Located in Canonmills on the cusp of Edinburgh’s New Town, sits The Tollhouse perched beside the bridge over the Water of Leith. This latest offering from the people behind the popular Dine restaurant is a far cry from its previous incarnation … a derelict public toilet block!

It was a Friday night straight after work when we visited for an early dinner as it was the only table available. We were one of the first there, but not for long as the dining room soon filled up with the sound of lively chatter!

The menu is simple with a concise choice of tasty sounding dishes, using seasonal ingredients. It changes every few weeks, which means as a local, every visit will be different!

Naturally we started with a couple of cocktails, mine a Hemingway Daiquiri made with Rum, Pink Grapefruit, lime and Maraschino Liqueur, and his a Into the Woods – a take on an old fashioned with a Hazelnut infused Bourbon, Beeswax, Pine Wood Smoke and Bitters. While we enjoyed our aperitif, we were treated to an amuse bouche of mackerel pate and oatcake with wasabi, which set the bar for the rest of the meal!

For starter I had the Tofu and Tomato Salad with Pickled Ginger and Tahini Dressing which was light, with whipped tofu and flavourful tomatoes. My dining partner had the Chicken Liver Parfait with Brioche, Hibiscus Gel, Pickled Carrots and Dukkah, which was a healthy portion of tasty parfait and the pickled carrots cutting through the richness.

For mains we both chose fish, which seemed apt being by a river (albeit one with no edible fish in it!). I went for the Hake with King Prawn, Scallop, Roasted Heritage Tomatoes, Smoked Leeks and Tomato Consume, which was so tasty, the fish and scallops all melted in your mouth. The second fish dish was the Halibut with Bacon, Fried Salsify and a White Wine Cream Sauce, a chunky slice of bacon topped the melting Halibut which went down a treat.

And yes we did have room for dessert! I had read in other reviews there was a must try dessert – the Banana Cake with Dulce de Leche and Vanilla Ice Cream, and those reviews weren’t wrong, I mean who can go wrong with some Dulce de Leche! Our other dessert was the equally as dreamy Dark Chocolate Ganache with Shortbread and Berry Compote.

Of course, to finish off I had another cocktail, this time The Singing Robin, a mix of Rum, Campari, Orange & Rose Cordial and topped with Champagne. So in essence a bit of a take on a classic Negroni, but served a pretty cool bird shaped glass!!

The Tollhouse is definitely a welcome addition to the area, its great to see the space being turned into something that people can enjoy. I am definitely looking forward to my next visit!