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THE MONTHLY MINI GUIDE TO EDINBURGH<br />

DON’T MISS! INSIDE!<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

Our Guide to Beer,<br />

Microbreweries and<br />

Where to Sup<br />

The Foamy Brew in<br />

Edinburgh<br />

www.bitepublishing.co.uk<br />

JULY <strong>2010</strong><br />

RESTAURANT & BAR REVIEWS<br />

FOOD, WINE, BEER, COCKTAILS<br />

LISTINGS & COMPETITIONS<br />

I’M<br />

FREE


Scotland’s best range of bottled beers with a vast selection of<br />

premium imports and the finest from Scotland’s micro-breweries.<br />

<br />

18-20 Easter Road, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH7 5RG. T: 0131 652 2405<br />

Now online at: www.corneliusbeers.com


More than just a wine store with a selection<br />

of beers to whet the most discerning of thirsts.<br />

Visit us at 109 Comiston Road, EH10 6AQ<br />

0131 447info@hendersonwines.co.uk 8580 •<br />

info@hendersonwines.co.uk<br />

A dynamic selection of BEERS from all over<br />

the world at affordable prices.<br />

Belgian Tripels, American Craft Beers,<br />

German Pilsners and Wheat Beers and a<br />

whole host of Scottish Bottled Beers from<br />

Scottish micro-breweries and independents.<br />

Over 400 wines<br />

50% cannot be found anywhere else in the<br />

UK and 70% cannot be found anywhere else<br />

in Scotland.<br />

43 Dalry Road, Edinburgh, EH11 2BU – 0131 202 0985<br />

Frequent Tastings – Check Website for details<br />

www.appellationwines.co.uk


At The Ship, Limekilns<br />

WORDS<br />

Mark Earl<br />

Kelly Smith<br />

Sharon Wilson<br />

The Insider<br />

Rachel Edwards<br />

James Wrobel<br />

Dave Albury<br />

Vikki Jones<br />

Sandy Ramsay<br />

Leila Arfa<br />

FRONT COVER<br />

Thanks to<br />

Simone Hillard<br />

INTRO<br />

JULY <strong>2010</strong><br />

<strong>Bite</strong> has been persuaded to ‘come out’. After<br />

seven and a half years of publishing, readers<br />

(apparently) want to know who is behind our<br />

dinky publication. As we always have too much<br />

copy to shoehorn into each issue we have had<br />

to forgo our contents page. If you want it back let us know<br />

but for now, let me introduce the team…<br />

Kelly is our indispensable sub-editor/contributor who<br />

breezed into this windy city from South Carolina via NYC.<br />

She loves food, vintage clothes and music. Donna is our<br />

ever-patient designer and her hubby Mark is our cocktail<br />

expert. He knows EVERYTHING about spirits and much<br />

more besides. James has been writing for <strong>Bite</strong> from the<br />

beginning and now runs the much-loved Cornelius Beer<br />

and Wine shop in Easter Road. We love his dry, no-messing<br />

attitude. The Insider is our totally un-editable writer,<br />

chef, cricket-losing, domino-playing, music-loving ‘oneoff’.<br />

Sandy is our Canadian live-wire who writes the wine<br />

column and Rachel is our Canadian ‘earth mother’ who<br />

writes Off The Trolley and loves cake. Dave is a lover of<br />

cider, a quiz master and diligent, enthusiastic bar reviewer.<br />

Leila and Vikki are our freshest talent – food bloggers,<br />

both. I am the editor/publisher/Bonne Viveuse who keeps<br />

this vessel afloat...with a lot of help from my friends.<br />

In this Issue<br />

...Amongst other things, reviews, the Tony and Pierre<br />

show, the new Roseleaf ‘drinky poos list’, Macarons and<br />

Macaroons and <strong>Bite</strong> ‘n’ Slurp, fifteen pages dedicated to<br />

our love of the foamy brew. Thanks to Mr <strong>Bite</strong> and James<br />

for their input on these pages.<br />

PUBLISHER/EDITOR<br />

ASSISTANT EDITOR Kelly Smith – krsmith@gmail.com<br />

S Wilson – 01383 616126 – M 07780 763613<br />

DESIGN Donna Earl – bite.design@mac.com<br />

– contact@bitepublishing.co.uk<br />

COPYRIGHT<br />

– All items contained within this publication are copyright to <strong>Bite</strong> Publishing and cannot be taken or edited without the<br />

