Reviews of Dean Banks at the Pompadour. (Bank) in Edinburgh (Edinburgh).

Dean Banks at the Pompadour

47 Reviews

38 Comments

Bank

Fine dining restaurant

Princes Street Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian, Edinburgh EH1 2AB, United Kingdom

Description

Information of Dean Banks at the Pompadour, Bank in Edinburgh (Edinburgh)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

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Open hours of Dean Banks at the Pompadour

Popular times

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Reviews of Dean Banks at the Pompadour

A. F.

Unfortunately we had a disappointing meal but there is so much potential. The service was excellent from the wait staff and cannot be faulted. Everything with our meal started off well. The amuse bouche was absolutely delightful and had a wonderful flavour and was presented beautifully in a box where it has been smoked. We the received a lovely loaf of bread with three different butters. Unfortunately it was after this point things started to go wrong. All of these dishes we received we were well presented but unfortunately there were to problems. 1) The chef is using strong Asian flavours but everything just ended up being overpowering and not great. One dish featured some crab that was totally destroyed by a takeaway-esque Thai red curry sauce. Crab has such a beautiful natural delicate flavour but this was then completely lost. 2) We eat at a lot of fine dining restaurants and know that on tasting menus portion sizes are small, but the portions served were a little on the small sized even for fine dining. The amount of mackerel we had in one dish was a little bit of a joke. We didn’t like the flavour profile of the desert but the shortbread we received with the bill was exquisite. If there was a menu that didn’t feature Asian flavours (which we don’t think the chef uses well) and offered a British/Scottish menu we would probably really like it and have had an excellent meal. This place has a lot of potential and the chef is clearly ambitious. Might go back with a different menu.

O. W.

Grandeur experience in the splendid surroundings of 'The Caley'. Dean Banks and the team are producing fresh, lively and favourable dishes throughout the tasting menu. Appears to showcase the best of Scottish ingredients with occasional twists. Staff excellent throughout. Friendly, youthful and hopefully learning. Perhaps slight concern over pricing. Maybe related to the hotel? It'll be interesting to watch to see if the restaurant can match the levels of the existing fine dining options of Edinburgh. So far the signs are good.

D. J.

Having visited the Pompadour before it closed I was so excited to return and try it out with new ownership. It turned out to be just as, if not more amazing!! The food is incredible and lots of little tiwsts during the menu, they also cater to gluten free very well. I would highly recommend getting the lobster course its a must. We also had the paired wines which were great not only because they were perfectly paired but because the sommelier Gwen was incredible, so knowledgeable about all the wine and so friendly. She went above and beyond to make our experience great. All the staff were extremely knowledgeable and friendly!! I would highly recommend visiting here

S. M.

Food was fantastic. We had the Chef's tasting menu paired with wine and it won't be long until its gets the first star as it was top notch. My only slight criticism was there was no option to change out the main course for anything else. Both of us prefer not to eat sheep and there was no alternative but even that course was beautfully cooked.

C. P.

5/5. Excellent food, excellent service. All the food was gorgeously presented and backed up by tasting as good as it looked. Topped off with a few bits of flair (dry ice haar with the oysters was impressive). The signature smoked lobster is the best lobster I have ever tasted and I would thoroughly recommend. We had the wine pairing and our amazing sommelier Gwen was knowledgeable and very attentive, she's a real credit to the restaurant! Definitely an experience to remember!

N. H.

Some of the dishes were truly outstanding, and worthy of the set menu, unfortunately for the pescatarian choice the vegetarian replacements were pretty subpar. If you can eat everything you won't be disappointed

G. C.

My wife and I were in Edinburgh celebrating her birthday and this was a surprise treat for her, we had a great meal experience... the food was excellent and the wine pairings complemented the food perfectly...we topped off our weekend with a stay at Fingal...all in all a smashing evening & weekend...I'd just like to thank the staff at Dean Banks at The Pompadour for a lovely evening on 23rd July. Best regards Gordon & Gill Cree Ps as an aside my wife Gill worked as a waitress in this very hotel when attending Edinburgh University in the mid 80's so an added bit of nostalgia for her. 🥰

A. J. M.

Read the reviews and booked for a birthday lunch with friends. The food in general was skilfully prepared, and tasty. However, the portions were simply too small even for a tasting menu with 6 “courses” . My lobster was pretty over cooked and the trout with miso was Luke warm and felt as if it had been sitting for some time. There appeared to be enough staff to cope with the number of diners...perhaps we just picked a bad day. If I want to be really picky, I can’t quite understand having only one make of gin available? By all means promote your own gin, but at least give diners the option rather than suggesting rum or whisky? Sorry, I so wanted to give 5 stars.

