Fusion Gourmet

Ideally located where Edinburgh’s historical Old Town merges with the cultural hub of the West End, Fusion Gourmet is one of the city’s most heavily patronised Chinese restaurants. Don’t be misled by the restaurant’s name – Fusion Gourmet has a rightly deserved reputation for authentic Chinese cuisine, represented by an extensive menu that covers all bases from appetisers and soups through to pork and poultry, beef and lamb, seafood, rice, noodle and dumpling dishes. However, you’ll find plenty of signature culinary flair if you opt for the griddle-cooked dishes or one of the chef’s specials – these alone warrant an advance table booking at Fusion Gourmet’s Lady Lawson Street location.

It’s the chef’s specials that put the fusion in Fusion Gourmet – where else in Edinburgh can you expect to find nourishing pig’s knuckles in vinegar and ginger sauce sidling up to Chinese cuisine’s close neighbour Korea, represented by the kimchi hotpot with mixed vegetables and seafood? We can’t get enough of this superlative signature selection. Try the Northeast Stew with mixed veggies and spare ribs or, for a little Japanese-style cooking, the teppanyaki sea bass with the restaurant’s housemade special sauce and you’ll understand why this West End eatery is one of the city’s favourites.

Fusion Gourmet also couldn’t be better located, on the cusp of Edinburgh’s West End theatre district and the Scottish capital’s historic centre, the Old Town. Surrounded by a number of well-regarded restaurants down Lady Lawson Street, just off the West Port, Fusion Gourmet has managed to carve out a niche and stand out from the crowd. A combination of top location and considered mix of authentic Chinese dishes and Asian fusion innovations has made this restaurant’s great value lunch menu a going concern, with two or three courses on offer for under a tenner. Start with a classic hot and sour soup, dig into the kung po chicken or the Sichuan-style double-fried shredded pork, and finish with a dessert and coffee.