Fhior, which means ‘true’ in Gaelic, is the new city-centre venture from chef Scott Smith, formerly of the acclaimed (but short-lived) Norn in Leith. Inside, it comprises an intimate main dining room plus a relaxed café/bar area for drinks and snacks, while the focus is on modern, seasonal cuisine based on Scottish ingredients (some of them foraged).
Smith and his team specialise in elegant, precise dishes prepared with skill and imagination: fresh mackerel on a rich smoked broth dotted with sweet cicely oil; translucent slivers of raw halibut dressed simply with zingy lime, spring onion and rapeseed; chicken from St Brides Farm in Strathaven, the gamey thigh seared and served with fermented barley, lovage oil and shards of crisp golden skin. Our choice of desserts also hit the target, from a creamy white chocolate mousse/crumble spiked with seaweed, ‘beremeal’ (barley) and cheese to compressed strawberries balanced with aromatic wood ruff and nutty rapeseed.
At lunchtime there’s a concise menu of snacks and small plates; in the evening, diners are simply offered a choice of four or seven courses in the tasting format. Hopefully, this addition to foodie Broughton Street will last longer than Smith’s previous venture.