An Edinburgh festival for foodies

Today marks the kick off of a ten day celebration of culinary excitement in the Scottish capital as This is Edinburgh lifts the lid on the city’s second Edinburgh Restaurant Festival.

Between October 8 and 18, the Festival will offer plenty for food lovers to sink their teeth into with over thirty of the capital’s most-loved restaurants offering irresistible three course lunches for £15 and three course dinners for just £25.

Nestled in the heart of Quartermile, bar and restaurant No. 8 Lister Square is among the high quality establishments participating in this year’s Festival. Head Chef Mario Ghelardi has crafted a special dinner and lunch menu for the event, offering tasty, no-fuss food which will appeal to every culinary palate. Diners can get stuck into creative dishes including banana oil hake fillet or rolled pheasant breast with chestnut stuffing, before relaxing in one of the venue’s Chesterfield sofas with an after dinner drink in hand.

Without travelling much further, you can experience the luxurious dining setting of Hotel du Vin and Bistro over lunch for just £15 per person. Sit back and soak in the atmosphere at French-styled Bistro Du Vin while enjoying delicious dishes including chanterelle mushroom and spelt risotto or the French classic Crème Brulee.

Cucina at G&V Hotel also promises to bring some flavour to the Festival. Previously voted Italian Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Restaurant Awards, Cucina offers a choice of three courses for lunch and dinner using innovative, fresh and regional seasonal ingredients.

The Festival programme is also jam-packed with one-off events which encourage people to explore Edinburgh’s vibrant food and drink scene. Here are just a few to look out for:

Grassmarket Fun Foodie Day
The Grassmarket will host a free family friendly day of entertainment, food arts and craft on Saturday October 10. Those with a sweet tooth can try their hand at cake decorating and crepe art. Meanwhile, budding young chefs can roll up their sleeves at the Pizza Bar and try their hand at making their own signature pizzas. From stretching and tossing the dough to selecting their own toppings, they will take away top tips on how to make pizza as good as the Italians do.

Movies & Shakers
Film buffs are in for a treat as Harvey Nichols is hosting a micro cinema in its Fourth Floor Restaurant for one night only. After a two course meal, guests will enjoy a sweet accompaniment to the movie, along with two movie inspired cocktails each. Tickets are priced at £40 for dinner, cocktails and the movie.

Fallen Brewery Craft Beer and Food Matching Dinner
In recent years, local breweries and craft ales have become increasingly popular as foodies grow more sophisticated in their tastes and look for something different to their standard pint down the local. Now you can impress all your future dinner guests by learning how to pair beer with your food. Tickets are priced at £40 and the event is strictly over 18s only.

Edinburgh Street Feastival
Not to be missed, this exciting pop-up experience curated by OffKiltr will see a carefully hand-picked selection of local restaurants apply their culinary style and skills to present some amazing street food dishes. While tucking into something tasty, all for just £5 per dish, guests can soak up the atmosphere complemented by an eclectic soundtrack delivered by some of the finest local DJs, from laidback soul and jazz to disco and house.

During this year’s festival, This is Edinburgh will be running a social media competition encouraging locals to share their favourite meal out in the capital. All entries using #EatOutEdin on Twitter and Instagram will be automatically entered into a prize draw every week to win foodie vouchers, lunch or dinner, as well as appearing in a live online gallery on ThisisEdinburgh.com.

For all the latest updates and daily inspiration on things to see and do during the Festival follow @edinburgh #edrestaurantfest. The full event programme and list of participating restaurants can be viewed here.