M. R.

Me and my partner visited last night , Kat who dealt with my booking was nothing shy of perfect !!! She arranged for flowers on our table and even arranged for chef Dean Banks to personally deliver our snacks ! She’s a credit to the restaurant. The food well what can I say ! We went for the 7 course and it was well worth it ! I would have happily paid more to be honest , every course was AMAZING. A perfect evening along with the best food I’ve ever tasted .

S.

Fabulous experience. We had an early booking and were slightly disconcerted when we were the only people in the restaurant, however this turned out to be to our advantage as we had the full attention and knowledge of the restaurant staff. The menu was exciting and exquisitely presented as well as being described and served by the staff. It was really nice to have the courses presented by the chef who created them and for them to serve the table and chat about their dishes. Scotty, your focaccia is to die for. We were celebrating a significant birthday and anniversary and were not disappointed. Thank you all for your care and professionalism.

W. M.

We haven't been to the Pompadour since Dean Banks took over. I was not totally convinced about the decor of stylish older decor with modern cheaper looking chairs. Having said that we ordered the 6 course menu with wines. The food was exquisite as were the wines (we did find the mixture of wines over 6 courses a bit much for us but that is nothing to do with quality). Was not totally sold on the desert albeit loved the pre desert. The oyster and lobster dishes were an absolute highlight. Staff were polished and friendly. Good luck for the future.

A. J.

Emperor’s new clothes! Drafty table and single menu option. Questions over food hygiene with diners suffering gastrointestinal upset. Waiting staff are pleasant but management are standard refuseniks unwilling to assist customers. Not going back: too many other options where vomiting is not on the menu.

S. h.

Every bite was better than the last. Why this place doesn't have a star I don't know.

E. A.

We had an absolutely outstanding meal here - both the vegan and non-vegan tasting menus were truly gorgeous, the wine pairings were delicious and interesting (and decent sizes!), and the service was delightful (pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable). A really special evening that never felt at all stuffy - I'd recommend it to anyone and we will certainly be back. Impossible to pick a stand-out dish; everything was top class.

B. H.

I had the 7 course Chef’s Signature menu, and the Prestige wine accompaniment. The combination cost for food and wines totalled £230. This price is in the same bracket as 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants, however this restaurant falls somewhat short of that level. The food was creative and well presented. Two courses in particular, the Beef cheeks and the duck were particularly good, however the fish dishes were generally disappointing. In Particular, the signature Smoked lobster dish was over cooked, and a very poor version compared to the Smoked Lobster served at Andrew Fairlie’s. Quite a good effort but this is yet another restaurant where the style exceeds the substance. A work in progress!

K. R.

The restaurant ambience is lovely, the staff terrific, and the food excellent. However, given that we've eaten at 3 Michelin star restaurants all over the world...and this was by far the most expensive (and is obviously not starred...yet)....I would suggest that the value/price ratio is not quite correct. I'm also not a fan of the 12.5% 'discretionary service charge'. It's not that the service was lacking...it was excellent....it's just that I want to make up my own mind what I tip in any given restaurant. Overall, a good experience, but it's not at the level of GBP500 for 2.

R. R. (.

A fantastic dining experience. Amazing food and wine, with quality service to match.

E. L.

Visited here a few weeks ago and everything is incredible! The team make you feel at ease and welcomed (big thank you to Ruairi!) and the food is simply on another level. You can tell the passion and care that Dean & co put into each dish and I would recommend to anyone. Looking forward to going back later this month!

V. G.

What an experience ! Great service and the food was astonishing, each course clearly explained by the servers adding a sense of anticipation and wow ! the food did not dissapoint every mouthful was a tastebud delight.

n. b. (.

Our new favorite tasting menu hard to choose a favorite course. Have the lobster if you've ever wondered what the fuss is about the slight smokiness and sweet mirin butter will settle it. The cod with thai green curry crust is sublime and coconut broth nicely mellows the spice. The bbq duck was a piquant counterpart to asparagus and deconstructed hollandaise

B. G.

Incredible food. Highly imaginative and pure luxury. You will not have a better food experience.

C. D.

Lovely dining experience . Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable .Flavours of each dish were amazing . Thanks .

A. G.

Wow what a discovery and culinary experience. Extremely enjoyable

D. A.

The staff was delightful and the food absolutely exquisite particularly the Chef’s signature smoked lobster.

N. K.

Amazing from start to finish, the staff were amazing and food and wines superb! We will be going back for sure!

B. D.

Can't recommend enough. The food and service are both fantastic in equal measure.

G. “. G.

Very pleasant dinner, with some interesting dishes.

A. A.

Food was outstanding and the service impeccable

L. W.

Unique and Charming Experience

D. K.

Fabulous food in a wonderful restaurant

D. M.

A. L.

B. S.

R. M.

S. G.

M. G.

A. P.

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