What: A restaurant and wine bar that occupies the site where Roberta Hall-McCarron’s The Little Chartroom used to sit. Eleanore has a relaxed counter culture feel serving small plates from its small open kitchen.
Who: Hall-McCarron still owns the site, but made the decision to relocate her fine dining restaurant from the bijou space to give it room to breathe and instead install an informal wine bar in the space. Chefs Hamish McNeil and Moray Lamb, formerly of The Little Chartroom on The Prom, the pop-up that launched on Portobello Prom in summer 2020, man the stoves.
The food: Eleanore stays true to The Little Chartroom’s championing of the best Scottish produce and Hall-McCarron’s modern/classical approach to cooking while incorporating McNeil’s and Lamb’s own culinary influences. The menu is tight, comprising small plates such as oysters with a salami mignonette; cured halibut with orange kosho; hash browns with XO marie rose, hispi, and brown shrimp; warm beef carpaccio with rainbow chard, pine nuts, and anchovy; and barbecued maitake mushrooms, with shiitake Bordelaise, and celeriac that are around the £4 to £10 mark. There is also a handful of more expensive (£20) dishes, such as cod with haricot beans, cockles, samphire and sea persillade; and a pork rib-eye with smoked chicory and quince, as well as a choice of two desserts - St Andrew’s cheddar served with onion, walnut and malt loaf and the now modern classic tiramisu choux bun hybrid the tirami-choux.
To drink: A regularly-changing wine list is overseen by Johanna Cole, formerly of the Lucky Liquor Co, with seasonal cocktails using foraged Scottish ingredients and homemade shrubs also on the drinks list.
The vibe: Eleanore has the same very neutral colour palette that The Little Chartroom used with whitewashed brick walls and wood panelling and light wood stools with the only dark tones coming from the dark blue tabletops – the design idea being to hint at the makings of a boat and the Scottish coastline (the earthy toned crockery is said to reflect the muds of the deep sea). Things are kept informal with high stools the only type of seating and some areas are communal, with diners encouraged to share dishes. Despite being a very small space, it feels light and welcoming.
And another thing: Eleanore takes its name from the boat owned by Hall-McCarron’s family and was named by her mother. A picture of Eleanore by illustrator Francesca Pulisci hangs in the restaurant alongside more of her work.
30-31 Albert Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HN