Michelin win just a dream come true

THE chef of a city restaurant which opened just 16 months ago is celebrating after receiving a Michelin star – and has put his success down in part to coming up with recipes in his sleep.

Castle Terrace Restaurant has joined Edinburgh’s top table of acclaimed eateries after winning the coveted culinary prize yesterday. Dominic Jack, 36, put his success down to the endless hard work of his chefs and waiters at the Old Town restaurant.

He also said dreaming up new dishes has kept his ideas fresh.

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He told the Evening News: “I’ll get some ideas when I go to sleep at night and wake up suddenly and jot them down, which is quite strange.

“I’ve also been mushroom picking four or five times recently and that inspired me for a few dishes while I was foraging around in the countryside.”

Mr Jack said despite winning the prestigious dining award yesterday his team had to push ahead with lunch as usual. He said: “It was 12 o’clock and we were just about to start serving lunch when we heard we’d got it. I think it’s the calmest I’ve ever been during service.”

Although Castle Terrace was awarded a Michelin ‘rising star’ in January, Mr Jack and his staff did not think they had the award in the bag.

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He said: “We weren’t expecting it, because with Michelin you just never know. It has been a very tough year, but we’ve been pushing ahead and so to be recognised it’s been fantastic.”

Castle Terrace Restaurant was opened in July last year by chef Jack and the team behind Tom Kitchin’s celebrated Leith restaurant, The Kitchin. It serves Scottish classics with a French influence.

Born in Edinburgh, Mr Jack trained at Telford College and he began his career at Glen- eagles.

After four years there he left Scotland for Michelin-starred Fleur de Sel in Haslemere, Surrey, before working at the three-star Michelin eateries l’Arpège and Taillevent in Paris and Chef de Cuisine at the luxurious Swissôtel in Istanbul.

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He returned to Edinburgh in 2008, where he worked alongside friend Tom Kitchin at his restaurant.

Mr Jack added: “It’s great for Edinburgh to have so many [Michelin-starred] eateries. You get people in Britain, Ireland, and from abroad, who want to go away for the weekend and try the food we have here and it’s become a great draw.”