The Kitchin

The Kitchin was opened by Tom Kitchin and then fiancée Michaela Berseilus in June 2006. The building is a former whisky bond on the waterfront in the Leith area of Edinburgh.[1] The imprint of Kitchin's work with Alain Ducasse and Pierre Koffmann is noticeable in the style of food served,[1][2] and the restaurant has received support from other chefs that Kitchin has worked with; including opening with the cutlery and plates formerly used at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant La Tante Claire, operated by Koffman.[1] The interior of the restaurant is decorated with dark woods and shades of grey by design company Cubit Design, and wallpapers by Jocelyn Warner.[1] A window opens from the dining room onto the kitchen area itself, and it has a conservatory-style bar serving snacks and light meals.[3]

The food merges seasonal Scottish produce with French styles and techniques; the restaurant has the mantra "from nature to plate".[3] While chef Tom Kitchin was away filming The Great British Menu for the BBC in March 2008, Pierre Koffman came out of retirement to stand in as head chef.[4]

Within six months of opening, The Kitchin was awarded a Michelin star.[5] In 2009 the restaurant was voted as the second-best restaurant in Britain by Eat Out Magazine,[5] and the best restaurant in the UK by Observer Food Monthly in 2010.[6] The team behind The Kitchin opened a second restaurant, Castle Terrace, in July 2010.[7]

In June 2021, former workers of the Kitchin made allegations of bullying, violence and sexual assault in his restaurants. One alleged a chef burned a woman's arm with a hot tray from an oven, while another claimed staff were repeatedly punched if they were not fast enough. On 3 July, Tom Kitchin suspended two members of staff following these allegations. Kitchin Group said the claims would be "fully and independently" investigated.[8]

A.A. Gill, writing in The Sunday Times, gave The Kitchin five stars out of five, praised the common-sense approach of the menu construction, and described his food as "the best and most agreeable dinner I've eaten all year".[9] The Independent's Terry Durack gave the restaurant sixteen out of twenty, praising the informality and the avoidance of normal Michelin-star cuisine, but said that the fish course was the "duff note of the night".[10]