Nicholas Lander - The Financial Times
"It was the sheer quality of the ingredients in our first courses – a rabbit ballotine, two diver scallops and a smoking “cannelloni” of crab – at Restaurant Mark Greenaway overlooking the Queen Street Gardens in Edinburgh that immediately impressed me. But as our meal progressed, three other estimable qualities emerged, one of which was evident wherever I ate across this historic city."
"The first was Greenaway’s well-considered and dramatic style of presentation. The crab, which regrettably I had allowed my guest to order instead of me, looked enticing in a clear glass bowl. One of our scallops arrived raw, only to be transformed under our gaze as the waitress added a jug of hot Japanese dashi or stock. And my ballotine tasted even better alongside an accompanying small jug of hazelnut milk."
"This visual stimulation was then augmented by the unlikely arrival in the middle of our table of a glass coffee percolator. Encouraged by our waitress, we had ordered one of Greenaway’s signature dishes – his version of Scotch broth – as an intermediary course. In the bottom half was a concentrated lamb consommé, in the top an amalgam of star anise, tarragon, rosemary and lamb jelly. A small, lit candle was then put underneath and as the liquid rose into the upper half, we inhaled some delicious vapours. Once the candle was extinguished, the broth fell. Soup bowls with barley, carrot and a sliver of lamb were then placed in front of us and the liquid poured over. It was the finest Scotch broth I have tasted."
"The second feature, a credit to Greenaway’s 19 years in the kitchen (five of which were spent in Sydney), was the combinations in each dish – or as my sister described it, “the withs”. This sensitivity permeated everything else we ate: the purple sprouting broccoli with the rack, belly and shank of Border lamb; the carrot purée and grilled octopus with the monkfish; and the roast cauliflower with the pork belly. Finally, there was an excellent rendering of rhubarb: a gingerbread and rhubarb fondant served with two more variations of rhubarb – poached and as a jelly."