permission from the copyright holder.<br />

5


[\<br />

AL DENTE RESTAURANT<br />

Feel the Taste<br />

Traditional and Regional<br />

Cuisine from Italy<br />

[\<br />

The Winner of the Ethical Good Foods Award 2009<br />

in the category of Best Local Italian Restaurant.<br />

Hit-Listed in The List Eating & Drinking Guide <strong>2010</strong>.<br />

139 Easter Road Edinburgh, EH7 5QA<br />

Tel: 0131 652 1932<br />

info@al-dente-restaurant.co.uk<br />

www.al-dente-restaurant.co.uk<br />

‘The best of Scottish<br />

produce prepared for you<br />

in the heart of Edinburgh’<br />

Deli & Licensed Cafe<br />

15 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1NB<br />

NEW MENU NOW AVAILABLE<br />

Tel: 0131 556 6922<br />

www.edinburghlarder.co.uk


By sheer coincidence as I commence<br />

this review I am sitting on a train to<br />

London next to a couple bemoaning<br />

the lack of gastro pubs in Scotland.<br />

Apparently a Google search prior to<br />

their trip netted very little. Curious, I<br />

type in the phrase and lo and behold,<br />

up pops, www.thebestof.co.uk; the<br />

very website that recently awarded<br />

The Mercat the best-loved gastro<br />

pub in the UK.<br />

According to wikipedia, the term<br />

‘gastro pub’ was coined by David Eyre<br />

and Mike Belben in 1991 when they<br />

acquired The Eagle in Clerkenwell and<br />

denotes a combination of traditional<br />

pub with British gastronomy. The<br />

Mercat fits the description perfectly.<br />

Proprietor Graham Blaikie is every bit<br />

the convivial pub landlord whilst the<br />

new menu and wine list are well<br />

thought-out.<br />

I started with the fishcakes (£4.95).<br />

Crab, potato, heavy on the fish and<br />

served with a superb home-made<br />

saffron mayo. My companion had the<br />

paté maison (£4.95) and was equally<br />

pleased. Smooth, silky chicken liver<br />

paté served with caramelised onions<br />

and toasted brioche. The wine list<br />

matches varietals with dishes and<br />

Justine is the helpful sommelier who<br />

studied at the University of Reims.<br />

Next, I ordered 10oz rib-eye, rare, with<br />

all the trimmings (£17.95) and my<br />

companion chose North Sea haddock<br />

REVIEW<br />

THE MERCAT<br />

The best steak in town?<br />

in beer batter with chips, lemon,<br />

garnish and tartare (£9.50). A ‘Moby<br />

Dick’-sized portion of fish was draped<br />

across a plate of golden chips. He<br />

commented:- “lots of places try to do<br />

fish and chips, especially for students,<br />

but none as good as this!”<br />

There is a bit of an urban legend<br />

associated with the Mercat steak.<br />

Apparently the best steak in town used<br />

to be found at Cobey’s restaurant in<br />

Edinburgh’s west end. It was the ‘best’<br />

because proprietor ‘porky George’ had<br />

a ‘secret recipe’ which has since passed<br />

to The Mercat. All I can say is that my<br />

steak was, without doubt, the most<br />

tender, most melt-in-the mouth steak I<br />

have ever experienced.<br />

The pudding menu contained all my<br />

favourites. I easily polished-off an<br />

Eton-mess cheesecake whilst my<br />

companion had dark chocolate mint<br />

delice - like a giant choc-ice and very<br />

retro.<br />

We do have some excellent gastro<br />

pubs in Scotland and The Mercat is a<br />

fine example. It executes the simple<br />

things exceedingly well.<br />

THE MERCAT<br />

– 28 West Maitland Street<br />

Edinburgh, Midlothian EH12 5DX<br />

– 0131 225 3861<br />

– www.mercatbar.com<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Everyday<br />

