WHAT TO EAT: Dinner at Fhior.
The day after Edinburgh restaurateur Scott Smith won Restaurant of the Year at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards for his restaurant Norn, he quit. Two months later in June 2016, he and his wife Laura opened Fhior, or “true” in Gaelic, with the goal of distilling the dining experience to focus on food that’s true to its origins. The decor is Scandi-minimalist and there’s no menu, only the option of four or seven courses with the option of wines to match each course, which we would recommend. Every ingredient is sourced from a local grower, and the Smiths even grow their own herbs in a garden at the front of the restaurant.
The menu changes depending on what’s in season and what’s in style, so you never know what to expect—with one exception: the beremeal bread. Smith’s beremeal bread embodies Fhior’s ultra-local food philosophy: it’s made from bere, an ancient Scottish grain cultivated exclusively on the northern Scottish islands of Orkney and Shetland. Served warm with house-churned culture butter and sea salt, Smith’s beremeal bread is the soul of the meal. You can buy freshly baked loaves on Saturdays, but come on time—they sell out quickly.
