Painting the town red (Vermilion Restaurant)

Rob Allanson dines at Vermilion Restaurant beneath the iconic Scotsman Hotel, Edinburgh

Edinburgh has plenty of tucked away, intimate restaurants for that perfect dinner rendezvous or relaxing lunch.

One of the best is to be found hidden away deep in the vaults of the stunning Scotsman Hotel, which maintains a silent vigil over the city's North Bridge.

This red sandstone Edwardian building with a dramatic large marble staircase once housed the offices of The Scotsman newspaper. It's now a luxury hotel with 56 rooms and 12 suites.

The building was an intriguing and efficient vertical factory: at the top were pigeon lofts for carrier pigeons carrying news back and forth from outlying parts of Scotland, in the middle were the editorial offices and down below the newspapers were printed and then churned out under Market Street to waiting trains for distribution.

Let's face it, it is hard to beat this building for its grandeur and allure in a city that boasts so many pleasant spots to get away from the world for an hour or two with some decent food, wine and company.

Once inside the Scotsman, the grandeur does not stop; there is some truly wonderful décor and cosy corners. However our interest is located at the foot of the hotel's opulent marble staircase.

Deep in the bowels of the hotel, in what used to be the features department is the Vermilion restaurant. Named after the classic rich red shade, this intimate restaurant has fast become one of the city's most fashionable and elegant places to dine.

The best time to go is on a dark evening.

When you walk do...

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• By : Rob Allanson
• In : Best of Scotland
• Issue : 30
• Page : 57
• Words : 604