7


Scottish Bistro<br />

FISH MEAT GAME POULTRY<br />

38 St Mary’s St<br />

0131 557 5754<br />

1 AA Rosette<br />

8-10 Grindlay St<br />

0131 229 5405<br />

1 AA Rosette<br />

28-33 Dublin St<br />

0131 556 2231<br />

Affordable Scottish<br />

Food at Our<br />

St Mary’s Street Bistro


I have never been to The Dome,<br />

George Street’s veteran bar and<br />

restaurant. And having often<br />

experienced a warm, fuzzy,<br />

nostalgic feeling when the<br />

traditional christmas decorations<br />

appear on its grand columns, I was<br />

expecting a similarly traditional<br />

(and perhaps predictable)<br />

experience on the inside.<br />

But who could fail to be impressed by<br />

the red carpet and marble lobby?<br />

Dining in the exclusive-sounding Club<br />

Room, we were greeted by a<br />

sumptuous hall of wood panelling<br />

and mirrors, inviting banquette seating<br />

and decadent chandeliers.<br />

On the wine list, we’re delighted to<br />

discover four red and white options at<br />

the house wine price of £19.50 – how<br />

refreshing to feel like you can still<br />

have a chance to choose your wine<br />

without breaking the bank. We chose<br />

a fresh and floral white Rioja.<br />

If the decor seems traditional, then so<br />

is the menu. The problem with classic<br />

dishes like Caesar salad and vegetable<br />

lasagna is that everyone already<br />

knows what they want them to taste<br />

like, and this made me approach with<br />

caution. Yet, here the classics lived up<br />

to, and perhaps even exceeded,<br />

expectations.<br />

We started with smoked salmon<br />

(£8.50), simply served with capers, red<br />

onion and chopped egg, and buffalo<br />

REVIEW<br />

THE CLUB ROOM AT THE DOME<br />

A touch of class<br />

mozzarella, tomato and balsamic<br />

salad (£7.50). Both starters were<br />

carefully presented and prepared with<br />

the freshest ingredients – and it<br />

showed.<br />

For mains, my friend chose haddock<br />

and chips (£14.50). Again there was<br />

nowhere to hide with this dish, but<br />

the fish was thick-cut and flaky, the<br />

batter light and the chips crisp. The<br />

portion was massive, but then the<br />

waitress did describe it as “a whale”! I<br />

opted for a wonderfully moist salmon<br />

fillet (£15.50) served with rich and<br />

moreish black pudding mash and<br />

tender, garlicky wild mushrooms.<br />

Although we claimed we were full, we<br />

seemed to have no trouble polishing<br />

off a portion of warm apple pie<br />

(£7.00) for dessert. The apples were<br />

complemented by juicy sultanas and<br />

walnuts, in crisp short crust pastry<br />

complete with cream AND ice cream.<br />

I no longer need convincing that<br />

traditional is definitely good!<br />

THE DOME<br />

– 14 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PF<br />

– 0131 624 8624<br />

– www.thedomeedinburgh.com<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

The Grill Room: Everyday 12pm – late<br />

The Club Room: Mon-Wed 10am – 5pm<br />

Thurs-Sat 10am – late<br />

Closed Sundays<br />

9


10<br />

WINE<br />

VINHO VERDE<br />

Wining with wee ones<br />

It’s <strong>July</strong> and school’s out<br />

If you have children you are probably<br />

counting the days ‘til the little gems<br />

will be heading back to school and I<br />

can guess you have been trying to steal<br />

a moment to sit quietly in your back<br />

garden and enjoy a glass of wine or<br />

three. For those of us that don’t have<br />

kids, well, we’ve been enjoying those<br />

quiet moments and the glass(es) of<br />

wine for a while now. So whether you<br />

have kids or not, when you get that<br />

quiet moment here is a little<br />

something that might interest your<br />

taste buds.<br />

Vinho Verde. A simple “green wine”<br />

from Portugal. This sprightly little<br />

wine’s vines are traditionally grown<br />

high above the ground to compensate<br />

for the lack of space that the grapes<br />

are grown in. Something like 90% of<br />

the holdings are less than 5 ha. The<br />

vines are trained to be grown on high<br />

granite posts leaving room for further<br />

vines to be grown underneath in order<br />

to maximise the space thus leaving the<br />

harvest to be done by hand from<br />

ladders perched against the posts.<br />

Traditionally the wine is of lower<br />

alcohol content, approximately 10% by<br />

volume. This lower alcohol is a result<br />

of not using all the yeast during<br />

fermentation therefore creating an<br />

ever-so-slightly sweet wine.<br />

Suppressed carbon dioxide during<br />

fermentation creates a slight natural<br />

sparkling or “pétillance”, leaving the<br />

wine slightly acidic, very fresh, light<br />

and impressively fragrant.<br />

Vinho Verde is perfect for that quiet<br />

moment in the sun, or if you just need<br />

to regain your sanity it is not so<br />

alcoholic that you forget you even<br />

have kids!<br />

W’est Solutions is a wine tasting and<br />

wine training company working with<br />

corporate groups,<br />

hotels/restaurants and private<br />

individuals.<br />

If you would like to learn more<br />

about W’est Solutions or would like<br />

to provide comments or subjects for<br />

upcoming articles, log onto<br />

www.westwinetasting.com or call<br />

Sandy at 07871 793 801 or email at<br />

info@westwinetasting.com


The Ship on The Shore is a fish and<br />

seafood restaurant where you can<br />

enjoy fine food, wine and champagne<br />

in a buzzy, unbuttoned ambience.<br />

Chalkboards suggest classic combos<br />

such as oysters with Guinness or<br />

champagne, ‘twists’ such as half a<br />

dozen oyster shots or the<br />

‘spectacular’ such as the fruits de<br />

mer royale. There is also a bar menu<br />

and daily specials.<br />

We chose to eat from the dinner menu<br />

and Mr <strong>Bite</strong> began with The Ship’s<br />

seafood chowder (£7.95). A very hearty<br />

affair with no complaint regarding the<br />

quantity of fish; it was choc-full of<br />

mussels, clams, prawns, langoustine<br />

and haddock. Intensity of flavour<br />

increased the deeper into the bowl<br />

you delved. I had grilled queen scallops<br />

with tarragon and lemon butter (£6.95).<br />

The bivalves were really sweet, the<br />

sauce rich and tangy and a sprightly<br />

leaf salad contained hot, peppery<br />

samphire flowers and flash-fried wild<br />

garlic leaves. Stunning.<br />

For main course Mr <strong>Bite</strong> chose battered<br />

monkfish tails with wild garlic salad<br />

and Masala curry sauce (£16.50) and I<br />

had pan-fried halibut with a Thai<br />

shellfish broth (£17.50). On our last visit<br />

to The Ship Mr <strong>Bite</strong> had declared the<br />

fish curry the best he had ever tasted<br />

and he wasn’t disappointed this<br />

evening. His food was presented<br />

beautifully with the sauce on the side<br />

and salad in a separate bowl. He<br />

REVIEW<br />

THE SHIP ON THE SHORE<br />

A fishy feast<br />

described the monkfish as luscious,<br />

and commented on the exciting battle<br />

of flavours between each component<br />

on the plate. My halibut was really<br />

meaty and stood up to the Thai<br />

flavours and chilli heat admirably. The<br />

broth contained noodles, clams,<br />

mussels, courgettes, carrots, green and<br />

red peppers and pak choi; the flavours<br />

danced on the palate.<br />

We couldn’t manage dessert but The<br />

Ship always has a ‘sweetie’ dessert and<br />

today it was Cadbury flake cheesecake.<br />

There were also classics like crème<br />

brûlée and seasonal sweets such as<br />

rhubarb jelly with strawberries and<br />

cream.<br />

The Ship doesn’t<br />

bang on about<br />

provenance and<br />

seasonality but it<br />

clearly ticks these<br />

boxes. In our book,<br />

it is one of the finest<br />

restaurants in Edinburgh<br />

and we look forward<br />

to our next trip.<br />

THE SHIP ON THE SHORE<br />

– 24-26 Shore, Leith,<br />

Edinburgh EH6 6QN<br />

– 0131 555 0409<br />

– seafood@theshipontheshore.co.uk<br />

– www.theshipontheshore.co.uk<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Food served Mon-Sun noon-10pm.<br />

11


Joseph Pearce’s<br />

Crayfish Party<br />

A very popular Swedish tradition when we eat lots of<br />

crayfish, sing schnapps songs and drink aquavit.<br />

Come along and try this fun tradition!<br />

Dates available:<br />

Mon 9th August 7pm • Tues 10th August 7pm<br />

Mon 16th August 7pm • Tues 17th August 7pm<br />

Ticket price £28 which includes welcome drink, lots of<br />

crayfish, bread and cheese and for main course a Swedish<br />

recipe cheese tart served with salad plus 2 shots of OP<br />

Andersson Aquavit is also included. If you book groups of<br />

4 people or more you will get the tickets for £24 per person.<br />

If you don’t want alcoholic drinks the tickets are also £24.<br />

Come into Joseph Pearce’s to<br />

buy your tickets for Crayfish Party!<br />

Joseph Pearce’s, 23 Elm Row, Edinburgh 0131 556 4140<br />

Try a Taste of<br />

Poland<br />

Now open with BIGGER<br />

premises<br />

Lots of room to enjoy hot drinks<br />

and specialist cakes<br />

Sandwiches and hot food coming soon<br />

Deli Polonia offers you friendly<br />

service in a cool and bright environment<br />

P O L I SH D E L I C A T E SSE N<br />

235-241 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8NY<br />

Tel: 0131 555 1281<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Mon to Fri 9-8<br />

