Kirsty Wark: ‘There is no showing off here, just a passion for fine food’

And what a coop it is. Cafe St Honoré is Paris in Edinburgh, an unassuming little bistro in a former mews on a cobbled back street in the New Town, with pretty blue-painted window frames and cafe-style half-height curtains. It has been carefully nurtured for the last 17 years by Forbes, who was born with a wooden spoon in his mouth, coming as he does from a long line of chefs. Over the years he has repeatedly been festooned with credits such as “chef of the year”.

As well as his own staff, Forbes has encouraged a host of local producers over the years, whom he credits on his menu. He is a champion of “slow cooking”, which sounds like preparing a meal while drinking wine, so the whole fandango almost grinds to a halt.

Forbes also prefers to butcher the meat that he serves himself, ensures everything he cooks is in season and changes the lunch and dinner menu daily. Cafe St Honoré was a bistro for at least 40 years before Forbes took over, and the interior has changed little, with polished wainscotting and mirrored walls and lamps that make the place sparkle. The tables are adorned with nothing more than crisp white linen tablecloths and napkins and simple glasses.

My son James and I sat down for lunch recently, immediately enjoyed the peaceful absence of music, and joined in the quiet murmur of other diners. We sipped a glass of Crémant d’Alsace, Meyer Fonne and plucked from a bowl of spiced almonds. We then learned from the quietly attentive waiting staff that this was the first day of the year that asparagus from Denhead Farm in Cupar Angus was on the menu.

Once upon a time it would have been unimaginable that asparagus would be harvested commercially in Scotland, but now we have some of the most versatile producers on the planet, and here it was, cooked until just tender and served with fronds of spicy Phantassie mustard frills and a classic French accompaniment, sauce gribiche, “a broken sauce” of chopped egg yolks and whites with capers, with the tang of mustard. James had the wafer-thin Great Glen venison bresaola with Corra Linn, a cheddar-style sheep’s milk that had a wonderful texture, along with rocket and red onion.

It was at this point that Forbes himself arrived through the door, exhilarated but exhausted, after a hectic morning at the fortnightly farmers’ market on Castle Terrace under the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. He later told me that it was during lockdown, when the restaurant was closed, that he had the idea of continuing Cafe St Honoré by manning a stall at the market, making dishes for people to enjoy at home, thereby creating a new customer base.

To this day, the celeriac remoulade disappears from Forbes’s stall like snow off a dyke, along with his “world famous” Scotch eggs, dauphinois potatoes and cottage pies. The stall is as much about community engagement for Forbes as sound economic sense, and that idea extends to his regular supper clubs and weekly recipes and newsletter. This week he supplied his recipe for smoked duck, beetroot, orange, hazelnut and watercress, which doesn’t stint on instructions, but looks so delicious in the photograph, I’m sure it will be worth the hard labour.

For the main course, James chose Borders roe deer, buttery mash – no lumps! – Stornoway black pudding and roast celeriac. The deer was rosy pink and tender and married perfectly with the crunchy celeriac and spicy black pudding. He was recommended a glass of zesty Tendem Languedoc Sauvignon Blanc, while I enjoyed a glass of Château La Gontrie, Cadillac, Premiere Côtes de Bordeaux 2018 with my lamb.

If there’s lamb on the menu, I generally look no further, and was rewarded with a dish of rump, which can sometimes be tough. This was soft and buttery, with a salsa verde – one of my all-time favourite accompaniments – as well as organic lentils and the now ubiquitous and marginally uninspiring tenderstem broccoli.

Normally I would swerve pudding at lunch, but for you, dear readers, I made the sacrifice, and the organic blood orange posset with Cafe St Honoré shortbread was a treat – it had exactly the right amount of tartness to trick me into thinking it was only for my own good. I should have saved the shortbread for later. James had a delicious trio of cheeses – Isle of Mull cheddar, Lanark Blue and Elrick Log goat’s cheese – along with homemade chutney and the restaurant’s own oatcakes.

There is no showing off here, neither within the restaurant nor by Forbes himself. Just a passion for serving fine food, finding joy in making customers happy, again and again, in many different ways. And an understanding that those diners will go on to tell their friends, so that Cafe St Honoré and places just like it will thrive for another 17 years and more.

Cafe St Honoré, 34 North West Thistle Street Lane, Edinburgh EH2 1EA (0131 22 62211; cafesthonore.com). Two courses £28, three courses £36, wine from £28.50

Photographs by Katherine Rose