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Michelin-starred Edinburgh restaurant opens wine bar

24 January 2024 By Louis Thomas

The team behind Timberyard, which received a Michelin Star last year, has opened a bar and restaurant on Edinburgh’s Montrose Terrace, with a wine list that offers bag-in-box and cans.

Called Montrose, the new spot from the Radford family, which has owned and operated Timberyard since 2012, is set over two floors, with a wine bar on the ground floor and a seven-table dining room on the first floor. The wine bar itself has space for around 30 guests.

Jo Radford, who will be looking after some of the front of house aspects of Montrose, said: “The two floors at Montrose offer a very unique experience. A busy bustling wine bar on the ground floor and an intimate dining room on the first floor. The offering in the wine bar spans the breadth of what is offered in our favourite continental wine bars and trattorias. Classic European dishes sit perfectly alongside a glass or bottle of wine.”

Dishes on the sample menu of the bar include an Islay oyster with smoked radish, chicken liver cream with fig mostarda on brioche, and game sausage with fregola, kale and walnuts. There will also be a three-course lunch menu.

The wine list also stands out. Overseen by Anna Sebelova, who will be working with other beverages to Montrose and Timberyard too, there is an emphasis on small producers, with Montrose having a list that is both 100% organic and also “capsule-free”, a decision taken due to the environmental benefits of abandoning what is a largely unnecessary decoration on the bottle. Canned and bag-in-box wines also feature due to the sustainability credentials of these alternative packagings.

Head chef Moray Lamb shared how the upstairs restaurant differs: “The first floor dining room, with its set four-course menu, isn’t restricted by world flavours. The main components of the dishes are locally sourced. Refined cooking, with clean plates of food, but still a bit fun and nothing too challenging for the guests.”

Dishes on the sample menu for the restaurant include scallop with delica pumpkin, hazelnut and lardo, and quince with baked custard.