Sat 9-6 • Sun 10-6


Bruntsfield is a bustling corner of the<br />

city, and home to some excellent<br />

neighbourhood eateries. The area<br />

also happens to be my old highschool<br />

stomping ground, so it was<br />

with a soupçon of nostalgia that I<br />

headed out with my fella for dinner<br />

at Bisque. Tucked away underneath<br />

The Bruntsfield Hotel, on this<br />

particular visit it was a buzzy place<br />

with people enjoying a drink and a<br />

bite to eat.<br />

Whilst by no means a balmy Edinburgh<br />

eve, it was bright and just warm<br />

enough to enjoy a pre-prandial drink in<br />

Bisque's lush garden area. Indoors, the<br />

brasserie has a modern feel, without<br />

being overly 'trendy', and offers a<br />

choice of booths or more formal<br />

tables.<br />

Once seated, the cheery waiter steered<br />

us around the extensive menu and<br />

wine list. To drink, I went for a 2006<br />

Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, and after<br />

much deliberation over the menu,<br />

opted for ham hock and apricot terrine<br />

to start. Packed with richly-flavoured<br />

layers of meat, it was accompanied by<br />

a little dish of candy-like stewed<br />

apricots with soft cinnamon spice; the<br />

perfect foil to the savoury ham. The<br />

fella’s plate displayed an elegant<br />

offering indeed. Quenelles of crab and<br />

crayfish pâté were light in texture but<br />

big with deep seafood-y flavour, and<br />

dressed with a generous handful of<br />

crayfish tails.<br />

REVIEW<br />

BISQUE<br />

In the neighbourhood<br />

My main course of braised lamb shank<br />

was as tender as you like, but a<br />

whopper of a portion. Fluffy mash and<br />

a rich red wine jus were perfect<br />

partners to the hearty fare, but two tiny<br />

baby leeks were a bit sparse in their<br />

contribution. The chef evidently has a<br />

love of the sub-aquatic. When Sir's<br />

salmon arrived, it was not only well<br />

presented with crushed new potatoes<br />

and crisp green beans, but the panseared<br />

fish was perfectly moist, and I<br />

found myself repeatedly stealing tastes<br />

of the buttery tarragon sauce.<br />

It may be that I'd been thwarted by the<br />

epic lamb, however unfortunately the<br />

desserts didn't really excite. We tried<br />

the treacle tart, and the pear & almond<br />

tart. Both came with a scoop of decent<br />

ice cream, however limp pastry let<br />

them both down.<br />

After some excellent coffee, well-fed,<br />

we headed out to continue my stroll<br />

down memory lane.<br />

The Bill: £77.50 including wine and<br />

coffee<br />

Leila Arfa writes<br />

www.leilappetit.blogspot.com<br />

BISQUE BAR & BRASSERIE<br />

– 69 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh,<br />

EH10 4HH – 0131 622 8163<br />

– www.bisquebar.com<br />

– reserve@bisquebar.com<br />

OPENING TIMES<br />

Open 7am to 1am daily.<br />

13


14<br />

OUT OF TOWN<br />

ROMAN CAMP HOTEL, CALLANDER<br />

R&R<br />

This country house hotel lies just off<br />

of Callander High Street. It is a<br />

relaxing haven where you can eat<br />

good food, stay in luxurious rooms<br />

and enjoy the Scottish countryside.<br />

Originally built as a fort for the<br />

Romans to protect their lowland<br />

conquests the hotel later became a<br />

hunting lodge and ever since has had<br />

a roll call of famous guests.<br />

At the 3 AA Rosette restaurant Mr <strong>Bite</strong><br />

chose to eat from the A La Carte menu<br />

whilst I plumped for the tasting menu<br />

(£47 per person). We selected our food in<br />

the drawing room as the sun set over the<br />

Trossachs and horses sipped from the<br />

River Teith: very idyllic. Canapés included<br />

a particularly flavoursome and aromatic<br />

spiced pork dumpling.<br />

The dining room is large and oval with<br />

white linen and a stately fireplace. An<br />

amuse bouche of braised beef and<br />

potato foam was deeply flavoursome<br />

and creamy. Next, Mr <strong>Bite</strong> chose the<br />

wild garlic soup with fricassee of frog’s<br />

legs (£10.50). The meat was moist and<br />

juicy whilst the soup was vibrant<br />

emerald and subtly flavoured. I ate<br />

diver-caught scallops with a smooth<br />

but earthy cauliflower purée and a<br />

sharp Granny Smith salad and then<br />

spinach soup with slow-poached egg<br />

and mustard Chantilly, a warm and<br />

comforting dish.<br />

Main course for me was assiette of<br />

lamb with confit plum tomatoes and<br />

pea velouté. It included some rich<br />

lamb belly, noisettes, fillet and a light,<br />

aromatic spring roll. The tomato confit<br />

was pleasingly intense and the chef<br />

had not over-seasoned the ingredients<br />

thus letting the inherent flavours shine.<br />

Mr <strong>Bite</strong> loved his mi-cuit wild salmon<br />

with lettuce, peas and new potatoes<br />

(£24.90). The slow cooking retains all<br />

the richness but results in a unique<br />

texture. The seasonal accompaniments<br />

were unpretentious and<br />

complementary.<br />

A pre-dessert of honey and ginger jelly<br />

with powdered coconut was excellent.<br />

It had the texture of Turkish delight<br />

and the flavours worked so well<br />

together.<br />

Desserts surpassed expectations. The<br />

maitre d’ had been ‘bigging up’ the<br />

pastry chef for good reason. I had<br />

white chocolate and raspberry<br />

cannelloni with milk chocolate sorbet<br />

and honeycomb and Mr <strong>Bite</strong> had<br />

lemon and vanilla cheesecake with


anana and passion fruit sorbet (£9.90).<br />

Colourful eye-catching presentation<br />

delivered the goods on the palate. My<br />

‘cannelloni’ was a brandy snap which<br />

contained cool white chocolate cream<br />

and raspberry. Quenelle shaped scoops<br />

of white chocolate ice cream, baby<br />

mint leaves, freshly-picked Blairgowrie<br />

raspberries, chocolate brownie and<br />

sticky honeycomb completed the<br />

plate. The fizz on the palate of the<br />

honeycomb combined with a raspberry<br />

truffle was truly exciting.<br />

The meal finished and we retreated to<br />

the bar to soak up the ambience. This<br />

house has unique character and it is a<br />

