Abstract Restaurant & Bar

Abstract is the alternative dining space to the Contrast Brasserie (see entry) at the Glenmoriston, a boutique townhouse hotel on the east bank of the Ness not far from the cathedral. For a city address, the views are lovely (get a window table if you can), and linger in the piano bar before or after eating to complete the experience. Bruce Morrison offers a chef's table for up to six diners, but the fact is, you'll likely be dazzled whether you see the brigade at work or not. This is technically highly polished cooking in the modern European vein, with immaculate presentation skills and a strong seam of imaginative energy running through it. Smoked eel often finds its way into a meaty terrine these days, and here it just about holds its own in the company of foie gras with glazed walnuts and Sauternes jelly. Main course might deliver a daring meat and fish combination that is brought off with great panache, as when halibut poached in red wine sits alongside a serving of duck en crépinette with smoked bacon vinaigrette, and a serving of pomme purée to unite the dish's two halves. Dessert may look to the pasta repertoire for inspiration, for a raspberry and pistachio lasagne with raspberry sorbet and a slick of foaming bubbles flavoured with lemon thyme. The eight-stage tasting menu contains an array of surprises, even shocks, including 'full Scottish breakfast' and the alliterative delights of pork pie purée and popping popcorn pannacotta.