Going to Edinburgh in October for my birthday and staying in an apartment in Dublin Street - any recommenations for a restaurant nearby to celebrate . Don't mind splashing out a bit but not too expensive. I like most foods.
On the negative side, one to avoid: we went in an Indian restaurant on the upper part of the Royal Mile - same side as the cathedral. It was adequate, but hugely up itself and so expensive that we queried the bill. Their answer was, 'well this is the Royal Mile (innit)'.
Your comment about the Royal Mile has suddenly reminded me of when (quite some time ago now) I was standing at the bar in a Parisian café having a quiet drink ( good tip, by the way, for anyone wanting a quick drink in Paris, as the moment you sit down the price automatically doubles). A rather brash young American lady came in from the terrace outside to query her bill. "20 francs for a Coke!" she exclaimed, "gee, that's nearly 5$!"
"Yes, madame", replied the barman, "and this is Paris".
This is one of the best places to eat in Edinurgh;
http://www.thewitchery.com/
and I can highly recommend it.
If the prices are too steep for you then you could consider going for lunch instead. You won't regret it.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but it doesn't make sense to me to travel to Edinburgh for a celebration and then eat in a chain that serves identical microwaved frozen food in branches in practically every town and village in the UK.