march-2013

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edinburgh
scotland
63,047,162 +44 5°C
BRITISH POUND (GBP)
daily
Andrea Pearson
Scotland’s capital is a sophisticated city
with a taste for fine dining and culture
BROUGHTON STREET
Close to the city centre but a world
away from the tartan kitsch of the
Royal Mile, Broughton Street is an
appealing bohemian strip.
SLEEP Just off Broughton Street,
20 Albany Street (20 Albany Street,
0131 478 5386, 20albanystreet.co.uk,
rooms from €150/£129) is a decidedly
superior townhouse B&B with three
spacious suites, where guests are
welcomed with home-made cakes
and a dram of whisky.
EAT L’Escargot Bleu (56 Broughton
Street, (0)131 557 1600) is a welcoming
restaurant with excellent Scottish
produce, a French owner and a polished
menu (cauliflower velouté, steak with
Roquefort sauce). The early-evening
blackboard menu is terrific value.
SHOP Concrete Wardrobe (50A
Broughton Street) and Curiouser
and Curiouser (93 Broughton Street)
are, conveniently, right opposite one
another. They sell exquisitely designed
clothes, bags, jewellery, cards and other
locally made items.
LATER It’s not all about being
hopelessly hip on the strip. The Barony
Bar (81-85 Broughton Street, (0)131
558 2874) is a classic old Edinburgh
pub, and the perfect place for a pint.
More cosmopolitan drinkers might try
the Treacle Bar and Kitchen (39-41
Broughton Street, (0)131 557 0627),
renowned for its killer cocktails.
INFO
Edinburgh Airport
is 13km west of
the city.
Bus
The Airlink 100
Express departs
for the city centre
(Waverly Bridge)
every 10 minutes.
The journey takes
about 25 minutes,
and a single ticket
costs €4.30/£3.50;
tickets can be
bought from the
driver. Lothian bus
no. 35 calls at local
stops so takes about
an hour to reach the
city centre. A single
costs €1.75/£1.40
Taxi
A taxi into the city
centre takes about
25 minutes and
costs around
€16.20/£13.
Tourist offi ce
Edinburgh Tourist
information Centre
(TIC) is in the city
centre, above
Waverley Station,
at 3 Princes Street,
0845 225 5121,
visitscotland.com
TOLLCROSS
In the southwest of the city,
Tollcross – as its name suggests
– was where tolls were levied
on those entering the city in
medieval times. These days, it’s
something of a cultural hub.
EAT There’s great sushi at Njoi (119
Lothian Road, (0)131 229 1866), but
for a more Scottish feel head to the
Timberyard (10 Lady Lawson Street,
(0)131 221 1222), a laidback restaurant
and cocktail bar in a former timber
merchants, with a south-facing outdoor
space for sunny days. The menu is big
on locally produced ingredients, from
sea purslane to Shetland lamb.
CULTURE Film buffs are irresistibly
drawn to the screenings, discussions
and lectures held at the Filmhouse
(88 Lothian Road) and the Cameo
(38 Home Street); the latter has been
a cinema since 1914.
LEITH SHORE
Strictly speaking, Leith is a separate
town, largely comprising harbour
and warehouse buildings that have
been turned into flats, boutique
shops and cafés. It’s ubër-cool
and a centre for foodies – but
whatever you do, don’t say it’s
part of Edinburgh.
SLEEP The Malmaison (1 Tower Place,
(0)84469 30652, malmaison.com,
The Michelin-starred
Kitchin, presided over by
chef Tom Kitchin
rooms from €105/£89) is an elegantly
modern conversion of a building that
once accommodated sailors with
whisky and women on their minds.
EAT Edinburgh has more Michelin-star
restaurants than any other UK city
outside London. Two are in Leith, and
offer great deals on weekday lunches.
The Kitchin (78 Commercial Quay,
(0)131 555 1755) serves the city’s most
creative cuisine – including chef Tom
Kitchin’s ‘rock pool’ of local shellfish
served in a seafood consommé, which
you’ll find on the à la carte menu.
Restaurant Martin Wishart (54 The
Shore, (0)131 553 3557) also capitalises
on Scotland’s wealth of superb produce,
which is treated with consummate skill.
Neighbourhood favourite the Shore Bar
& Restaurant (3 The Shore, (0)131 553
5080) may not have a mantelpiece of
gongs, but is known for its excellent
seafood and cosy ambience.
CULTURE Browse the work of local
artists at Coburg House Studios
(15 Coburg Street), or tune into the
Scottish music scene at Nobles Bar
(44A Constitution Street). The latter
has Victorian décor as well as a fine
selection of Scottish beers.
TIP Escape the hubbub with a stroll
along the 20km Water of Leith
Walkway. Follow it for a few kilometres
towards the city centre to take in the
magnificent buildings of the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art
(75 Belford Road).
76 march 2013
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