Commercial \ Oloroso Restaurant, Edinburgh

The restaurant for James Sankey and Tony Singh sits on the fifth floor on the south east corner of Castle Street and George Street, the exterior of which was renovated by our colleagues at Comprehensive Design Group.

This is the first time that we have been commissioned to specifically design a restaurant/bar and we are delighted to see that reviews, both cullinary and architectural, without exception, have been extremely enthusiastic. A flavour is reproduced here;

The Scotsman Magazine, January 12, 2002, page 27, 'Gillian Glover finds fortification' By Gillian Glover "Amid the grumbles, gripes and bellyaching bills of the New Year; a little oasis of elegant calm has emerged in the capital" "Poised high above Castle Street in a stunning development devised by the Prince of organic architecture, Richard Murphy" "Deep charcoal carpet absorbs the clangour of the restaurant while sweeps of yellow and white compliment the stunning rooftop vista. The result is so serene and beguiling, I wasn't sure I cared about the food".

The Herald Magazine, January 26, 2002, page 37, 'Meals to watch life go by' By Elisabeth Mahoney. "It's a beautiful restaurant framed by an L-shape of floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over the roof terrace and the city's devilishly handsome skyline. " "Sunset if you're here for one, floods the restaurant with dramatic new colour and long shadows; I guess this is where the colour scheme originates. " "Though it's a chilly afternoon, a large party moves out on to the terrace to enjoy the view with their brandies. The sun is setting with outrageous glamour over Edinburgh and its fine new restaurant and the scene makes me long for summer".

Sunday Herald, January 27, 2002, page 33, 'tall order' By Joanna Blythman "Oloroso, the new rooftop restaurant in Edinburgh's Castle Street is the first significantly designed restaurant in the city. " "Oloroso has benefited from the attention of Edinburgh's most interesting architect Richard Murphy; better known for his conversions of Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre and Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery. Oloroso is another demonstration of Murphy's ability to be radical but harmonious with tradition. Window-doors which draw light into darker zones while identifying and opening up outside views and vistas and the trick of somehow drawing the outside in, are just a few of his strengths".

Scotland on Sunday; January 27, 2002, page 30-32, 'Top of the World' By Jo Ewart. "Then there's the stellar location. Occupying a capacious corner site on impeccably smart George Street in the city centre, the restaurant is encased by glass on two sides with an ample glass balconied terrace beyond. Additional enormous windows in the lounge-bar provide panoramic views of the city. Glass doors opening onto a balcony off the 18-seat private dining room frame a postcard-perfect view of the castle. To punctuate the oh-so- cool neutrals, Oloroso's clean look gets some added oomph from a couple of bold saffron-yellow walls and the soft charcoal grey of the upholstery and carpet in the restaurant. The glass-rich space is rimmed by a halo of warming yolk-yellow light". "Working closely with Richard Murphy Architects, Sankey and Singh went to London for inspiration but say they weren't influenced by any venue in particular".

Our design, although now destroyed, is now virtually unrecognisable and operates as a Thai Restaurant.