place where, as the website indicates,<br />

you can retreat, relish and relax.<br />

Bedroom Tariff<br />

Single Room Bed & Breakfast £95.00,<br />

– Standard Room Bed & Breakfast<br />

£145.00 – Superior Room Bed &<br />

Breakfast £185.00, – Suite Bed &<br />

Breakfast £215.00<br />

ROMAN CAMP HOTEL<br />

– Off Main Street, Callander,<br />

Perthshire, FK17 8BG – 01877 330003<br />

– www.romancamphotel.co.uk<br />

boombarbers<br />

Now Recruiting<br />

for our busy barbers in Stockbridge,<br />

Broughton Street and West End<br />

If you would like a career in<br />

hairdressing and would like to join<br />

our young, friendly and talented team<br />

call us now and ask for Scott.<br />

34 Broughton St t: 557 6363<br />

13 Melville Place t: 220 1013<br />

34 Deanhaugh St t: 315 3313<br />

15


16<br />

THE INSIDER<br />

THE PIERRE AND<br />

TONY SHOW<br />

On the execrable Iron Chef UK –<br />

fronted by a man who manages the<br />

neat trick of looking like he was not<br />

born of woman – Pierre Levicky is<br />

making a bird’s nest from potatoes<br />

into which he will then put more<br />

potatoes, pommes lyonnaise, to be<br />

exact. At the last minute he decides<br />

to throw in some cod and slap a fried<br />

egg, complete with burnt, crispy skirt<br />

on top. The final, em, flourish is a<br />

sprinkle of parsley.<br />

The dish reminded me of my<br />

childhood cooking experiments. My<br />

father, a chef, would oversee the<br />

assemblage of one of my ‘concoctions’<br />

until that point, always reached, when I<br />

would ask enthusiastically, “What<br />

should I add now dad?” He would<br />

ruffle my hair and repeat the same<br />

joke, which always made me laugh,<br />

“Sprinkle some parsley on it and throw<br />

it in the bucket.” But you know what,<br />

unlike my early experiments, I bet Mr<br />

Levicky’s shambolic dish tasted like the<br />

real deal. Proper gutsy cooking of the<br />

kind we seem to have forgotten –<br />

meanwhile the Iron Chef (God knows)<br />

was making a pizza out of multicoloured<br />

potato crisps. It looked like<br />

Monet’s Water Lilies but I ask you, a<br />

crisp pizza?<br />

Monsieur Levicky is a natural…give the<br />

man his own show! Humble, selfdeprecating<br />

and charming, he manages<br />

to teeter on just the right side of<br />

clownishness, even winning a gold star<br />

(don’t ask) on a cookery programme for<br />

a raw dish – steak tartare. In his chef’s<br />

uniform he looks like a burst mattress,<br />

but his winningly bucolic features make<br />

you root for him. His partner on the<br />

show, Tony Borthwick of Plumed Horse<br />

fame, observes Pierre working. His<br />

expression is priceless…he looks like a<br />

Regimental Sergeant Major who has<br />

just been told his squad must parade in<br />

thongs and Jimmy Choo shoes. Come<br />

to think of it they’d make a great<br />

double act, call the show The Auld<br />

Alliance.<br />

Meanwhile, on the other side The<br />

Great British Menu staggers on. Oliver<br />

is cast in the role of naughty<br />

schoolboy, Matthew is the bumbling<br />

uncle with ‘a secret’, and Delia (sorry<br />

Prue) is the stern, all-seeing, matriarch.<br />

From time to time she is called upon<br />

to box the boy’s ears. Oliver intones<br />

gravely to camera, “I think we’ve just<br />

witnessed a pivotal moment for the<br />

future of British cooking.” Yeah, yeah.


Roseleaf’s boozy concoctions are just<br />

the thing for summer drinking. So<br />

when I heard they had just created a<br />

new summer’s drinks menu, well I<br />

just had to go and try them out.<br />

Sat through the back, my partner and I<br />

had plenty of time to peruse the new<br />

menu, nicely hidden in some vintage<br />

back issues of Decanter magazine. I<br />

decided on the Mad Hatter (£5) whilst<br />

my partner chose the Peely Wally<br />

Scotsman (£5), muttering something<br />

about it probably being named after<br />

me.<br />

The Mad Hatter was a simple long<br />

drink made from Koko Kanu, Roseleaf’s<br />

own ginger beer and lime juice. I found<br />

the age old combination of ginger and<br />

lime very refreshing, and the hint of<br />

the coconut from the Koko Kanu was<br />

delightful. A note of caution though,<br />

this drink is ridiculously easy to drink,<br />

so please remember it is alcoholic.<br />

The Peely Wally Scotsman struck my<br />

partner as an adult version of a milk<br />

shake, being made of rose vodka,<br />

Tequila Rose and ‘coo juice’. It was<br />

reminiscent of liquid Turkish Delight<br />

shot through with some strawberry<br />

jam. Wonderful either as a dessert or<br />

as an after-dinner drink.<br />

After these we tried the Port-a-Belly<br />

Donkey (£5.00) and the Barry Bakewell<br />

(£5.00). The Port-a-Belly Donkey was<br />

another of those fantastic summer<br />

drinks that would go down well on<br />

COCKTAILS<br />

ROSELEAF<br />

Summertime… and the drinking is easy<br />

Portobello beach, or any other beach<br />

for that matter. A base of pear vodka<br />

was complemented with fresh lime and<br />

strawberry juices (normally raspberry is<br />

used but they had run out of<br />

raspberries for the day – a measure of<br />

its success no doubt). A wonderfully<br />

kitsch cocktail that wouldn’t have been<br />

out of place in an early eighties<br />

cocktail bar.<br />

The Barry Bakewell is an Amarettobased<br />

drink enlivened with<br />

freshly-squeezed apple juice, giving the<br />

whole drink a very modern apple foam<br />

on top. The only way I can describe it<br />

is to imagine taking a bakewell tart,<br />

adding some apples, whizzing it in<br />

industrial strength liquidiser for ten<br />

minutes. Add some ice and then drink!<br />

Fantastic.<br />

Finally, if you want something nonalcoholic,<br />

why not try one of their<br />

thirst quenchers or fruit juices (£2.40<br />

to £2.80) or one of their tea infusions<br />

(£2.25 to £3)? Both are great if you are<br />

suffering from that morning-after<br />

feeling.<br />

ROSELEAF BAR<br />

– 23/24 Sandport Place, Leith EH6 6EW<br />

– 0131 476 5286<br />

– www.roseleaf.co.uk<br />

– info@roseleaf.co.uk<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Mon-Sun 10am – 1am<br />

