Delicious lunch for 5 today. Great choice of dishes on their 2 or 3 course meals for around £15-18. The only minor gripe was the water being served at room temperature in tiny stone flagons. Asked for ice and got 2 lumps each! Come on chaps. Jugs of icewater please

I was in Edinburgh for my brother's funeral and normally eat in my local Barnes Cote in London. I needed to be somewhere familiar. I entered into a friendly welcome and was seated and served very quickly. Having eaten in various Cotes over many years. l am familiar with their structure and framework. Also that each Cote is individual. I recently wrote feedback in relation to another Cote, reflecting on the service that a waiter/manager or a member of the house staff gives. I was trying to explain how, regardless of what training or experience or structure someone works in. There is something that can not be forced or given on tap. That something is the giving of self. If one is truly happy doing what they are doing, their spirit shines. On the other hand, if an unhappy waiter will ooz negativity. As a customer, you feel it. In that moment of engagement, there is a moment of connection. It contributes to the positive or negative experience of dining out. The reason why l am mapping out this review is that l believe when something doesn't feel right or the experience is tinted in someway, then as customers we have the responsibility to give people an opportunity to put it right, and not leave the restaurant to complain online. I have visited many restaurants all over the world, and I have a policy that if l have had a very bad experience, l will not write a review. I did encounter an experience, which the front of house manager spotted it and spoke to the member of the staff in relation to the incident. For me, it was a small thing, but because the individual cared, they gave themselves to their job. That is something extra you can not train or buy, as it comes from the heart. It's pointless saying what it was as it was resolved with kindness and genuiness , without me actually saying anything. The act of kindness left me feeling cared for, enhancing my experience of eating at Cote. I love the atmosphere, menu, and food at Cote, and not feeling too great in myself, this lifted my spirit. So thank you, Edinburgh Cote. 😊 Thank you to the member of the staff who went beyond duty and was attentive and ressuring. Definitely will return on future visits. I left the restaurant feeling fed and nurtured as the Scottish wind hit against my mawhok, feeling contented, l disappeared down the Edinburgh cobbled stones.