Day: 21 August 2025

A first of its kind for the city, Nishiki, a Japanese-fusion Izakaya is due to open in August, by the team behind Yamato, one of Edinburgh’s leading Japanese restaurants.

The 40 cover restaurant opening in the west end of Edinburgh will be one of Scotland’s first sake-dedicated bars. The drinks menu will be built around the famous Japanese beverage, with food inspired by izakaya-style dining, Japan’s answer to a gastropub. Nishiki will offer an all day dining menu and serve breakfast, lunch, Afternoon Tea and dinner with a focus on sharing plates and authentic Japanese flavours.

The breakfast menu will feature traditional breakfast dishes, alongside Japanese fusion dishes like Japanese style French toast. There will be a drinks menu centred around premium Japanese teas and a curated matcha selection, all made using ceremonial-grade matcha powder. After breakfast, the menu will transition to a variety of izakaya-style small plates, including freshly hand-rolled sushi and a selection of grilled dishes. The bar will feature a carefully curated list of sakes, Shochu-based cocktails, and Japanese whiskies. In addition, Nishiki will serve its own signature IPA. The restaurant space is thoughtfully designed in a Japandi style, blending minimalist Japanese tradition with modern Scandinavian simplicity. Natural materials like wood are paired with modern elements, such as steel lighting, alongside traditional features like Japanese washi paper.  Whether enjoying a quiet moment at the counter or sharing a meal at the long communicable table with friends and family, Nishiki offers a calm, welcoming environment where Japense-inspired design meets modern comfort, from morning to night. 

Max Wang, Chef Owner at Yamato: 

“With Nishiki, we wanted to create something new for the city. We’ve visited lots of Izakayas during our trips to Japan and really wanted to bring the concept to Edinburgh. We have designed the space to be welcoming for everyone. A bright, communal environment where people can come together to enjoy fantastic food and drinks.”

To stay up to date with behind-the-scenes previews, opening day announcements, and exclusive sneak peeks of the menu, follow Nishiki on Instagram @Nishiki_edinburgh

151-155 Morrison Street, EH3 8AG, Edinburgh 

Images here.

The first 1,000 people to join will receive six months of free access when Shuffle officially launches, along with an exclusive 40% cash reward on the first use of the app

Shuffle, the premium rewards app that gives you real money back every time you dine or drink at partner venues, is coming to Edinburgh and Glasgow this September after successful launches in Manchester and Liverpool. Shuffle brings a new way for customers to enjoy dining out while supporting local hospitality venues.

To celebrate the Scottish launch, the first 1,000 people to join the waitlist will get six months of free access when Shuffle officially launches, plus an exclusive 40% cash reward the first time they use the app. After that, users can unlock surprise cash rewards ranging from 5% to 100% of their bill at some of the most loved restaurants, bars, and cafés in both cities. There are no vouchers or points, just real money credited directly to the account, which can be spent anywhere.

Shuffle is a subscription-based rewards app, priced at £2.99 per month, offering users exclusive, surprise rewards at top restaurants, bars, and cafes in the city. From a morning coffee to a tasting menu or a night out, customers will have the chance to enjoy unique perks with every visit.

More than just a rewards app, Shuffle supports local hospitality by driving footfall, encouraging repeat visits, and making dining out and spending locally more fun.

Ollie Purdue, CEO and co-founder of Shuffle, said:

“We created Shuffle to make dining out more rewarding. Scotland’s food scene is incredible. From Edinburgh’s cosy cafés to Glasgow’s late night dining, we’re thrilled to start working with so many outstanding venues.

The hospitality industry has been through a challenging few years. Shuffle is our way of bringing people back through the doors while giving them something fun in return, the thrill of a reward they weren’t expecting, in real cash they can use anywhere.”

“Edinburgh and Glasgow have incredible hospitality scenes, and we’re excited to start working with so many outstanding venues.”

