I had my first taste of sea urchin at Scotland's best Japanese restaurant

It’d probably be quicker to list the items I haven’t eaten than the ones I have.

Here we go. Racoon, squirrel, camel, guinea pig, horse, miscellaneous insects - oh no, wait, I have done them - and crocodile.

And also, as far as I remember anyway, sea urchin.

I don’t remember ever seeing it on a Scottish menu, and that’s probably because, according to Edinburgh Japanese restaurant, Yamato, they are the only ones in the country who offer this spined delicacy, which is called uni in Japan. It’s only available in the winter and early spring, when in season, and on Fridays, and, because its appearance is so dependent on availability, they ask customers to pre-order it.

If you’re a fan of the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain, you might remember it as his favourite food. In his brilliant travel and food documentary, Parts Unknown, he called it ‘truly one of the greatest things on earth’.

Another hot fact: a sea urchin’s mouth is called Aristotle’s lantern, because the Greek philosopher described that part of its anatomy as lantern-like.

This creature’s more recent claim to fame was an appearance on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, when the eponymous presenter and comedian, Phil Rosenthal, managed to spike his hand while trying to dive for some in Croatia. It seems they are fierce, like Fizzgig in the Dark Crystal.

At my favourite Japanese restaurant, Yamato, they’ve done all the tricky bits for you. There will be no Band-Aids or cold water immersion required.

On their Specials Menu, they offer this treat as an uni tempura (£17.90) or as chawanmushi (£12.90), with dashi steamed egg, shiitake mushroom and prawn.

As a true Scot, I went for the deep-fried option.

It came as three chrysalis-like pieces, with each piece of uni wrapped in a shiso leaf before being fried and reverently dotted with gold leaf. These pods were gorgeous - rich, buttery and bright orange inside, with the medicinal tinge from the leaf and the light crunch of airy blond batter. Apart from the sea and salt, I wouldn’t say uni tastes of much - the beauty is in the velvety texture.

Hooray for ticking this off my bucket list.

I’d also ordered a few other luxuriant bits. I’ve tried the sushi and sashimi here before, and it’s all wonderful. This time, I wanted to go off piste, so I stuck to specials.

The single Nokia-sized block of black cod miso (£6) was so silky, velvety and sweet, it made me swoon. Apparently, black cod is otherwise known as sablefish, and that seems very apt. I’d happily sling this round my shoulders and wear it to the opera. If only I was better at grabbing its slippery chunks with the chopsticks. For a clumsy type like me, this was a bit like trying to grab a block of ice off a conveyor belt, using metal tongs, but I managed.

I also went for another of the priciest options, because I’m worth it. The wagyu donburi (£26) was topped by plenty of this rich and fattily marbled meat, with a charred tinge, along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, spring onions and ginger, and a bowlful of pore-openingly steamy rice.

Since it’s only a couple of hundred more sleeps until Christmas, we had to sample a side dish of Brussels sprout (£6.80). I don’t think I’ve ever seen this veg on a Japanese restaurant menu before, but there’s a first time for everything, not just uni.

They’d worked magic with it, thanks to crispy and salty leaves that were varnished with a sweet and glossy yuzu sauce and a sprinkling of pine nuts.

For pudding, I had a set of two black sesame mochi (£7.20), which were as springy and doughy as a baby's cheeks, and served with a blob of vanilla ice-cream.

I also tried the Kinkakuji cocktail. It’s named after a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, and features a mix of Roku Gin, aged umeshu, yuzu, honey and lemon (£12.90). It was a gorgeous wintery zip of Vitamin C that braced me against the cold exit I’d soon have to make onto Lochrin Terrace. Sigh.

If only I could have another round of uni.

That, and the rest of the specials menu, made my Aristotle’s lantern very happy indeed.

Yamato, 11 Lochrin Terrace, Edinburgh (0131-466 5964, www.yamatoedinburgh.co.uk)