Timberyard Review – Exceptional Fine Dining in Edinburgh

Timberyard is a Must-Try Stop in Edinburgh

A smorgasbord of snacks, all served at once, started off our delicious meal. A blood sausage mousse on top of toast spread with a thin layer of lardo kicked things off. It was super umami and savory, but some pickled rhubarb provided a tangy and acidic contrast.

Some amazing crusty sourdough bread was served with cultured butter, a tangy soft cheese with a fermented pear sauce, and quince preserve. A creative pickle spread was also served- carrots, turnips, and radish served with a miso and a pepita praline.

All the pickles were made in house and had a great depth of flavor and crunch.

The final snack to round things out was a salty cured beef, cecina, and a spread made with cecina trimmings that was rich, salty, and savory.

The first drink pairing was a delightful farmhouse beer called Volta (from Cyclic Beer Farm in Spain) that was wild-fermented. The crispness, acidity, and slight funk made for a perfect pairing with the pickles and savory flavors of the snack spread.

An oyster interlude followed with tangy yogurt, wild herbs, and sorrel. The flavors were very herbaceous and fresh, but also creamy from the yogurt.

The first real course was one of my favorites- cockles, sea orache (a salty sea green kind of like kale or seaweed), a horseradish foam, and Amalfi lemon. The cockles were tender and bursting with sea flavor, the sea orache enhanced that saltiness, the horseradish contrasted with its zippy creaminess, and the lemon finished it off with a kick of acidity.

This dish was simply perfection. The wine pairing was Costador Presa Romana, a macabeu from Catalonia, Spain.

Next up was a beautifully plated smoked trout dish with purple potatoes, unripe currants, lemon thyme, and hollandaise. The hollandaise was luxurious and rich, but the currants and thyme brought acidity and freshness. We particularly liked the wine pairing, an orange rkatsiteli from Georgia.

A double-fish course arrived next, with a nice piece of skate that was rich, tender, and juicy, along with a creamy sauce, asparagus, and elderflower.

But, an insanely plump and juicy piece of lobster that was so sweet and meaty stole the show in this course. A sauce with coriander grass, reminiscent of lemongrass, was an excellent pairing for the lobster. A Vin de Savoie Ayze from Domaine du Gringet allowed the seafood to shine.

An ultra-rich and meaty piece of quail soon arrived for our main course. Juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned, it was served with a spring pea pod, tropea onion, and tender greens. The flavors were simple but executed with perfection. The only red wine of the night was served alongside this course- a pinot nero from Dalzocchio in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.

Next we were offered an extra cheese course, which I simply couldn’t say no to. The cheese cart was wheeled over to us and the server gave an explanation of the origin of each cheese and detailed info on how each was made.

We opted for two Scottish cheeses, one an unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese and one a goat cheese covered in ash. They were served with an apple butter and a quince jam, and a tiny piece of Scottish honeycomb. House-made fennel seed crackers and oat crackers were thick with a hint of sweetness and were great accompaniments to the cheese plate.

It was truly one of my favorite courses, so don’t skip out on this one!

Flavors slowly transitioned towards the sweet side with the next course, a ricotta cream mouse with a tart black currant sauce. An interesting muscatellu from Antoine-Marie Arena in Corsica was served with this course.

For the final course we had an ice cream that was creamy but not super sweet, with a black currant leaf granita that was insanely and deliciously floral.

The standout wine of the evening was paired with this one- a 1989 Vouvray from Francois Pinon that was luscious but still rocking plenty of acidity.

At one point near the end of the meal, the servers brought around a basket with some of the raw ingredients like herbs and aromatics that they used in the dishes and explained each of them.

They used a lot of pine, pine needles, herbs, and lots of ingredients with fresh, green flavors. There were also tons of foraged, local, and fermented ingredients- they even have their own fermentation shed to the back of the restaurant.

We loved how personable and friendly the servers were, answering our questions about the food and wine, and even showing us into their wine cellar when we mentioned that we had studied wine.

The only slight downside for us to the meal was that the wines tended to lean towards natural and minimal intervention wines, which we appreciate but aren’t necessarily our favorite for the price.

While there are plenty of high-end spots to enjoy in Edinburgh, Timberyard was a standout for us, striking the right balance of local ingredients, excellent flavors, creativity, stunning ambience, and amazing service. We’d gladly return if we’re ever back in town!

Timberyard is located at 10 Lady Lawson Street in Edinburgh.