Michelin chef James Murray on new Leith restaurant Dogstar and how winning a star was ‘freeing’

Recently named the world’s best bartender, Mr McPherson’s plans to open a bar in Leith in a venue he bought in 2019 haven’t been able to come to fruition due to Covid restrictions and the amount of travel he has been doing since his awards success.

This meant he has been able to lease the premises to Nauticus co-owners Kyle Jamieson and Michael Lynch, and Mr Murray - the former chef at Michelin starred - but now sadly closed - Edinburgh Food Studio.

Mr Murray had been thinking about opening his own place for a while, so when this space become available in Leith he, along with Mr Lynch and Mr Jamieson jumped at the chance to open their own restaurant.

Named Dogstar - “not after Keanu Reeves’s band or the Brixton late night bar and club”, Mr Murray explained - the new casual dining restaurant will open in late October and the trio are excited to share their plans.

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Mr Murray said: “I’d been chatting to Kyle for a few years about potentially doing something together. We’ve had a joint idea of what a restaurant can be or should be; how we like to dine or enjoy a lunch or dinner out. When this venue became available, I saw it and fell in love with it. It was an old pub. I just thought it’s a great little venue. It’s small, but I wanted something small with a small team. I’ve worked in big kitchens and I’m ready for it.

“It’s a restaurant, not a pub or bar. So it’ll be food focused, but with a very informal service. Still super slick, but hands off, fun and relaxed and the kitchen will get involved with the service where needed. We’ll keep the bar and will have about eight seats there with an extended table to one side, with about 20 seats in the restaurant area. There will be an open kitchen.”

The restaurant is inspired by Mediterranean food, with a big influence being San Sebastian where Mr Murray visited recently and ate in restaurants that had been open for decades. He said: “We’re not going to be Scotland’s version of BRAT [a Michelin Star basque-inspired restaurant in Shoreditch, London]. I was in San Sebastian, dining in restaurants that have been open for 60 years that still feel current, but haven’t changed anything in 60 years and it was kind of mental.

“The word timeless kept coming up and that’s what I want for this new place - a timeless menu, approach and dining room. We’ve gone for very earthy tones and brick, and have worked with [interior architect] Significant Others, as we want it to feel like it could’ve been there for 30 years and will hopefully still be there in another 30 years. That’s the same with the menu.

“I was inspired by some techniques in San Sebastian, which mean you can offer excellent beef at lower prices. We will have mainly Scottish produce, but I’m open to looking further afield for things like spices and don’t want to be pigeon holed. We’re also going to have a special Scottish shellfish section on the menu, all cooked on the grill. Desserts will be classic, but I’ll bring in some wild food such as creme caramel or brulee with cherry blossom.

“I am known for working with native farms, wild food and Scottish game, so that won’t change much. I’ll still be championing native cattle, pigs and game, but with a much simpler approach. I’ve been watching how the industry has changed and think that diners are ready for a change. I always look to London and see what’s going on and there’s been a switch to less structured menus or tasting menus and prescribed food.

“What I hate at the moment is somebody coming to my table and telling me that ‘it’s a small plates restaurant and it’s going to be ready when it’s ready’. I think that’s quite lazy. So while we will have some small plates, we will also ask the diner how they wish to eat. We’re going to be flexible and do the hard work so the guests enjoy the experience.”

Mr Murray said Dogstar would be different to where he has run or trained in before. Being awarded a Michelin Star in 2023 has led him down this path, he said, as he feels being awarded the accolade was “freeing”.

“I aimed to win a Michelin star one day, which is why I worked in them [Michelin star restaurants] for 15 years and I was lucky to do that in 2023,” he said. “It has taken the pressure off as I go into my own venue.

“If I hadn’t done that in 2023 I think this venue wouldn’t have happened or, if it was happening, would have taken a very different approach. I have nothing to prove to anybody but myself and it’s freeing. This project is more about guest experience and the relationships I have with the farmers, pickers, growers and joining those dots between them and the guests.”

This will be reflected in the prices, which will be “mid-market,” with about 14 to 16 dishes on the menu to start with and a changeable specials board. Mr Murray said “price and quality are what’s driving this”.

With Mr Jamieson and Mr Lynch coming from Nauticus, which is known for its cocktails, what can diners expect from the drinks menu? Mr Murray said: “We’ll be more focused on beers on tap, a small wine list, a focus on sherries and a really good cocktail list, which will overlap with the kitchen and use things like infusions, vinegars and preserves.”

As for the name? Mr Murray wanted a subtle nod to Nauticus and the Port of Leith. After not finding anything suitable, he was reading his daughter a book one night and it mentioned the dog star.

“I started researching the dog star and it’s a nautical star that sailors used as a point of navigation to get home if compasses were broken or things went wrong,” he said. “We felt the name suited Leith as this part of the town is up and coming, so we wanted a name that was soft at the end and rough at the start.”

Despite an opening date slated for just as the clocks go back, Dogstar sounds like it will bring a little slice of the Spanish sunshine to Leith.

Find out more via the Dogstar Instagram page.