Food and friends

Tomás Gormley’s dream dinner party: dark rooms, great grub, and the Kneecap lads
3 February 2025

Tomás Gormley is a name to know in the UK food world. Currently chef patron of Cardinal in Edinburgh, Tomás cut his teeth working at some of Scotland’s most renowned restaurants before co-founding Edinburgh location, Heron, in 2021, and two years later bagged a Michelin star. In 2024, Tomás opened Cardinal, his first solo launch, presenting his signature elevated take on modern Scottish dining, set within a relaxed and intimate fine dining atmosphere, using local suppliers and cooking over authentic coal fire. We asked Tomás to take part in our ongoing dream dinner party series, in which we ask chefs and eateries to imagine their ideal meal – he’s inviting the Kneecap lads and serving his wife’s “terrific tabbouleh.”

Ideal dinner party location…
“I’m about to move into a new apartment with my wife, who I very recently married, so I’m looking forward to hosting some dinners with her there soon.”

Ideal interior design…
“Unsurprisingly, I love bold, dark rooms with interesting artwork and carefully curated lighting.”

Ideal dinner party playlist…
“My first business was a pop-up delivery service, and each week we published a playlist to accompany the menu. I’ve got a whole collection of them, and they’re perfect for an occasion like this. One of my favourite playlists was the one for St Patrick’s Day for the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh. As it was peak Covid they couldn’t do their usual St Patrick’s Day ball, so decided to ask us to cater a ‘virtual event’ with our fine dining at home boxes. I really enjoyed having to take a deeper dive into where the Irish music scene was at. Some of these artists’ links to Ireland are relatively tenuous but it’s still a great playlist. I would probably have a few additions if I were to do it again now, and as it was going out to pretty much the whole Scottish cabinet I had a couple songs taken out at the last minute. Considering these were an official gift from the Irish government, I get it.”

Ideal dinner party guests…
“I’m terrible at making time to catch up with close friends and family, so as boring as it sounds, I’d probably invite them! That said, I’d also love to get to know the Kneecap boys, so they can come along too.”

The best dishes to serve…
“For a dinner party, I think big bowls of salads and grilled meats work best. My wife makes an outstanding tabbouleh, so that would definitely have to be on the table.”

The best drink/cocktail…
“As someone who doesn’t drink, I’m finding the options are getting better and more varied every year. Right now, I’m really enjoying Jump Ship’s 0% beer, so I’d probably have a couple of those.”

Follow Cardinal here.


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