Rowan Walker

The culinary scene in Edinburgh is expanding quickly - so much so that keeping up with all the newly-opening restaurants can become a full-time job (nearly). Have no fear, however, The Bearded Baker is here to tell you about the newest places to try in our capital city.  The Riparian Rooms Opening its doors in late January, The Riparian Rooms promises to deliver a real taste of what Scotland has to offer - which is lots, apparently. Still relatively unknown, the beautifully refurbished restaurant offers a calming haven at the bottom of the culinarily rich Broughton Street. The food is creative, delicious and visually stunning. If you enjoy drinking as much as I do, eating in the sleek restaurant can be followed by cocktails in their downstairs cavern-like bar (a great place to be on a typical wet Edinburgh day). A great place for a fancy dinner, but also fantastic for a casual breakfast or lunch - especially since the restaurant is open everyday from 8am to late - so you can get your Riparian Room fix any day of the week. Spit/Fire This restaurant/bar is definitely the cool new customer in town. Having opened in late 2014, Spit/Fire offers an exciting new addition to Edinburgh's culinary scene. Boasting their own rotisserie spit, the upstairs half of the new spot offers an interesting number of barbecued meats with mouth-watering accompaniments - very few can resist a whole rotisserie chicken with deep fried gherkins, surely? If you prefer more casual dining or more of a focu