The Wee Restaurant (
French ,
Modern European)
As the name suggests The Wee Restaurant is a small, 24 seat, restaurant.
It is family owned and run by Craig and Vikki Wood.
The Chef/Proprietor Craig formerly worked for Restaurant Martin Wishart (Edinburgh), The Hallion Club (Edinburgh), The Crinan Hotel (Argyll), and Charlie Trotters (Chicago) amongst other high quality establishments.
When not looking after their three young children, wife Vikki works part-time front of house alongside Christophe de la Rue (Restaurant Manager) also formerly of Martin Wisharts' and The Hallion club.
The Wee Restaurants' ethos is to serves simple good seasonal food and fine wines, in a relaxed atmosphere.
Additional Comments:
The Forth at Queensferry is well served for good restaurants - on the south side we have the iconic Orocco Pier - see the listing elsewhere.
Review by GEORGE KEREVAN, The Scotsman, Rating:
Good things come in small packages
RESTAURANT REVIEW
GEORGE KEREVAN
The Wee Restaurant
17 Main Street, North Queensferry
(01383 616263)
THERE are two very good reasons to visit North Queensferry. First, you will get the very best view of the Forth Bridge, still one of the most impressive human artefacts on the face of the planet. If Woody Allen made movies in Scotland, the boy and girl would kiss first on Main Street, North Queensferry, with the romantic red pillars of the bridge in the background instead of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The second good reason to go to North Queensferry is the new restaurant opened by Chris Wood, who made his reputation as head chef at the Hallion club for media types in Edinburgh. The Hallion has been going through tough times lately, though when Wood was there he fed the likes of Christian Slater. When he decided the time had come to do his own thing he made the wise decision to forsake Edinburgh's over-crowded restaurant world and create a beacon of culinary art on the north shore of the Forth.
One of the deciding factors for Wood's move to North Queensferry is the frequent train service from Edinburgh that runs practically to the door of the restaurant, so no need for a designated driver. He lives over the shop so this is a labour of love. He's recruited the very engaging and efficient Christophe de la Rue, also from the Hallion, to be maître d', which suggests attention to front of house service. With only 28 covers, the Wee Restaurant is wee indeed, but it was throbbing when we were there.
The restaurant has a heavy accent on fish. Here, Wood has a secret weapon. He gets his fish from the dock at Anstruther. So do many Edinburgh restaurants, but their deliveries are only every two or three days, which means that it's likely your fish was in the deep freeze overnight. But Wood has built up good personal contacts with the Anstruther fishermen, so he gets his deliveries daily. That could be a third reason to visit North Queensferry.
The miniature scallops with diced, smoked salmon (£6.25) were a perfect intro and came in a buttery but light sauce which hinted at red pepper and Pernod. An unexpected find on the starter menu was pork belly (£5.75). When cut thinly like pastrami, pork belly is irresistible - the rich seams of fat impart succulent flavour as nothing else does. Yet for some strange reason non-Asian cooks shy away from it.
For mains, the halibut (£13.75) was beautifully browned and the moist flesh fell into glistening chunks when pressed. As the lamb had all gone - everything is fresh at the Wee Restaurant - we opted for the rib-eye steak (£14.75). This cut is normally the resort of the unadventurous eater and the lazy chef, but we were pleasantly surprised by what Wood did with this standard item. It came red rare inside, exactly as requested, but caramelised brown to perfection on the outside. The secret was that the meat had just enough fat to keep it moist and tender. I think Wood's judgment in buying his ingredients will make his reputation.
The only real quibble I had with the presentation was over Wood's predilection for the "tower effect" which sees all the components of each dish stacked one on top of another. When did it became fashionable to arrange ingredients into a mini Empire State Building? The result is meant to look sculptural, but it has grave consequences for the food itself.
For instance, the hot rib-eye steak turned the cold rocket salad base into hot mush before it arrived on the table, which was not appetising. Seared halibut goes wonderfully with cold potato salad at a barbecue, but it rather defeats the purpose if the halibut makes the potatoes underneath lukewarm.
Because we were eating both meat and fish, we splashed out on a Hautes Cotes de Beaune Pinot Noir. Think of a Pinot Noir as a red white wine. Because Pinots are delicate rather than heavy, and because they have higher acidity than other reds, which gives them a fresh flavour, they can be drunk with fish and poultry as well as with meat. Classic French cuisine has several key poultry dishes based on Pinot Noir - coq au vin, cassoulet and boeuf Bourguignon. However, unlike other reds, Pinot Noirs should be served slightly chilled - cellar temperature rather than ice cold.
Unfortunately, Christophe arrived with our Pinot at room temperature which - considering the price - was a letdown. Possibly the Scots prefer all their reds at room temperature and that is their democratic right. But I remain convinced that Pinot and fish taste better on the palate if the wine is that much cooler and sharper. Christophe whisked the wine off to the fridge but even by the second course it was still a mite too warm for me.
Chris Wood's Wee Restaurant is a clever concoction. The cooking is consistently interesting without frightening off the non-metropolitan part of the clientele. The décor is up- market, European and modern without being intimidating. The prices are sensible enough to tempt the family market but still make Wood a profit. The menus are changed weekly, which should encourage repeat visits. All in all, it's just the sort of restaurant in which Woody should set his first Scottish movie.
The Bill
Dinner for two, £40.50, excluding drinks
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