17


18<br />

RAW FOODS<br />

WITH REAL FOODS<br />

Tips from Judy Barber<br />

Raw foods are all the rage. They not<br />

only taste great but they can also<br />

make you feel pretty darn good<br />

because they are vitamin and enzyme<br />

rich (both of which are damaged by<br />

heat). Raw foods author, workshop<br />

leader and coach Judy Barber has ten<br />

tips for introducing raw foods into<br />

your diet:<br />

1Add some raw ingredients to<br />

stir-fries. Frying is far from ideal<br />

from a health point of view, but at<br />

least this way you get a higher<br />

proportion of raw vegetables. That is a<br />

good start.<br />

2Eat sweet corn raw, either when<br />

mixing it into other dishes or<br />

serving it on the cob.<br />

3Blitz plenty of fresh herbs, such as<br />

basil and parsley, in a blender with<br />

cold pressed virgin olive oil and freshly<br />

squeezed lemon juice. Season to taste.<br />

Then you have a pour-over dressing for<br />

salads or other dishes.<br />

4Discover ‘courgetti’ . That’s thinly<br />

cut raw courgette used instead of<br />

spaghetti in pasta dishes. Try it with<br />

any sauce you like, or simply mixed<br />

with olive oil, salt, black pepper or<br />

cayenne and a rub of raw garlic.<br />

5Make a very simple simmered soup<br />

with finely-chopped vegetables<br />

and perhaps lentils. Then blend up<br />

plenty of herbs, a touch of raw garlic,<br />

seasonings and some good quality cold<br />

pressed oil such as olive oil.<br />

6Buy raw nut and seed spreads<br />

rather than ones made with roasted<br />

nuts and seeds. Then you don't have to<br />

deal with the toxic breakdown<br />

products from over-heated oils.<br />

7Serve vegetable sticks, such as<br />

celery, cucumber and carrot. Serve<br />

them with your own or store-bought<br />

dips, such as fresh salsa and humous.<br />

8Soak and rinse nuts and seeds<br />

before you eat them. By soaking<br />

them you turn them into living foods.<br />

9Grow sprouts and add them to<br />

your salads.<br />

Instead of wraps made of flour,<br />

10such as tortillas, use lettuce or<br />

cabbage leaves.<br />

Judy Barber will be speaking at<br />

Real Foods on Raw Food Night<br />

20 <strong>July</strong> at 7.30pm. Tickets can be<br />

bought instore.<br />

REAL FOODS<br />

– 37 Broughton Street,<br />

Edinburgh, EH1 3JU<br />

– 0131 557 1911<br />

– info@realfoods.co.uk<br />

– www.realfoods.co.uk


Macaroons are many things to many<br />

people. To me, they are chewy<br />

coconut cookies, sometimes<br />

chocolate-dipped: the standard<br />

North American recipe. There are<br />

French, Italian, and Spanish versions<br />

too, all based on sugar, egg white,<br />

and ground nuts which are whipped,<br />

piped onto a tray, and baked. To<br />

many people, a macaroon means one<br />

of these two things.<br />

Everywhere, that is, but Scotland. In<br />

Scotland, our native macaroon is<br />

somewhat different: the macaroon bar.<br />

Traditionally made from mashed<br />

potato and sugar, coated in chocolate<br />

and coconut, macaroon bars are the<br />

stuff of sweet shops and bake sales.<br />

Tooth-achingly sweet and toothbreakingly<br />

hard if stale,<br />

commercially-made versions no longer<br />

contain potato but it is possible to<br />

make your own authentic version using<br />

last night’s mash. Simply add icing sugar<br />

to the potato until it is stiff like<br />

fondant, allow to cool, and top with<br />

melted chocolate and toasted<br />

coconut.<br />

Aside from the sugar, these macaroon<br />

bars share little more than the name<br />

with their European cousins. But while<br />

many remember macaroon bars as a<br />

taste of their youth, it's macarons that<br />

are the current culinary rage.<br />

Macarons consist of two delicate,<br />

shiny, meringue-like discs. Between<br />

OFF THE TROLLEY<br />

MACAROON-Y?<br />

these layers is a flavoured filling, which<br />

can be cream, fruit, ganache, or even<br />

caramel, forming a delicate sandwich<br />

which gently crunches then collapses<br />

when bitten. Macarons are delicate,<br />

difficult, and beautiful things and if you<br />

want to try them at their best, you<br />

must pay a call to L’escargot Epicerie<br />

on Broughton St.<br />

Their macarons are imported from<br />

France and although they have the<br />

traditional base of sugar, egg whites,<br />

and ground almonds, they also use<br />

natural, seasonal fruits and flavours.<br />

The result is like nothing I’ve tried<br />

before. Bergamot, apricot, pistachio,<br />

and vanilla are just some of the bright<br />

and beautiful flavours on offer.<br />

Macarons have quickly become a bestseller<br />

and it’s easy to see why: they<br />

look gorgeous and taste even better.<br />

I’m slightly ashamed to say that I ate<br />

nine this afternoon.<br />

Although they come from just across<br />

the Channel, these macarons are a<br />

world apart. And while there’s certainly<br />

room in my heart- and stomach - for a<br />

chewy North American macaroon, or a<br />

Scottish macaroon bar, right now it’s<br />

the macaron that’s won me over.<br />

19


20<br />

ETHICAL EATING<br />

LOVE FOOD HATE WASTE<br />

How often have you let a half-eaten<br />

bag of salad go off in the back of the<br />

fridge? Or watched fruit ripen and<br />

then brown in the fruit bowl? Every<br />

year Scottish consumers waste over<br />

500,000 and £1 billion pounds worth<br />

of food; that’s an average of £430 per<br />

household.<br />

Part of the problem is that we buy<br />

more than we need and allow leftovers<br />

or unused products to spoil. However,<br />

we’re also throwing food away before<br />

we even need to. Zero Waste Scotland,<br />

the Scottish Government’s programme<br />

to reduce waste and encourage<br />

recycling, estimates that two thirds of<br />

our food waste could have been eaten.<br />

And what’s more, much of it is actually<br />

still within date and even sealed in its<br />

original packaging.<br />

Zero Waste Scotland works in<br />

conjunction with the UK-wide<br />

campaign Love Food Hate Waste. The<br />

initiative’s interactive website offers a<br />

wealth of advice on how to reduce the<br />

amount of food we throw out. This<br />

could be making a shopping list to<br />

make sure you only buy what you need,<br />

or clearing up the difference between a<br />

‘use-by date’, which should be adhered<br />

to, or a ‘best-before date’, which only<br />

acts as a guideline.<br />

Something as straightforward as where<br />

you store your food can also make a<br />

difference. Most fruit and vegetables<br />

will keep longer in the fridge, sometimes<br />

as much as two weeks more; and simple<br />

tricks like always using a clean knife for<br />

jam or sauces can prevent<br />

contamination and ensure the product<br />

stays fresh until the end of the jar.<br />

Perhaps the most useful tools the Love<br />

Food Hate Waste campaign provides are<br />

guidelines for portion sizes. Simply type<br />

in what you’re cooking – rice, pasta, etc.<br />

– and the number of portions you need,<br />

and the website will calculate the dry<br />

weight required. This should help reduce<br />

seemingly uninspiring leftovers, but if<br />

you open the fridge to a sea of bits and<br />

pieces, type your list of ingredients into<br />

the recipe finder and let the website do<br />

the rest.<br />

Now, with an iPhone application,<br />

Facebook and Twitter page, there really<br />

is no excuse for not making an effort to<br />

reduce the food we waste, and pick up<br />

some extra culinary knowledge in the<br />

process.<br />

www.lovefoodhatewaste.com


Broad beans have a reputation for<br />

