The first venture from Edinburgh-born sommelier James Clark is a buzzy, delicious affair with a clear passion for Italian produce

By Jennifer Caira. Photography: Tina Leahy

There has been a flurry of new food and drink opportunities in the capital of late – making Edinburgh ever more appealing as a place to dine, but also hotting up the competition. 

We had the absolute pleasure of heading down to Deanhaugh Street in Stockbridge to check out the new dining offering from entrepreneur James Clark, who after falling head over heels for Italian food, wine and culture, set up shop with talented Calabrian chef Francesco Ascrizzi – formerly of dining establishments like Tipo and Divino Enoteca. Where Cantonese restaurant Ping On once stood, you’ll now find Sotto: a chic, modern and laid-back space, where the welcome is incandescent and the wine selection is impressive to say the least.

Walking in through the main doors to the ‘enoteca’ – the upstairs wine bar which we immediately fell in love with –  you could imagine whiling away many an evening nibbling bar snacks and antipasti, accompanied by something sparkling round the expansive marble communal counter. They host complimentary wine tastings here every other Thursday, honing in on a specific producer, region or grape variety.

Sotto translates to “under” in Italian, and so you’ll find the main restaurant downstairs, a cosy space for up to 36 diners along with a private dining room that seats eight people. You can either choose the ‘Fai Tu’ option, where the chef selects four dishes for your group to share (£50/pp) or go for the à la carte, which promises a combination of seasonal British produce with classic Italian cookery and is refreshed regularly.  

We opted for a few dishes to share from the à la carte, starting with some superb pumpkin and sage fritters with a zesty ricotta dip, followed by a sizeable plate of fresh tagliatelle with porcini and pangrattato – Italy’s aromatic answer to crispy breadcrumbs. Oof, it was good. Next up, my partner had an unctuous beef shin with celeriac and potato mash, topped with a red wine jus, and I went for the fish of the day. Along came a perfectly seared tuna with a delicate little blob of caponata on the side. Lastly, my favourite: dessert. We think our wholehearted recommendation could be based just on this point of the evening alone. We shared a warm, homemade brioche filled with pistachio ice cream – the best flavour, in our humble opinion – lightly dusted with icing sugar with a sexy little amaro over ice on the side. Delightful.

With its approach to wine, Sotto aims to offer a “thoughtfully-curated selection of over 200 wines, mixing modern and traditional styles and showcasing every region of Italy”. We sampled across the board, sipping on a few reds, whites, a delectable dessert wine, and opting for two glasses of sparkling pét-nat – all brilliantly recommended and brilliantly paired. And if you’ve really enjoyed what you’ve imbibed, you can buy a bottle to take away from the enoteca upstairs! 

Our overall impression: food you couldn’t fault, an exceptional wine list and a warm welcome. Definitely three great reasons to support this neighbourhood trattoria and to keep coming back.