The Atrium

FOR the judges of the Newcomer of the Year, deciding on an eventual winner was akin to a lover of custard having to choose between cräme brñlée and cräme caramel.

Both are smooth as silk, creamy and finish with a hint of burnt sugar. It is always a dilemma choosing one over the other, and this year the shortlist for Newcomer of the Year was equally rich with talent, personal courage and business success.

So it says a great deal about the impact and reputation of the Atrium restaurant in Edinburgh that it managed to fight off, during judging, two strong contenders in the form of Gordon Ramsay's much-publicised Aubergine restaurant in London and the Coppid Beech Hotel at Bracknell, Berkshire.

One of the judges, Peter Taylor, chief executive of Copthorne Hotels, took the award process so seriously that he made a trip to Edinburgh to visit the Atrium in order to confirm his decision.

"I certainly had high expectations and was not disappointed. Friendly, efficient and not overly obtrusive service together with excellent food made the choice very much easier. The Atrium is a most unusual restaurant in a modern building with many new ideas in terms of presentation and concept," he reported.

The Atrium is the first restaurant owned by chef Andrew Radford. He and his managing partner, James Sankey, opened the restaurant last summer in the middle of a new office development and Radford created a highly distinctive decor with a little help from his favourite artists.

Radford had already established a following as head chef of Waterloo Place, also in Edinburgh. After enduring two restaurant closures, he was determined this time to go out on his own.

He went looking for funding and found a backer at NatWest, which, ironically, was the main tenant of the office complex hosting the Atrium.

The interior of the Atrium is best described as a cosy, glowing cave lit entirely by oil lamps. An earlier spell as the chef on the Royal Scotsman train had given him a taste for the lookof rusty metal and railway sleepers, which are the basis for the restaurant's dark-grained tables.

Described by visitors as "Modern British", the menu at the Atrium changes twice daily and reflects the best of local markets and produce. n