Atrium, Edinburgh Scotland

Atrium was established in 1993 by Andrew and Lisa Radford and is located in the Usher Hall with the Traverse and Lyceum Theatres. They have had a consistent reputation throughout the years of being one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, having won several awards, and they use only premium ingredients sourced from local suppliers. This small, candle lit, restaurant served us the best meal we had during our 2 1/2 week long trip through England, Scotland and Ireland.

We were promptly seated upon arrival and after ordering wine and food an amuse bouche was served and this particular night we were treated to a Carrot Soup with Sesame Oil. Subtle flavors and great taste of summer through the baby carrots the soup was made from.

We went from there to sharing two starters. The Scallops with Tomato Risotto was exactly just that: small, sweet, tender scallops served on a bed of very creamy, rich, risotto with diced tomatoes. This was absolutely delicious and the perfect starter as it would have been to heavy as a full entree due to the risotto that was loaded with cream and cheese.

The Shaved Artichoke was served on a salad of baby lettuce, tomatoes and shaved Pecorino cheese. All surrounded by traces of olive tapenade, perfect to soak up with the homemade warm bread that was served at the table. The salad was very vivid in color and flavor, and delicious.

For entree my husband had the Maize Fed Chicken. This was hands down the best chicken I have ever tasted. The meat so moist and incredibly flavorful. Served with Vegetable Medley my husband raved about it for days. And still does...

I had the Halibut with Crab Salad on a bed of home made tagliatelle with green onions, yellow onion and tomatoes. The halibut again was out of this world in flavor and cooked to perfection. The crab salad it was topped with made a perfect match. The pasta was very good but a little bit overcooked. Al dente instead and this would truly have been an amazing dish.

Dessert made me scream for more! Chocolate....(something).... with Coffee Creme Anglais. Best chocolate dessert ever! Hard to describe but kind of like a gooey, cake/brownie batter baked in a pie pastry shell, beautifully cut and decorated, and then baked to perfection. Served warm on a mirror of coffee creme anglais. Warm, gooey, intense dark chocolate. Could you ask for anything more?

On top of this complementary after dinner treats was served. I was stuffed at this point, but had to taste the Chocolate Chip Biscuit, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Truffle, and a "Oat/Granola Bar Cookie". All delicious of course.

The other highlight of the night was the wine. I choose a Pinot Noir from New Zealand that I hadn't heard of before. At a price of around 35 British pound we did not expect greatness, but it turned out to be delicious. One of the best bottles we had during the trip. So what bottle then? It was the Momo 2005 Seresin Estate Marlboruough Pinot Noir. Intense in raspberry, cherry and great acidity and tannins. Medium bodied with a long finish. A great wine that I almost cried over when getting back and realizing that it is not available in the US. Retailing for US$20-25 in England it would have been a great everyday drinking wine! Let me know if you have found it somewhere out there and know something I don't know. I want this wine!!!

The service throughout the evening was attentive but not over the top. Being used to "American" service we thought it was a little bit slow at times, but we were in no hurry and enjoyed our evening.

If you ever find yourself in the Edinburgh area this establishment is a must visit!

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