritage with a quirky, Scottish twist. The menu features a variety of Italian influenced dishes, and sharing plates created with locally sourced produce to provide a refreshing sociable dining experience with a cultural backdrop.

On the plate, this means big dishes such as haggis lasagne - slow-cooked, rich tomato and haggis with cheddar béchamel - or the venison ragu: braised venison in a rich ragu, with herby set polenta and dressed leaf and herb salad.

Lighter bite options include the soup of the day, served with or without a cheese and Arran mustard scone.

Paolozzi’s Kitchen also offers a variety of bruschetta open sandwiches. Toppings include a white bean and confit garlic hummus with hazelnut dukkha, chilli flakes and rocket or the hot smoked salmon with horseradish crème fraiche, pickled fennel, crispy capers and watercress.