Restaurant review: Isola, Edinburgh

Location

Situated on the busy thoroughfare of Newington, on the outskirts of the city centre, and just a short walk from the Queen’s Hall concert venue.

First Impressions

The decor is simple, with pictures of Italy pinned across the back wall, and an open-plan kitchen opposite.

Service

Greeted by genuine Italian staff, who were pleasant and knowledgeable.

Menu

Here’s where it gets interesting. Because this is a Sardinian restaurant rather than just another Italian eatery, there are many more options. There’s actually a separate Sardinian menu, with a huge choice of dishes from the island, as well as a full Italian menu to choose from.

Taste

The bruschetta rustiche and bruschetta Romana (one with mushrooms and peppers, the other tomato) were both satisfactory starters but the homemade bread, although lovely tasting, proved a chore to cut. The culurgiones ogliastrini were delightful little Sardinian ravioli parcels filled with potato and pecorino cheese, covered in tomato sauce, while the paccheri vegani was a tasty, light dish of fat pasta tubes in a tomato sauce with peppers, aubergine, asparagus, courgette and sprouts.

Price

The Sardinian dishes are a few pounds more expensive than the Italian plates on the menu, which are fairly standard city centre prices.

Ambience

Walking in at 6pm on a Saturday, we were surprised to see it was empty. But it quickly filled up with family parties, couples and friends.

Something Special

Try a Sardinian dessert for something a little different. We had seadas – an oversized deep-fried dumpling filled with pecorino cheese and smothered in honey. Sounds odd, but it worked!

Toilets

Basic, clean, but the men’s hand-dryer didn’t work.

Verdict

There are too few Sardinian restaurants in Scotland and this one has enough choice to entice you back for future visits. 17/20