#throwbackthursday review (New Year edition): NYE dinner @ Iris, Edinburgh

This week's #tbt takes us to Edinburgh where M and I spent New Years' Eve attending the city's Hogmanay celebration. The Hogmanay party itself was kinda shite—wet, ridiculously cold to the point that I couldn't feel my toes, and packed full of drunk, hair-pulling vagabonds, half of whom were probably Australian. While I accept that this is many people's idea of a good time, these teetotalers didn't enjoy it. We were having such a miserable time of it that we headed back to our hotel room before midnight. The photo above was taken through our room window looking towards Edinburgh Castle.

Some 5 hours or so before we were sitting in a warm and cosy restaurant in the heart of New Town. We had chosen Iris because of the good reviews and because the other restaurants we had an eye on were already booked out.

Iris is hidden away in a dark cobbled side street in New Town and it felt like a bit of an adventure finding it around the gated off Hogmanay section of the city.  Walking in, it definitely had the feel of a cosy neighbourhood restaurant adored by the locals.The mirrored walls gave the illusion that the restaurant was much bigger than it actually was.

The food itself, while the photos aren't amazing, was actually pretty good. My favourite dish of the night was the pork rolled with spinach and prosciutto served with a seeded mustard sauce. The pork was pink, flavoursome and very tender, while the sauce was a nice accompaniment that elevated the dish. The duck entree was nicely cooked but we found the sauce a little too sweet for our liking.

The restaurant was also very good value, with entrees priced well below £10. All in all a much more pleasant experience than the one we were about to experience at Hogmanay.