Birdy headed to the award-winning Twenty Princes Street to check out the contemporary Scottish menu – and she took her family with her!
I hadn’t heard a lot about Twenty Princes Street; it was my partner who had drawn attention to it when looking for somewhere nice and central (based in Hotel Indigo) to venture for a family meal. The awards and renowned head chef Mattia Camorani was kind of the cincher.
Having had a look at the menu in advance of the meal, I was getting quite excited at the prospect. We had originally booked a table for six, but luckily the restaurant allowed us to change our booking to four at relatively short notice due to unforeseen circumstances.
Twenty Princes Street’s vibe
As soon as you walk into Twenty Princes Street, you can tell it has quite a premium vibe to it, yet also quite relaxed. The lighting is complementary to the views of busy Princes Street below.
There’s lots of Scottish-themed art on the walls, but with lovely art deco elements that only elevate the vibe.
It was a Sunday night, so it wasn’t overly busy, but there was a steady stream of customers enjoying their meals.
We were seated at quite a large round table, and were made to feel instantly comfortable. We were given menus to peruse, but felt in no rush to order, which was nice and allowed us lots of relaxed chat.
Twenty Princes Street’s food
I cannot praise the food highly enough at Twenty Princes Street, and let’s just say I now see what all the fuss is about.
To drink, I ordered a mocktail called ‘Tropical Thunder’ which was absolutely sublime, whilst my partner had a soft drink and my parentals ordered wine.
Onto the food! To begin, I had the most expensive starter on the menu, which was seared Orkney scallops with mango and chilli salsa in a lime coconut broth. That’s right; they put the lime in the coconut, but I didn’t drink it all up. It paired very nicely with the salsa and scallops, though! I also got a very decent amount of scallops for my 17 quid, which was greatly appreciated.
For my main a had a 10oz sirloin steak, with triple-cooked chips… and just to be an absolute boss, I had a side of mac ‘n cheese with that. Which is just something I do when it’s on offer. I ordered it medium rare, and it was absolutely delicious – 10/10, would have again.
For my dessert, I had cranachan. I love a good cranachan, although maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention to the description when I ordered, as it came with a sorbet surprise in the middle! Mayhaps a modern take on cranachan. It was, again, delicious.
My partner and parental units also enjoyed their meals, my dad had an Irish coffee, and every single plate was cleared. Definitely a winner in my book!
Twenty Princes Street’s staff
The staff at Twenty were lovely and friendly.
My mum took delight in the fact she shared a name with one of our servers, who joked that she must, then, be a good person.
Aa few laughs were had, a pleasant chat, and all of our food was served in a timely manner.
Overall, the pleasantness of the staff added to the experience, but mainly it was a family-focused meal and the service kind of fell into the background – everything done right, no complaints, but space and time to chat. Just as it should be.
Things to do around Princes Street
What isn’t there to do on such a central location as Princes Street? There’s the shopping, of course, with all the shops on Princes Street, plus the nearby St James Quarter just a couple of minutes’ walk away.
Fancy seeing a show? The Playhouse theatre is also within walking distance, and Twenty could be a good pre-theatre dinner if it suited. Alternatively, there’s also the Omni Centre, where you can catch a film at Vue!
Since Twenty Princes Street is based literally in Hotel Indigo, that’s an easy solution if looking for a place to stay – but there’s also the Premier Inn, the Glass House Hotel, York House Hotel, and many, many more!
Your nearest train station is Waverley Station, literally situated across the road, and buses along Princes Street are 10 to a dozen!
Overall
I had a really lovely time at Twenty Princes Street, and the restaurant and view of Princes Street offered the perfect spot for a family catch up. The meal was absolutely perfect in every way, and it’s easy to see why Twenty is so highly revered.
I would definitely eat here again, although it is a tad on the pricey side, so probably more for a special occasion than a regular meal out. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been, though.
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