After winning a Michelin star as part of Heron’s launch, and opening Stockbridge wine bar Skua, Tomás Gormley has now launched a third avian-named restaurant. Cardinal is a wee warren of rooms, muffled with thick black curtains and glowing with candlelight, with an unfussy finery vibe. Both lunch and dinner are curated, fixed-choice tasting affairs, with a steady flow of dishes arriving over several hours. 

Despite Gormley’s accolades and fine-dining price tag, the atmosphere is laid-back and quiet; the focus of the evening is very much on the dishes in front of you and the people around you. Minuscule amuse-bouches are explosions of flavour, with sea-fresh juicy oyster a nod to the abundance of quality seafood on our doorstep. While there’s a Japanese umami touch (courtesy of a crisp nori dressing) to a delicate crab dish, the emphasis is firmly on Scotland’s larder, with cherry-smoked Belhaven lobster and rose-pink strips of sirloin steak making up more substantial dishes. There are also touches of theatre: seemingly innocuous candles are placed on the table with the resulting melted beef fat used to top off a rich jus a few courses later, and you flavour the pre-dessert palate cleanser yourself with droppers of lavender and lemon. 

Like many places offering a no-choice menu, Cardinal doesn’t promise to cater to all dietary requirements, though creative substitutions are available for most dishes and needs. While it’s on the relaxed end of fine dining, at £110 for 13 courses it’s going to appeal for big celebrations or to the kind of folk who like to bag the Michelin spots before the inspectors do. 

Cardinal, 14 Eyre Place, Edinburgh; 13-course fixed menu £110.