Restaurant The Dining Room at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society collects prestigious award at The AA Hospitality Awards

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s restaurant The Dining Room in Edinburgh (www.thediningroomedinburgh.co.uk/) has been named as Restaurant of the Year for Scotland at the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards in London.

The Dining Room restaurant, situated on the first floor of the Society’s 28 Queen Street venue, was praised for its superb service and the culinary brilliance of head chef James Freeman and his team.

The Dining Room’s menu combines seasonal local ingredients, inventive cooking and traditional fine dining. Dishes include fillet of hake and langoustine with courgette and yellow pepper stew; and ballotine of Gartmorn farm duck with fermented rhubarb and red onion with duck consommé.

Past winners of the restaurant of the Year for Scotland award include Inver in Loch Fyne, The Gannet in Glasgow and Timberyard in Edinburgh.

A member of the AA Hospitality Awards judging panel said: “The Dining Room at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society offers a dining experience steeped in French classicism.”

The restaurant was relaunched in the summer of 2016 as part of a makeover of the Society’s Georgian townhouse at 28 Queen Street. This saw the Dining Room moved from the ground floor to the first floor and take on a bright new contemporary look and expanded capacity. The ground floor is now home to the Society’s Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar.

The Dining Room also features an exclusive Charles Heidsieck Champagne Table, where groups of four or more can match five different expressions from the highly regarded champagne house with a specially designed five-course meal.

In January, The Dining Room was awarded two AA rosettes, while in April the 28 Queen Street venue won overall Special Award in The List Magazine’s annual Eating & Drinking Guide. The restaurant previously earned a 10/10 review from The Herald’s restaurant reviewer Joanna Blythman.

Commenting on the success, Venue Manager, Francois Guillemet, said: “Winning Restaurant of the Year for Scotland is a huge achievement for us and I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved.

“James Freeman is a superb inventive chef who has been creating amazing food here and has gone from strength to strength since we relaunched last year. Our team work tirelessly to achieve the highest standards of food, drink and service that has earned us this award and we look forward to continuing to wow our customers.”

Head chef, James Freeman, added: “This award is a huge honour for me personally and my team at The Dining Room. I have been at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society since 2004 and have worked hard to create innovative dishes using quality, local produce, so to see the restaurant recognised in this way is extremely rewarding.”

In celebration of the award, The Dining Room is running a special promotion until the end of October featuring a three-course A la carte dinner with a glass of Charles Heidsieck champagne or dram for £45.

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