Edinburgh chef patron on changing attitudes towards tasting menus

But, as living costs continue to soar across the UK, restaurateurs are having to find increasingly creative ways to tempt customers to invest in these multi-course culinary odysseys as Scott Smith, chef patron of Fhior in Edinburgh, told The Herald.

Pictured: Scott Smith, chef patron at Fhior in Edinburgh (Image: Supplied)

“Prior to the pandemic, tasting menus were very fashionable because there wasn’t a huge saturation of them at the time,” he said.

“When places started to open up again after lockdown, people had been stuck in their houses for a year and a half, so restaurants were full of people who were happy to spend money on eating out.

“We have a 38-seat restaurant which was easy to fill, but now the reality is that we’re sitting at 40% lower capacity than we had last year.”

First opening the doors of Fhior in 2018, Scott and Laura Smith have spent the past five years curating set dinner menus that are centred on showcasing Scottish produce and hugely influenced by seasonality.

Until now, this has meant the choice of either a seven or 10-course tasting experience, which promises to take diners “on a journey through Scotland’s rich culinary landscape”.

Pictured: Changes are afoot at Fhior as the team evolves with current food trends (Image: Supplied)

A marked shift in consumer demand, however, will next month usher in some changes at the Broughton Street restaurant.

“Sitting down to eat for over three hours, and spending more than £100 per head is a big commitment and probably too much of a stretch for most of the UK population right now, myself included,” Smith continued.

“This year we’ve been constantly trying to create an incentive for people to keep coming in.

“We knew the state of play in March and decided that we would try to stick to our guns and try to push through, changing as little as possible.

“It’s come to a point now where we know we need to evolve and change with the market.

“We’re still going to offer our tasting menu, but alongside that, from next month we’ll be reintroducing à la carte.

“We’re not the only ones to have done this.

“People try to paint a nicer picture on social media because that’s what customers want to see, but it’s been a very tough year for restaurants.”

With the general public dealing with increases in their own household costs, Smith says diners are these days more inclined to make a last-minute booking when their budget can accommodate it, rather than planning for a 10-course dinner months in advance.

An à la carte option suits this type of customer well, allowing them to pick and choose from a menu that’s offered at a flexible, and more accessible price point.

Pictured: Special events help to keep customers coming back to the Broughton Street restaurant (Image: Supplied)

“I’m excited about the a la carte menu,” the chef said.

“Creating a tasting menu is an exhausting experience that means organising multiple tastings with sommeliers and trying to get everything done before the seasons change and your produce is gone.

“If a supplier phones us out of the blue to say ‘I’ve got this amazing Sika Deer from Inverness’, traditionally I would have to say no because there wouldn’t be the time to create a menu around it.

“With à la carte, I can take it and have it on the menu for the week until it's finished.

“There’s room for a bit more creative freedom there which I’m really looking forward to.”

As well the evolution of their menus, next month brings with it the beginning of a new series of collaborative events in which leading chefs from across the UK will be invited to showcase their home region's finest produce at Fhior.

Pictured: Chef Calum Montgomery of Edinbane Lodge on the Isle of Skye will take part in the upcoming Native Series of events (Image: Supplied)

Of the ‘Native Series’, which launches with Stevie McCarry, chef patron of Lir in Northern Ireland on September, 25, Smith said: “Basically, what we said to the guys was ‘bring your food to Edinburgh’.

“For example, a lot of our shellfish comes from the Isle of Skye, so it will be interesting to see what a chef like Calum Montgomery (Edinbane Lodge), who has that all on his doorstep, will do with it.

“Then there’s someone like Hywell Griffith (Beach House, Oxwich), whose menus are full of Welsh ingredients I’ve never heard of before. He’s taking Bara Brith, a heavy Welsh teacake, and turning it into a souffle.

“And Paul Leonard, (The Forest Side, Ambleside) is bringing things like Cartmel Valley Deer and preserved quince from the Lake District with him.

“I’ve spent the last couple of months setting up video calls and chatting back and forth with them all to discuss the menus, and it’s been a comfort to hear that we’re all up against the same challenges at the moment.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie there.

“That makes these evenings even more exciting because there’s a real shared sense of focus behind them rather than inviting people through for the sake of it.

“I think Edinburgh in particular can feel like a big town rather than a city, and it’s very easy to get stuck in that bubble.

“Reaching out to other chefs is a chance to escape that and bring something totally different to the restaurant.”

Fhior is located at 36 Broughton Street in Edinburgh.

The Native Series will feature six-course menus delivered by Scott Smith in collaboration with Stevie McCarry, Hywel Griffith, Calum Montgormery and Paul Leanord across various dates this Autumn.

For more information, visit fhior.com.