Shuffle is changing the way that people dine out and support local businesses. Launching in Glasgow and Edinburgh this September, the waitlist for early access is now open. To be one of the first 1,000 customers and receive six months of free access, unlocking surprise rewards at some of the cities’ most loved restaurants, bars, cafes and more, sign up here to join the waitlist for Edinburgh and here for Glasgow. 

For further information, visit https://getshuffle.co.uk/ or follow https://www.instagram.com/shufflerewards/

Images here

Bar Prince at The Balmoral has joined forces with the iconic, family-run Jannettas Gelateria of St Andrews to launch an exclusive wine and gelato pairing from 25th August – 7th September. The menu will celebrate the pairing of artisan gelato with fine wines and Champagne, inspired by the growing dining trend in cities such as New York, Paris and London.

Bar Prince has worked closely with Jannettas to select four gelato flavours for the pairings, including one created exclusively for this menu. Led by Bar Manager Giovanni Cassino and Assistant Bar Manager Stefano Pinna, the team has carefully selected two wines and two Champagnes to complement the four distinct gelato flavours on the tasting menu, with each pairing including two scoops of gelato and either a 175ml glass of wine or a 125ml glass of champagne.

Tasting menu:

Tahini – £24.50 (paired with Sancerre) 

Created especially for this occasion, this gelato blends toasted sesame seed paste with rich cream for a refined balance of savoury and nutty notes with a smooth finish.

Pistachio – £26.50 (paired with Charles Heidsieck Champagne)

Made with pistachios from Sicily, this flavour is deep, earthy and subtly sweet. The pairing with Champagne highlights its creamy texture and delicate taste. 

Tayberry – £28.50 (paired with Charles Heidsieck Rose Champagne)

A tart sweet gelato made with tayberries, a blackberry and raspberry hybrid, grown locally just fifteen minutes from Jannettas. This flavour celebrates the best of seasonal Scottish produce. Fruity notes are complemented by the bubbles, creating a refreshing pairing.

Chocolate sorbet – £21.50 (paired with Valoplicella)

Rich and indulgent, made with high-quality cocoa. The pairing with Valpolicella, a red wine from the Veneto region of Italy, enhances the chocolate with fruity notes. 

Stefano Pinna, Assistant Bar Manager, said, 

“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Jannettas. Lots of us have fond memories of visiting their shop in St Andrews, and as a family-run business with Italian roots, it feels like the perfect fit. It’s been such fun exploring how these unusual pairings bring out new flavours in both the gelato and the wine. Each one has been expertly paired to create a truly experiential tasting, and has been great fun, challenging our expertise into something so playful.”

Lewis  Hazel, Co-owner of Jannettas added,

“This collaboration is a special one to us and a true milestone since taking over from the previous generation. The idea of pairing gelato with wine and Champagne opens up exciting possibilities for flavour. Our tayberry gelato, for example, has a unique sweet profile that works beautifully with certain wines and it comes from berries grown by a family friend just down the road.”

“We’ve grown up in this business,” says Lewis Hazel. “It’s not just about making gelato; it’s about continuing something bigger than ourselves, something our family has built for over a century.”

The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel with 124 years of history, continues to be an iconic part of Edinburgh’s culture and hospitality scene. This collaboration celebrates the shared Italian heritage with Jannettas Gelateria, also a family-run business that has been serving authentic gelato and sorbet in St Andrews for 117 years.

Founded in 1908 by Benedito Jannetta, Jannettas is a family-run business now led by fifth-generation brothers Lewis and Ross Hazel. Every generation has upheld a legacy of craftsmanship, using traditional Italian techniques and high-quality ingredients including local Fife berries, Sicilian pistachios, and rich Scottish dairy. Gelato is made fresh year-round by the family and their team of skilled gelato makers. 

Bar Prince offers an extensive drinks selection, from Old and New World wines to French Champagnes, providing the perfect menu, team and setting to create inventive gelato pairings. Stylish, yet relaxed, the bar features comfortable cornflower-blue leather seating, a long marble bar and a cosy fire in the adjoining library. Finishing touches like gleaming copperware and fresh garnishes create a welcoming atmosphere. 

