Chef Dean Banks to take over the Pompadour at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – the Caledonian

Chef Dean Banks is to take over the Pompadour restaurant at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – the Caledonian hotel, with the restaurant due to relaunch on 9 June.

The high-end restaurant will offer tasting menus only, five evenings a week from Wednesday to Sunday, using Scottish produce.

Banks said: “You think of iconic locations for food in the whole of Scotland and the legendary Pompadour is one of them. The other one I would want is somewhere on a beach, but in the city of Edinburgh we have the castle view, the room is one of the most historic dining rooms in the city and the chefs that have passed through the doors are incredible. To be part of that history is superb.”

The Pompadour restaurant first opened in 1925 and took its name from Madame de Pompadour, the favourite mistress of King Louis XV of France. The restaurant announced its closure in January 2020 after 95 years.

Between 2012 and 2019 the restaurant traded as Pompadour by Galvin under the group headed by brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin. After the group cut ties with the hotel the restaurant was run by chef Dan Ashmore.

The 241-bedroom hotel in Princes Street was built in 1903, constructed by the Caledonian Railway Company within the tradition of grand railway hotels. It was sold to Abu Dhabi based Twenty14 Holdings, the hospitality investment arm of LuLu Group International, for £85m in 2018.

Banks, a finalist on BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals series in 2018, opened his first restaurant Haar at the Kinnettles hotel in St Andrews in 2019. The restaurant will continue to offer its Haar at Home boxes for delivery and hopes to reopen this summer.

He previously worked as a private chef and held a chef de partie role at Number One at the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh.

He added: “The concept has changed in that Haar is that relaxed dining idea of coming off the beach from walking the dog, whereas our Edinburgh restaurant is more refined. We still want to use the term ‘relaxed dining’ but want to make it even more premium, more of an occasion…

“Definitely, so far this is my greatest achievement – the opportunity to come into Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh and be part of the story is massive in itself, it’s almost ‘is this real?’. The point is I came home and started my business two years ago and one of those years has been a pandemic. So to now be in one of the best restaurants in Scotland is incredible, my team and myself have worked so hard in such a short time to achieve massive goals and this is moment for us all.”

Dale MacPhee, general manager, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming such a charismatic and driven Scottish chef who shares not only a passion for showcasing the best of local produce but also a mutual appreciation of this very remarkable venue, a venue that holds such a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike. Dean and I hit it off immediately and I look forward to seeing Dean build on the legacy of this very special Edinburgh dining institution.”

Emma Banks, vice president, F&B strategy & development, EMEA, Hilton, added: “The opening of Dean’s restaurant at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian highlights our commitment to working with talented local chefs. As a company with a focus on responsible hospitality, we are also delighted to be partnering with a chef who has such a passion for locally sourced produce. We cannot wait to welcome guests to the restaurant soon.”