One very cold (standard) evening in Edinburgh, I found myself enjoying a couple tequila cocktails at Hoot the Redeemer. Gorgeously named ” ‘You Dancin?”… I was not. Not being able to obtain reservations where I’d hoped and disappointed to find Hawksmoor closed, I pulled out my credit card and booked a table at Brasserie Prince in the elegant Hotel Balmoral. I’ve always given a lustful side eye to their Michelin starred resto, but haven’t yet pulled the trigger, so this felt like a good first step.

The dining room was old school elegantly chic and had the clientele to match. It was a very waspy crowd with tables of elder generations discussion excursions to see St. Andrew’s and other golf courses. Wheeeeee. I chilled in a very cozy corner of the brasserie and laughed to myself, taking it all in and simultaneously bringing down the average age a decade or two, save the staff.

My cozy corner featured lots of pillows, this fabulously striped ceiling, and a heavy pour of pinot noir that lasted both of my courses. Talk about adulting.

My main was the Scottish salmon (when in Rome) with hollandaise and some truffled leeks. My cutie server suggested these “nattie” potatoes as friends too. Simple and indulgent.

I splurged for dessert and was treated to an apple tart, that was a bit too reminiscent of a breakfast pastry for my liking. I nibbled the apple slices and almond paste and said no thanks to the dull phyllo outskirts.

If you are seeking a low key evening, this is delicious food in a beautiful setting. It seems funny to have so many well-heeled older generations as patrons and have to secure with a credit card… and yet I did… and I’m glad I did. I look forward to that salmon on a future trip…unless I hit their Michelin star first…