Cool Place of the Day: 21212, Edinburgh

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

It’s that time of year again, and our thoughts turn to Edinburgh, where the festival gets underway this week. We love the city at any time of year, and it’s undeniably one of the UK’s best places to eat and drink, with fabulous pubs and some great restaurants, including a few high-end joints that are perfect for a splurge at festival time.

This place was set up a few years back by Geordie chef and gastronomic visionary Paul Kitching after he left Manchester's only Michelin-starred restaurant, Juniper. 21212 quickly gained its own Michelin star in 2010. Situated in a grand Georgian terrace house with sumptuous contemporary décor, it’s an Edinburgh Festival kind of place.

There’s nothing conventional or safe about the dining experience here, and Kitching’s creations are vividly imaginative combinations of diverse ingredients and flavours – dining is pure theatre, a treat for diners seriously interested in food and food culture.

There are also plush overnight rooms on the upper floors. And the name? It’s a description of the choices for each course of the weekly-changing menu.

A little more flexibility has eased in of late to offer diners more choice beyond the rigid numerical formula, ensuring 21212 remains right at the top of Edinburgh's sparkling culinary tree.

21212, Book now

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)