being a bit tricky. When should you<br />

pick them? Should you shell them?<br />

And is it really necessary to remove<br />

the skins? With all these questions,<br />

it’s no wonder so many of us only use<br />

them from a bag in the freezer.<br />

In truth, however, anything goes –<br />

different cuisines favour different sizes<br />

and cooking methods. Italians eat them<br />

raw with Pecorino cheese and the<br />

French use small beans and eat them<br />

whole, steamed in their pods. They’re<br />

wonderfully creamy in risotto with salty<br />

bacon, or blended with garlic and mint<br />

as a dip. If you have space, it’s worth<br />

growing your own so you can use these<br />

sweet and delicious beans at any stage<br />

you like, from pea-sized to fully grown.<br />

The only thing to remember is the<br />

bigger they are, the less of the plant<br />

you can eat. For large beans, around 1kg<br />

will give you a shelled and skinned<br />

weight of about 300g. Put don’t let this<br />

put you off – shelling beans in the<br />

summer sun is very therapeutic!<br />

The recipe below comes from Sarah<br />

Raven’s Garden Cookbook (Bloomsbury),<br />

which is a fantastic book for anyone<br />

wanting to make the most of seasonal<br />

food. The beauty of this salad is its<br />

simplicity – just a few store-cupboard<br />

ingredients and fresh herbs will make<br />

something delicious in minutes. Vary<br />

the herbs according yo what you have<br />

available, either from the shops or your<br />

own garden.<br />

WHAT’S IN SEASON<br />

BROAD BEANS<br />

Sarah Raven’s<br />

Warm Broad Bean<br />

Salad<br />

(Serves 6)<br />

400g (shelled weight) broad beans<br />

1 tbsp chopped mint<br />

2 tbsp chopped chervil<br />

½ tsp chopped tarragon<br />

2 spring onions, finely chopped<br />

2 tbsp white wine vinegar<br />

100ml extra virgin olive oil<br />

Salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />

1 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve<br />

Method<br />

1 Cook the broad beans in boiling<br />

water for approximately five<br />

minutes, depending on their size.<br />

2 Drain and rinse under cold water<br />

to stop them cooking. If you’re<br />

using larger beans, remove the<br />

skins as these will be tough.<br />

3 Mix the vinegar, spring onion,<br />

mint, chervil and tarragon in a<br />

bowl. Whisk in the olive oil,<br />

reserving one tablespoon.<br />

4 Gently heat the remaining oil in a<br />

pan. Add the broad beans and<br />

toss until warm.<br />

5 Transfer to a serving dish, add<br />

the dressing and sprinkle with<br />

chopped parsley.<br />

21


22<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

BEER<br />

WHAT IS IT?<br />

A sampler’s insight!<br />

So, I jumped on a train to<br />

Dunfermline for the very serious<br />

cause of a brew day. For the first<br />

time I saw the whole process of<br />

beer making from start to finish!<br />

Well, actually to say the full process,<br />

it excluded the first part which is the<br />

soaking and kilning of the barley to<br />

produce the three main malt types:<br />

pale malt (very lightly kilned), caramel<br />

or crystal malt (prepared by wetting<br />

and roasted prior to kilning) and dark<br />

malts (heavily kilned to produce<br />

differing colours).<br />

Malt<br />

The recipe for the brew is the most<br />

fundamental difference in the end<br />

result. At this stage, we are deciding if<br />

we were going to make a Pilsner, a<br />

Pale Ale, a traditional Scottish 80’’ or<br />

a Porter, to name but a few styles. So,<br />

a German wishing to make one of<br />

their very fine Pilsners (Veltins,<br />

Warsteiner or Kaiserdom, for<br />

example), would use probably use<br />

mostly pale malt. We were making a<br />

Pale Ale, so the mixture looked<br />

something like 90% pale malt and a<br />

little each of crystal malt<br />

for body and wheat<br />

malt, as the proteins<br />

within the wheat<br />

provide good head<br />

retention in the final<br />

product.<br />

The Mash<br />

Having chosen the recipe for<br />

producing a Pale Ale, the first part of<br />

the process is to get the mash on, the<br />

process of converting the starches in<br />

the grain into both fermentable and<br />

non-fermentable sugars. The mash<br />

itself is simply created by adding the<br />

grain to hot water within the mash<br />

tun to achieve a temperature<br />

between around 63C to 68C.I was<br />

asked to mix vigorously first with a<br />

wooden spoon and then with a whisk,<br />

the idea being to make sure that every<br />

grain was in contact with the hot<br />

water and there were no dry clumps<br />

within the mash.<br />

Hops<br />

A full 90 minutes later, the liquid, now<br />

known as wort, was pumped out of<br />

the mash tun into the copper. The<br />

remaining sugars are then flushed out


(sparging is the technical term) with<br />

the refilling of the mash tun with hot<br />

water.<br />

It is now that magical ingredient, hops,<br />

is added. Hops are used for both<br />

bittering and for adding aroma to beer.<br />

Hops added at the start of the boil are<br />

called bittering hops and the reaction<br />

of the acids within the boil produces<br />

the bittering that will balance the<br />

sweetness of the beer. The hops added<br />

towards the end of the boil are aroma<br />

hops and provide the brewer the<br />

opportunity to bring different flavours<br />

to the beer. It is the combination of<br />

both bittering and aroma that produce<br />

that refreshing, almost astringent taste.<br />

Hops were not always added to beer,<br />

but were included along with many<br />

locally-found ingredients a few<br />

hundred years ago. They are antibacterial<br />

and apparently the original<br />

India Pale Ale was so heavily hopped<br />

that in combination with the high<br />

alcohol of the ale it could survive the<br />

long, warm journey and eventually<br />

protect the British in India. So, another<br />

reason for saying ‘to your health’ when<br />

you raise a glass.<br />

Yeast<br />

The final stage is the transfer of the<br />

beer into the fermentation vessel and<br />

the addition of the yeast. Unless the<br />

liquid is allowed to cool significantly<br />

before adding the yeast, the yeast will<br />

be killed and the previous half day will<br />

have been a waste of time. Also by<br />

cooling rapidly it encourages some of<br />

the haze-creating proteins to precipitate<br />

and drop out of the solution, which<br />

makes it easier to ensure that the final<br />

product is crystal clear.<br />

The yeast will initially respire<br />

aerobically by using the available<br />

oxygen that is in the wort and this is<br />

where there is an exponential growth in<br />

the number of yeast cells. Once the<br />

oxygen has run out, the yeast will then<br />

convert to its second favourite way of<br />

respiring – anaerobically. The yeast now<br />

stops replicating and will consume the<br />

sugar and turn it into alcohol.<br />

Ashton McCobb runs the<br />

Appellation Wines Shop, which<br />

also stocks a wide variety of beers<br />

and is at 43, Dalry Rd, Edinburgh<br />

EH11 2BU – 0131 202 0985<br />

23


24<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

BEERS<br />

A STYLE GUIDE<br />

Beer then comprises of four main<br />

ingredients, malt, water, yeast and<br />

hops. The malt is the starch source<br />

although wheat, maize and rice and<br />

even potato, cassava and agave are<br />

used as secondary starch sources<br />

throughout the world. But that’s not<br />

the whole story, it is the quantities,<br />

combination and methods that<br />

produce such an extensive range of<br />

styles.<br />

Beers are commonly categorised into<br />

