It’s so filmic and bizarre…everything about the Tower run by James Thomson is designed to impress. Food Illustrated.

James Thomson opened Scotland’s first and finest rooftop restaurant above the landmark new Museum of Scotland on St Andrew’s Day 1998.

Hugely ambitious in its vision, he established the 90-seat Tower as a world-class destination restaurant set above an iconic building, rather than a gourmet version of a museum café! The Tower remains the only stand-alone destination restaurant to operate daily at lunch and dinner within a museum or public building in the UK and 98% of its diners are visitors to the Tower first and Museum second.

Though entirely contemporary in style, the chicly luxurious Tower has all of the Thomson hallmarks of creating exceptional dining experiences within unique and memorable venues. Thomson’s deserved reputation for delivering exceptional food, wine and service quickly saw the Tower establish itself as Scotland’s most talked about restaurant and generate a mass of critical acclaim – being dubbed “the hottest table in Edinburgh” by both the Sunday Times’ critic AA Gill and Peter Irvine of Scotland the Best!

A favourite of celebrities, politician’s visitors and locals alike, Thomson’s Tower has followed the Witchery’s trend in gathering a raft of awards and continues to attract a mass of high-profile press and critical acclaim. Now six years old, the Tower is busier than ever, welcoming in excess of 100,000 guests annually and has become a much-loved Edinburgh institution among its fiercely loyal regulars.

Since opening the Tower James has added significantly to his unique collection of properties with more luxurious suites at the Witchery by the Castle, his decadently opulent restaurant Rhubarb and his latest acquisition, the much talked about Prestonfield – Scotland’s latest five-star hotel.

Despite a growing collection of successful businesses in Scotland James remains an enthusiastic ambassador for Scotland and the wider tourism and hospitality industries and is actively involved in a range of quality improvement and charitable initiatives. His passion and drive for quality and innovation saw his become the first independent restaurants in Scotland to be accredited as Investors in People as well as Company of the Year in addition to a raft of other awards.

James recently received the highest accolade in tourism, a coveted Silver Thistle from First Minister Jack McConnell for his "outstanding contribution to the development of tourism in Scotland...He has demonstrated how a hospitality-based company can be aspirational, creative and forward thinking and not only can his creations be ranked among the best hospitality-based organisations, but they can compete against and excel against businesses from many other fields too."

James maintains a hands-on involvement in each of his enterprises and he can be seen daily at the Tower holding meetings on its tweed-upholstered banquettes or surveying the smooth operation of the restaurant from a proprietorial perch at it’s glass-topped mosaic bar.

For further information on James Thomson, the Tower Restaurant and his unique collection.

For images or opportunities to interview James Thomson please contact the Tower’s PR Manager Mark Rowley mr@thewitchery.com or 0131 225 0976