I have tried a number of times to book a table at The Witchery, but haven’t been able to.  Demand is extremely high; with countless five star reviews on Tripadvisor bearing titles such as, ‘Enchanting’ and ‘Casting a Spell Over Edinburgh’, diners are wise to plan a visit well in advance.  We were lucky enough to receive a gift voucher for The Witchery last Christmas and were finally able to use it on our wedding anniversary.

Located very close to Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Royal Mile, the restaurant is housed in the basement of Boswell’s Court which was built in 1595.  The establishment also occupies other parts of the building and the one adjacent to it, which together hold a second dining room called ‘The Secret Garden’ and nine bedroom suites.  The Royal Mile was remarkably – actually, eerily – quiet as we approached the restaurant, thanks possibly to the draw of Princes Street’s Christmas Market. The Witchery quite literally glowed as we approached it along the cobbles in the dark.

For me, walking into The Witchery evoked a sense of time displacement, only stymied by the Nike tracksuit top of a fellow diner. The low ceiling, dark wood panelling, wall tapestries and candlelight created an elegant yet snug – and dare I say it, romantic – ambience.

As we were seated, we were handed a tome which turned out to be the wine list. Apparently, it contains over 500 different varieties and has collected a number of awards over the years, the most recent being the AA’s Wine Award for Scotland and UK Wine Award 2013. It certainly contained the broadest choice we have ever been offered. However, my husband is not a big drinker and was escorting his eight-and-a-half-months-pregnant wife, so his was limited to seventeen ‘by the glass’ options. I’m told the Cabernet Sauvignon he plumped for hit the right spot.

The food at The Witchery is predictably expensive, with main courses coming in at around £28. A ‘three courses for £35’ table d’hôte is also an option and the one that we went for. Having very similar tastes (and currently avoiding red meat) we both chose the ‘Iron Bark pumpkin velouté’ to start, which owing to an apparent pumpkin shortage turned out to be a less audacious ‘carrot and coriander velouté’ instead. This was warming, full-flavoured and very enjoyable. It was also served full to the brim of two very big soup bowls, which was fortunate because our main courses looked like the second starters we never ordered.

My husband’s face was a picture as our ‘Tender stem broccoli, baked goats cheese, pine nut crumble’ was served. He was horrified. I was also pretty shocked, but nobody wants to see an elephantine woman moan about portion size. The crumble – which turned out to be the approximate size of one fish cake – tasted lovely. The accompanying leaf of lettuce was refreshing.

It seemed such a shame that the magic had been killed so early on into our dining experience. With baited breath, we ordered our desserts. I chose the ‘Glazed lemon tart with bramble sorbet’. My husband managed to convince the waiter to let him have the chocolate tart from the à la carte menu, which improved the mood somewhat. Both tasted good – the bramble sorbet being the highlight – but weren’t sensational.

As we walked back down an even quieter Royal Mile, my husband asked me how I would rate the restaurant. My internal monologue chided, ‘Come on, it’s The Witchery. Everybody loves The Witchery. Surely, it was the dining experience of a lifetime?’ Certainly, as Tripadvisor had promised, the setting and atmosphere was ‘enchanting’. Sadly though – and I did feel sad – the food wasn’t ‘all that’. I also wouldn’t ordinarily expect to feel hungry after an upscale three course meal. I couldn’t plump on a rating during that quiet walk, so my husband asked me if I would go back to The Witchery. We both agreed without hesitation that we would not.

After a ponder, 3/5.