Plate With A View: Tower Restaurant, Edinburgh

Inside this stunning rooftop restaurant you'll find great Scottish ingredients cooked to perfection, and accompanied by excellent wine.

THE PLATE

Inside this stunning rooftop restaurant you'll find great Scottish ingredients cooked to perfection, and accompanied by excellent wine. The Tower was set up by Edinburgh restaurateur James Thomson, whose most well-known venture is the ultra-decadent Witchery by the castle. At the Tower, the whole experience is cleaner and simpler, with glass walls and crisp linen adding to the super-modern atmosphere. On the menu you'll find local langoustines, pink bream and Angus steaks, served with crisp veg and well-judged sauces. Great for a lingering lunch or romantic dinner, but good service and an uncomplicated menu mean it's equally ideal for a working meal or a pre-theatre bite.

THE VIEW

Tucked away at the top of the new Museum of Scotland, the Tower has a vista straight across the rooftops to the castle, perched high above the blackened Gothic terraces of the city. It's one of the most dramatic views in Edinburgh: the back of the castle with the full fall of the cliffs on which it's built. You can also see right over to the honeyed splendour of the New Town, with the Firth of Forth twinkling in the distance, if you're lucky. Great during the day as the floor-length windows lend a splendid sense of space and light, while at night the lit-up castle façade is breathtakingly dramatic. The perfect place to impress someone who's experiencing the city for the first time.

THE BILL

Lunch is extremely reasonable, with two courses costing as little as £9.95. Dinner costs from £12.50 for a two-course pre-theatre supper, but a full three courses for two with wine will reach £100.

Tower Restaurant is in the Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF. Open 12 noon until 11pm (0131-225 3003; www.tower-restaurant.com)