The Bridge Inn at Edinburgh’s Ratho has always been a great gastropub.
That’s not going to change any time soon, but now they’re adding a fine-dining destination to their evening repertoire, with the addition of Bridge 15, which will be opening on March 15.
It’ll be headed by 28-year-old chef Tyler King, who has experience at Michelin-starred restaurant, Prism, in Berlin, as well as Edinburgh’s Number One at The Balmoral and Castle Terrace Restaurant, which sadly closed during lockdown.
“I always knew I wanted to come back to Scotland to open a restaurant and showcase the top-quality produce we have here. I am ecstatic to be part of such an iconic Edinburgh gastropub and am looking forward to bringing something new to the table for our guests”, says King, who is originally from St Monans. “The menus at Bridge 15 at The Bridge Inn will be constantly evolving, with daily specials changing depending on what we receive from local suppliers. Being able to work on dishes with vegetables and pork sourced from the pub’s own garden is phenomenal.”
As well as meat from the inn’s own herd of Saddleback pigs, this chef will be sourcing seafood from David Lowrie Fish Merchants in Anstruther and Black Isle beef from John Henderson in Glenrothes.
The resulting dishes will include Arbroath smokie doughnut, spring onion emulsion; mushroom ravioli egg yolk pureé, mushroom broth, black garlic, puffed rice; monkfish mussel XO, burnt leek, pine nut, vermouth sauce; and Crowdie cheesecake mousse, rhubarb, toasted oats.
Alongside the Scottish produce, there’s a distinct Asian influence. “My favourite option on the menu is hand dived scallop, burnt grapefruit, furikake, squid ink, grapefruit gel. Scallop and grapefruit are one of my top flavour combinations, as the citrus really complements the delicate scallop,” says King.
These contemporary creations have been inspired by King’s jobs abroad as well as his home country.
“Working in Germany was just amazing. I wanted to do it before Brexit and I chose Berlin for its vibrant and diverse food scene. I stayed there for a year and learned so much from the head chef of Prism who is from Israel”, he says. “However, I wanted to come back to Scotland because the produce is second to none. It doesn’t compare to many other countries. Everything sourced locally is of top quality and as fresh as can be. Last week I had scallops delivered that were harvested in Orkney just the day before. That is just incredible”.
King, as well as the owners of The Bridge Inn, Graham and Rachel Bucknall, who also look after Fife’s The Ship Inn and The Crusoe Hotel, are hoping to put this well loved venue on the culinary map.
While you could always cycle from central Edinburgh along the Union Canal to get to The Bridge Inn, you might need to taxi to the new restaurant in your finery.
After all, their new chef’s favourite Scottish restaurants, which include a couple of Michelin-starred venues, might be an indication of how high he’s aiming.
As he says, “My top three are Aizle, The Cellar and The Glenturret by Lalique”.
27 Baird Road, Newbridge, Ratho (0131 333 1320, www.bridgeinn.com)
