When we got word earlier this year celebrity Edinburgh chef Dean Banks was bringing a new restaurant to the capital, we started licking our lips in anticipation.
The Masterchef: The Professionals finalist comes with quite a reputation and is the man behind the brilliant Pompadour at Waldorf Astoria and the equally impressive Haar restaurant in St Andrews. And while Dean's Pompadour offering is very much about fine dining, Dulse has planted its flag at the other end of the scale - laid-back, no dress code, an easygoing vibe - and very reasonable pricing.
Across each of the restaurants, Dean and his excellent team - including the incredibly talented Dan Ashmore, the executive chef at Dulse, can be considered masters of seafood - they know it inside out and how to turn brilliant fresh produce into spectacular, flavour-packed dishes.
READ MORE: Inside Dean Banks' new Edinburgh restaurant as it officially opens
And the new restaurant - located at 17 Queensferry Street - is a culmination of all that experience, knowledge and skill - and a celebration of the Scottish larder.
But first, how does Dulse look?
Downstairs you'll find their relaxed cocktail and wine bar, with the words 'stairway to heaven' written on the wall to guide you to the restaurant up above. All decorated in a fairly minimalist, yet comforting style, with no unnecessary pomp or ceremony, the interiors amplify that laid-back feel and very much let the food do the talking.
Speaking ahead of the opening, Dean said: "I'm going to hero Scottish seafood, doing classic takes on dishes, modernising them in my style of Eastern fusion with Mediterranean influences too."
And the extensive menu of 'simple' small plates - one of those ones where you keep asking the waiter to come back in two minutes because there are just too many mouthwatering options to choose from - very much speaks to the renowned chef's vision.
You'll find a lot of the usual seafood produce on there you might expect - scallops, octopus, lobster, but the Dulse chefs' contemporary twists on each elevate them to the next level.
The octopus comes with ingredients I would have never considered before - burnt tomato and citrus barley. And it works so well.
Similarly, with the arguable star of the show, a lobster crumpet with citrus brown butter, such a ridiculously brilliant, moreish mix of sweet and savoury, which provoked kid-like joy, and left you almost feeling guilty you were eating it.
And while I try my very best not to sensationalise things when writing a food review, unfortunately it's very difficult not too when the food was this good, this inventive and different, this flavourful - the scallops, with umeboshi plum, elderflower and strawberry, another concoction most chefs won't even have considered - were the best I've ever eaten, the sweet trio of ingredients deliciously balanced against the perfectly cooked scallops.
That's another point to make - all of the seafood was cooked to perfection - when you visit Dulse you know you're paying for a meal put together by chefs who are at the peak of their craft.
Produce - and the care with which its dealt with - is at the heart of the kitchen. If you follow Dean on his social media channels you'll see that when he's not in the kitchen, he's out on a fishing boat off the east coast to help his local suppliers bring in their latest catch. The fresh oysters, which kicked off the meal, were a fine example of the sea to plate experience.
The trout pastrami, with rye bread and and creme fraiche was another example of how often the most simple of dishes can be the best - why add an extra ingredient or sauce when it's already spot on as it is?
Another contender for dish of the day, the crab tartlet, was both delicate and delicious. The lobster thermidor - caught off the coast of St Andrews - was, as you may expect by now, very good (and unlike some lobster, there was plenty of meat on it to enjoy).
And while we'd never directly instruct you what to order, if the brill is on the menu - the menu is regularly updated and rotated to ensure diner get the freshest and best available seafood - then you have to get it.
Served in a brill bone, cream and white wine sauce, with parsley oil and herbs hand picked from the Falkland Kitchen Farm in Fife, the fish was quite simply melt in the mouth.
There are desserts too - such as the Chocolate Pave and strawberries and cream with sunflower brittle, but our stomachs simply couldn't handle one.
Of course, Dulse is about drinks too, and similar care is given to ensure they are as well crafted as the food, again with fresh produce - such as peaches, plums and even kumquat serving as they base ingredients to bring freshness and light to each of their cocktails - including unique martini recipes 'you won't find anywhere else'. There's an extensive wine list as too, with each bottle chosen to be the perfect complement to any meal.
As you'd expect from the levels of service at any Dean Banks restaurant, the staff are attentive, friendly - and importantly - incredibly knowledgable. If you can't quite work out what to have, they'll be on hand to give their recommendations.
By now we should probably stop waxing lyrical and cut to the chase.
Dulse serves up a five star seafood experience and a celebration of Scottish produce, paired beautifully with a perfectly fitting relaxed atmosphere. Here, you can enjoy the best of Scotland's seafood without any pretentiousness.
There's also the price factor too - there are only a couple of dishes above the £20 mark, and some of the best ones can be tucked into for as little as a tenner. When you realise just what you're getting for your money - for all the reasons listed above - it's worth every penny.
With such brilliant seafood dining being so accessible, we'd recommend everyone to go.
And having seen plenty of positive customer reviews in the weeks since opening and on the basis of our experience, we're very sure Dulse will very soon be known as one of Edinburgh's best restaurants.
For a look at the menu, to find out more and to book, make sure to visit the Dulse website here.
Dulse is located at 17 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4QW
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