Overhyped, snobbish, over-priced.\n\nMany yelped glowingly about this restaurant, so I went to castle street hoping to capture a piece of exceptional taste. Results: sheer disappointment. Oloroso is about fine dining, great wines, decadent desserts, things which i find mostly lacking in my dining experience.\n\nThe entrance was post-modern, which heightened my anticipation of an artsy and filling experience. The walls looked like a modern art room, with an elevator that will take you to the top floor. Here, there was a beautiful rooftop view of Edinburgh and the city. The restaurant looked out to the water with a tranquil and romantic air flowing in the place.\n\nEverything was downhill from there.\n\nMy waiter service was virtually non-existent. I dined by myself and was ignored during my meal. It took 30 minutes just to fill my glass of water! The server did not know nor understand the menu (I asked him about diver scallops for appetizers and he seemed clueless). He seemed more keen on serving the business table of 8 people next to me. I suppose you go where cash flows or am I being too cynical?\n\nThe food taste and quality were mediocre at best. I started with the smoked salmon which had neither the savory nor smokey taste that good dining delivers. The salmon tasted like it was defrosted from the fridge - bland, unappealing, and absolutely forgettable. The salmon portion, while large, is entirely disproportional to the bread and was not appetizer portion. This was a very rookie mistake that renowned chefs on shows like the American series Chopped criticized the novice contestants in just about every other episode. A premium smoked salmon from Costco would taste better.\n\nMy entree was lamb. I was told that it would be medium and I requested it medium. The final product was well done, harder to chew, with a lack of taste. The sauce base was also too watery. I would have sent it back had there been waiter coming to check on me.\n\nFor my desert, I had the warm rice pudding with strawberries. This was a fun and tasty dish, i must admit. Not out-of-this-world great, but something i would try again. My server finally showed up when he offered to bring me the check. Great!\n\nMy final take: despite the contemporary feel and great rooftop view, the place is an age-old ruse (pardon the pun!) - overpriced, subpar food masked by nice furniture, design, and real estate. It caters to the business and upper class crowd, I supposed.\n\nFood-wise, I look for the great tasting food and Old-la-Ruse is no better than a 3-star restaurant. You can count on my \u00a350+ would not be gong there again.
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