As fashions are cyclical (this year, we’ve seen bucket hats, slogan t-shirts and pedal pushers return alongside certain 90s bands), so too are restaurants. While small plates and fine dining are still with us (although, arguably, waning), one of Edinburgh’s newer openings returns to simpler times, where no one was asking you to share five anchovies for a tenner. Stockbridge’s The Captain Darling is bringing back prawn cocktail, shepherd’s pie, steak frîtes, bargain ‘worker’s lunch’ and Sunday roasts. It’s even reclaiming the term ‘brasserie’. 

Replacing long-term brunch spot Hamiltons, this is a new venture for The Òir Group, known for Bodega and Lucky Yu. Inside, there’s a moody green colour scheme with mustard yellow fabric and lots of blonde wood. Jazz plays and there’s a low-key buzz. Candles burn on low tables and there are plenty of seats at the bar: a sign we’re aiming for proper pub, not just restaurant-with-bar. 

To begin, of course, that prawn cocktail: thankfully, salad-cream slicked tiny crustaceans have been left in the past. They’re replaced by fat juicy langoustine tails in a zingy burnt lemon and paprika sauce with crisp lettuce. From the charcoal grill, a fillet of sea trout is beautifully fresh, with a retro (but delicious) pink grapefruit sauce and charred broccoli. The steak in the steak frîtes is a little more done than necessary, but the meat remains tender and tasty, and the chips are very good. The finale is lemon posset, brought forward for today’s tastes with a dash of peppery extra-virgin olive oil and a crunch of sea salt. Taking classic dishes and doing them well is the intention here, and it works. Who knew that a return to the past could feel like a breath of fresh air? A warm welcome to The Captain Darling, and a special welcome back to ‘working’ pub lunches. 

The Captain Darling, 16–18 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh,; average price £12.50 for a one-course worker’s lunch.