Stac Polly Restaurant
29-33 Dublin Street Edinburgh EH3 6NL
Stac Polly, named after a hill popular with Highland hikers, is a resolutely Scottish place in Edinburgh's New Town, offering generous mains in a cosy, subterranean atmosphere that will tempt you to linger for dessert, if indeed you can manage it. Exposed granite brickwork, wooden beams and some nice touches such as a grandfather clock and a back wall mirror which looks like a leaded window, lend the cosy basement an intimate feel, while the bigger ground-floor level resembles a smart country hotel reception. The sirloin steak is a crash course in carnivorism, coming as it does with a crispy rasher of smoked bacon and a generous disc of black pudding, while the ling fillet wrapped in parma ham served with a timbale of sweet potato mash and a sweet chilli jam is an equally rich confection. The largely traditional Scottish fusion fare and ambience attracts a well dressed – and well heeled – crowd, and there’s an impressive selection of bottled ales from the Orkney Brewery and as many whiskies as you can shake a spurtle at. For smokers, there is the added benefit of a courtyard with tables, something of a rarity in Edinburgh.