Guests will be able to order gelato pairings directly from the menu or can choose to book a  full tasting experience of the four flavours on the menu matched with selected wines and champagne. The full tasting menu, priced at £50 per person must be booked via the Bar Prince website here and will be available from 25th of August- 7th of September. 

Timings:

Monday – Friday: 12pm-9pm

Saturday – Sunday:  12pm- 9pm

Bar Prince at The Balmoral
Address: 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ
Phone: +44 131 556 2414
Email: barprince@roccofortehotels.com

Website

For media enquiries, images or interviews, please contact: 

Emma McVeigh on emma@soundbitepr.co.uk / Abie Dobie on abie@soundbitepr.co.uk  / Gemma Robertson on gemma@soundbitepr.co.uk

Images HERE.

Balcaskie Estate opens gates to food, drink and rural businesses 

Why grow a business alone when there’s land, resources, investment and know-how to tap into?

That’s the message from Fife’s Balcaskie Estate, which is opening the gates to its organic and regenerative-focused farm to sustainable businesses and start-ups looking for a leg-up to help them grow, as part of Pitch Up! 2025. 

Pitch Up! is a farmer-led movement that invites businesses at all stages to share land and space on organic and regenerative farms at a low cost.

From today, entrepreneurs and businesses can submit an expression of interest, ready for the Pitch Up! Applications season, which returns in November.

Growing together

Pitch Up! is a positive story about farmers working together, independently of government initiatives and funding bodies, to create a different model for farming and food businesses.

The initiative connects organic and regenerative farms with sustainable businesses needing access to land/ space. They then share resources, knowledge and land to feed one another and grow together. 

Sam Parsons, Balcaskie Estate Manager said:

“Fertile land is at the core of everything we do at Balcaskie and we have grown a community of businesses around that. We really want to hear from both new and established enterprises with a view to them to joining us here as part of our network. It’s a brilliant way to share expertise, distribution and staff and to support innovation. For us, this is a really useful way of developing a sustainable rural economy.”

Pitch Up! welcomes businesses at all stages – supporting established enterprises with relocation, renovating space customised to their specific needs, or readying land for use. For start-ups, it could be more about experimental space, trialling packaging and dispatch, or support developing their pricing models, product offer or production processes.

In return, Pitch Up! farms gain partners, not tenants. Each agreement is different, shaped to be fair to both sides – whether that’s profit share, turnover rent, produce use/ reuse, or longer-term regeneration goals. It’s about helping farms diversify in a future-focused way. 

Successful pitchers will join and work with an existing community of Balcaskie businesses already focusing on a circular economy approach that ‘stacks’ enterprises to make the best and most sustainable use of the land including:

• Scotland the Bread, a collaborative farming, milling and bakery project to grow better grain and bake better bread with the common purposes of nourishment, sustainability and food sovereignty. It also supplies Baern Bakery at Bowhouse who specialise in naturally leavened bakes

• East Neuk Market Garden, a 4 acre agroecological farm growing vegetables, salads, herbs and fruit, which supplies the local community as well as Stocks Kitchen, a catering business, food shop and cook school that focuses on produce grown on the estate including The Butchery at Bowhouse. 

The Balcaskie team is particularly keen to hear from those involved in pastured dairy, leather processing and design and those who can make use of the organic grains grown on the farm.

Balcaskie Estate covers 4,500 acres in the East Neuk of Fife. With an organic and regenerative focus, farming practices include mob grazing, improving soil health, native wildlife conservation and the reintroduction of heritage breed livestock for a more sustainable future for food production and rural communities. At the heart of the estate is Bowhouse, a growing community of producers, which work to transform local ingredients into artisan food and drink. The Bowhouse Market Weekends have become a well-established fixture, welcoming around 4,200 members of the public every month. 

Interested businesses can take the first step and fill out an expression of interest form today.

To find out more, visit  pitchupandgrow.com – and follow @pitchupdandgrow on Instagram for the latest updates.