Chef Stuart Ralston to open Parisian bar in former Fhior site

Chef Stuart Ralston has announced plans to open Parisian bar Vinette and cocktail bar Vivien in the former site of Fhior in Edinburgh next month.

Fine dining restaurant Fhior closed earlier this year after nearly seven years of trading, with co-owner Scott Smith citing “personal and practical factors”, as well as a “difficult hospitality climate”.

Stuart has since taken over the 36 Broughton Street site alongside co-owner Jade Johnston, operations director across the Edinburgh-based group of restaurants, which spans Aizle, Michelin Bib Gourmand Noto and Tipo, and the Michelin-starred Lyla.

Vinette will serve seasonal European cuisine created from artisanal Scottish produce, paired to a changing by-the-glass selection curated by group head sommelier Stuart Skea, who plans to focus on Old World wines.

The kitchen will be led by Stuart’s younger brother, Calum, who has trained with the group over the past 18 months. Meanwhile, Elle Mackay, general manager at the soon-to-close Aizle, will lead on front of house.

Dishes will include braised duck hearts on toast with pickled green peppercorns, grilled Iberico pork chop with cider-braised onions and mustard sauce and pigs head croquettes with smoked paprika.

The space underneath Vinette will be occupied by cocktail bar Vivien, which takes its name from the lesbian poet Renée Vivien, who lived in Paris during La Belle Époque.

Rebekah George will lead on the bar programme, which will offer classic and signature serves such as the Strawberry Thief and Violet Subterfuge, as well as bar snacks like potato mille-feuille buerre blanc and Ortiz anchovies with lemon butter. 

The launch of Vinette and Vivien coincides with the upcoming closure of Aizle, which marked Stuart’s debut restaurant when it opened in 2014.

The remaining restaurants form part of the Aizle Hospitality Group, which recently promoted Stuart’s brother Scott into the role of group chef.

Stuart said: “After closing Aizle, it felt important to mark a new chapter. Vinette and Vivien are about creating spaces that feel warm, social and a little indulgent. I’m especially proud that I’m opening them with people who’ve been on this journey with me – Jade, who has been integral for more than a decade, and my brothers Scott and Calum, who are stepping into leadership roles.

“This feels like the group’s natural next project, but with the same commitment to quality we’ve always had. I will be doubling down on my efforts with Lyla and hope to improve tenfold but this allows people around us to continue to grow which is very important to me.”

Stuart was born in Glenrothes in Scotland. In his early 20s, the chef moved to New York City to work alongside Gordon Ramsay, David Bouley, Marcus Samuelsson, Terrance Brennan, Daniel Humm, Paul Liebrandt and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

He was awarded Restaurateur of the Year – Independent at the 2025 Cateys.