Acclaimed chef Scott Smith, the former chef-patron and creative energy behind Edinburgh’s Norn, is to open a new restaurant, Fhior, on 6 June. Fhior, which means true in Gaelic, will open on the city centre’s Broughton Street, a thriving hub of independent shops, restaurants and bars.
Supported by his wife Laura, and members of the original Norn team, the restaurant will be a refreshed and refocused take on Smith’s previousestablishment, serving exciting modern Scottish food. Smith says:
“I want to create a place with vibrancy, that is fresh, bright and light with service that is informed yet casual and cooking that is honest and clean.”
In 2016 critic Marina O’Loughlin said of Smith; “a new Scottish star is born”. Since then he has gone from strength to strength; he was awarded a Caterer Acorn Award (30 under 30) and earned a spot in the coveted Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants list. This year the Michelin Guide praised his “creative, intricate cooking” and his restaurant appeared sandwiched between Scottish Michelin stalwarts, two-star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie (87) and one star The Kitchin (94) in the National Restaurant Awards 100 best list.
The new restaurant will be divided into two sections: a main dining room with 32 covers will serve a set tasting menu in the evening four days a week (Wednesday – Saturday) as well as lunch on Friday and Saturday when diners will also have the chance to pick a few dishes from the menu a la carte style too. At the front of the restaurant there will be a more relaxed café/bar/shop, seating 12 for coffee and fresh pastries, pre and post dinner drinks and a range of bar snacks throughout the day. The wine list will feature well-skilled wine makers whose wines reflect the full expression of a particular region or country, made with minimal intervention and from all over the world. In the future Smith also plans to make his famous beremeal bread, which A.A. Gill called “divine”, available for customers to buy alongside his own produce and local art to take home.
Smith’s menu will rely on the trusted team of local suppliers and foragers who visit his kitchen daily. His ethos of sourcing and producing clean flavours in the food will be evident in the new menus and anything seasonal that isn’t used is preserved through fermentations, tinctures and drying.
Following a hugely successful guest chef stint at London’s Carousel, Smith plans to build on that experience and use the new space to host a number of events at Fhior featuring some of the best chefs from across the UK.