The Wee Restaurant, North Queensferry

What do you look for in a restaurant? Maybe a place that specialises in excellent local sourcing or another that dishes up boat fresh seafood? Or maybe a cosy retreat to get all romantic in or an eatery where the staff are happy to talk through the dishes with you, or even somewhere that is home to an exciting young chef who has learned his trade in Michelin starred kitchens? How about all of these under one atmospheric 40-cover roof in a restaurant that reclines in the pretty historic waterfront town of North Queensferry just a short drive from Edinburgh?

Charming Setting

The only things wee about Fife’s Wee Restaurant are the name and the size. Everything else delivers big time. Craig and Vikki Wood are the delightful couple behind a family-run independent restaurant that has totally reinvented a charming old building in Gordon Brown’s hometown. They have gathered a loyal following since opening in 2006 so booking ahead for dinner is essential.

A meal here does not break the bank either as recognised by Michelin with the award of a Bib Gourmand, which signifies you can eat well at an affordable price in the opinion of the inspectors.

Craig has more than earned his cooking spurs. He has worked under Edinburgh uber chef and confirmed Michelin man Martin Wishart, but has also run restaurants for Malmaison and worked on the world’s most luxurious train, the Royal Scotsman. The latter is an old stomping ground of a number of famous chefs, including Scotland’s most feted current chef, Andrew Fairlie.

Emphasis on Local Produce

The food at the Wee Restaurant takes a little bit from all of the kitchens Craig has worked in. The emphasis is always on local produce, thoughtfully sourced not just name checked. The cooking is perhaps not as fanciful as you might expect, which is a very good thing as he uses his classical training judiciously to refine flavours and simplify dishes rather than over complicate and overpower. Not for Wood are ephemeral foams and reduced essences.

On our visit we kicked off with Shetland mussels with bacon, pine nuts, basil and parmesan cream, a delicious delight that saw every drop of the sauce wiped off with the homemade bread. The main was sheer extravagance. Rather than just enjoy one of his perfectly cooked fish dishes (much of the seafood comes from Anstruther just along the road) or a more conventional steak, we opted for the roast sirloin to share. This hulk of rare, juicy meat came accompanied with chunky vegetables from the nearby Pillars of Hercules organic farm and a rich tarragon jus.

Desserts are of the homely, warming variety with a nod across the channel. We particularly liked the banana tarte tatin laced with homemade white chocolate ice cream. Our night finished off with real coffee served with homemade petit fours, but of course! It is the small, or rather the infinite wee things, that make this hugely impressive restaurant so enjoyable.

The Wee Restaurant, Waterside, Chapel Place, North Queensferry, KY11 1JT. Tel: +44(0)1383-616263. www.theweerestaurant.co.uk

InsiderScotland Rating
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For a Romantic Meal 9/10

For a Business Meal 8/10

For Families 7/10

For Real Gastronomes 9/10

InsiderScotland Rating 9/10