L’Escargot Bleu on Broughton Street has won a prestigious 2015 AA Rosette for culinary excellence.
The award, announced yesterday, recognises ‘high standards, consistency and precision, serving food prepared with care and with evident selection of fresh, seasonal, quality ingredients’.
Only about 10 per cent of British restaurants reach the standard.
‘I’m delighted,’ writes chef-proprietor Fred Berkmiller. ‘This achievement is a true testimony to our fantastic team who work hard to deliver exceptional fresh, local, Scottish produce.’
Fred and Betty Berkmiller arrived in the former James Ritchie & Son (Clockmakers) shop in 2009, having already established themselves at L’Escargot Blanc in the West End a decade earlier (Issue 163).
News desks frequently report his sometimes challenging enthusiasms for (and close-up photography of) shellfish, steak tartare, horse meat, gentle-eyed Wagyu cattle, Barra snails and other mysteries unfamiliar to capital palates.
It is fair to say that not all vegetarians are his most ardent admirers.
Meanwhile, away from the hoopla, the Escargots continue to serve dependable, approachable, delicious dishes in congenial and unpretentious surroundings.
Last April Berkmiller’s contribution to Scottish food culture – not least as the motive force behind the annual Budding Chefs programme – was recognised in a Special Award from the List’s Eating and Drinking Guide. We wish him, Betty and the team continued success in future.
