Royal Botanic Garden restaurant serves over 4,000 customers in first two weeks

The restaurant has unveiled a selection of seasonal dishes being served at the Gateway Restaurant in the John Hope Gateway building which opened in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh earlier this month. The Lunch menu includes a selection of starters: roast parsnip and butternut squash soup, chicken liver parfait served with a rhubarb and ginger jam with sour dough or Eyemouth crab served with a sweet and sour cucumber and radish salad, lemon and pepper dressing. Main courses include; Poached Loch Duart salmon served with seasonal greens, heirloom tomato and herb potatoes alongside Confit duck leg, salardaise potatoes, leaf salad with cider vinegar dressing or choose the delicious Grilled "feather steak" which comes with red rooster chips, home dried tomato and a béarnaise sauce or Slow cooked lamb shoulder, "shepherds pie" with peas and carrots. To finish, desserts on offer are chocolate and hazelnut brownie served with white chocolate ice cream, apple and bramble crumble drizzled with fresh custard, crème caramel with spiced poached Victoria plums or choose Scottish artisan cheese, tomato chutney and thick oat cakes. The name of the new 120 seat restaurant 'The Gateway' takes its lead from the John Hope Gateway facility itself which commemorates RBGE's 18th century Regius Keeper, Professor John Hope, a leading botanist and teacher of his time who was also responsible for unifying the Garden at one site on Leith Walk. The new building offers visitors a facility where they can discover the world of plants, explore the scientific work that takes place at the Garden through a unique set of interactive experiences and activities.