lagers and ales. Lager yeast, collects<br />

at the bottom of fermenting beer and<br />

lager is also fermented at<br />

considerably lower temperatures than<br />

ale. Ale is fermented at warmer<br />

temperatures and ale yeasts<br />

traditionally form a layer of foam on<br />

the surface of the fermenting beer.<br />

There are also beers that<br />

spontaneously ferment using wild<br />

strains of yeast, the majority come<br />

from Belgium and are referred to as<br />

Lambic.<br />

The style of your beer depends upon<br />

its appearance, aroma, flavour,<br />

mouthfeel, strength and gravity.<br />

Consider the following:<br />

Ales<br />

As we have seen are fermented at a<br />

higher temperature than lagers and<br />

often have fruity notes, and a fuller,


sweeter body. Real Ale is the term<br />

coined by Camra, for beer brewed from<br />

traditional ingredients, matured by<br />

secondary fermentation in the<br />

container from which it is dispensed,<br />

and served without the use of<br />

extraneous carbon dioxide. It is applied<br />

to bottle conditioned and cask<br />

conditioned beers.<br />

Lambic<br />

The beer is exposed to the wild yeasts<br />

and bacteria that are said to be native<br />

to the Senne valley, in which Brussels<br />

lies. It is this unusual process which<br />

gives the beer its distinctive flavour:<br />

dry and cidery, with a slightly sour<br />

aftertaste.<br />

Steam beers<br />

See Jame’s article on next page.<br />

Pale Ales<br />

Top fermenting yeast and<br />

predominantly pale malt. India Pale Ale<br />

was a British beer for export to India.<br />

This beer made prominent use of<br />

antibacterial hops, which helped to<br />

preserve the beer on the long voyage.<br />

Stout and Porter<br />

Made using roasted malts or barley and<br />

slow fermenting yeast.<br />

Wheat Beers<br />

Are produced using a significant<br />

amount of the eponymous grain and<br />

sometimes a significant portion of<br />

malted barley. Top fermented.<br />

Note: The modern theory of beer<br />

style is largely based on the work<br />

done by Michael Jackson in his<br />

1977 book The World Guide To<br />

Beer in which Jackson categorised<br />

a variety of beers from<br />

around the world in local style<br />

groups suggested by local<br />

customs and names. Respect.<br />

25


26<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

BEER<br />

THE CALIFORNIA COMMON<br />

Full steam ahead!<br />

It is not widely appreciated, but<br />

lager is a bloody difficult drink to<br />

make. Even the blandest commercial<br />

pish requires meticulous control of<br />

yeast and a constant cool<br />

temperature throughout the brewing<br />

process.<br />

This is one of the reasons why<br />

pilsner originated in Bavaria<br />

and the Czech Republic –<br />

regions with an abundance of<br />

cool, stone vaulted cellars. A<br />

commodity that was in short<br />

supply during the Californian<br />

gold rush.<br />

This posed a problem for the<br />

state’s breweries. After a 14-hour shift<br />

of hard labour in very dangerous and<br />

extremely hot conditions, the<br />

prospectors were hardly in the mood<br />

for a pint of mild or a bottle of porter.<br />

The solution hit upon was to brew<br />

using a bottom fermenting lager yeast,<br />

but at the warmer temperatures<br />

associated with heavier beers. The<br />

resulting drink had the light, zesty,<br />

refreshing character of a lager, but with<br />

the depth and creaminess of a pale ale.<br />

One of the downsides of this new beer<br />

was its volatility. New casks had to be<br />

vented with a great hiss and a blast of<br />

beery smoke. Thus the beer was<br />

christened Steam beer.<br />

The best known of Steam beers is<br />

produced by the Anchor brewery in<br />

San Francisco, but now an Edinburghbased<br />

brewer has introduced a Scottish<br />

interpretation of this American classic.<br />

The California Common is the<br />

inaugural release from Knops Brewing<br />

Co.<br />

It is a pretty, vibrant, golden<br />

beer with gentle<br />

effervescence and a fine head.<br />

Nicely aromatic with hints of<br />

wet straw and shortbread<br />

biscuit. The palate is light<br />

and zesty with a crisp finish<br />

and a quite definite citrus<br />

edge. It is by no means a<br />

complex or powerful beer,<br />

but it is poised, balanced, clean and<br />

refreshing. It is clearly designed as<br />

session ale and weighs in at a moreish<br />

4.6% a.b.v. At £1.70 for a 33cl bottle it is<br />

reasonably priced and if there is any<br />

justice, it will be available at every one<br />

of this summer's barbecues. You can<br />

also catch it on tap at The Cumberland<br />

Bar, Kay’s Bar, The Filmhouse, The<br />

Windsor Buffet, The Malt & Hops, The<br />

Halfway House, The Blue Blazer & The<br />

Stockbridge Tap.<br />

James Wrobel is the proprietor of<br />

Cornelius Beer and Wine on<br />

18-20 Easter Road, and can be<br />

contacted on 0131 652 2405.<br />

www.corneliusbeers.com


BEER<br />

SCOTTISH MICROBREWERIES<br />

In a former life working for a<br />

Scottish licensed trade newspaper,<br />

my biggest clients, apart from<br />

Diageo and Coke, were beer<br />

conglomerates. It was impossible to<br />

follow the wheelings and dealings<br />

of these monolithic companies who<br />

constantly merged, renamed and<br />

morphed in search of more mass<br />

market. Lager was big business<br />

whilst ale was a fuddy duddy drink<br />

for old men.<br />

How refreshing then to see the rise of<br />

the microbreweries which have been<br />

reporting year-on-year growth. Many<br />

started in the last 20 or so years, and<br />

one of the reasons for their success is<br />

an increasing interest in provenance.<br />

Just as the consumer increasingly<br />

wants to know the provenance of<br />

their food, so this desire extends to<br />

the beer and wine categories.<br />

Microbreweries are generally regional,<br />

artisan producers who produce less<br />

than 15,000 barrels per year and who<br />

employ relatively few people. We<br />

have come full circle as beer<br />

historically was produced on your<br />

doorstep or at the local monastery.<br />

So here is a quick guide to some<br />

Scottish microbreweries. Sadly we<br />

don’t have room to be<br />

comprehensive but this is a ‘pick of<br />

the crop’.<br />

Black Isle Brewery<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

Bottled beers produced using<br />

organically produced barley and<br />

hops. Range includes: Yellowhammer,<br />

Blonde, Red Kite, a wheat beer, a<br />

honey beer, a porter and much more.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: the organic<br />

porter is brewed with dark, roasted<br />

malts. It is excellent with oysters and<br />

crab or with some mature farmhouse<br />

cheddar and oatcakes.<br />

Old Allangrange, Munlochy, Rossshire.<br />

www.blackislebrewery.com.<br />

Est. 1998<br />

The Cairngorm Brewery<br />

Co Ltd<br />

Permanent beers include: Cairngorm,<br />

Stag, Trade Winds, Wild Cat and<br />

Blessed Thistle in cask and bottle, but<br />

they also produce interesting seasonal<br />

cask ales. Black Gold won Supreme<br />

Champion Beer of the Year 2009 (SIBA<br />

Award).<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Trade Winds<br />

is brewed with elderflowers and is<br />

light and floral, a lovely summer ale<br />

with pork or fish dishes.<br />

Dalfaber Industrial Estate Aviemore,<br />

Inverness-shire,<br />

www.cairngormbrewery.com Est. 2001<br />

27


28<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

Harvistoun<br />

BEER<br />

SCOTTISH MICROBREWERIES<br />

Beers in cask and bottle include:<br />

Schiehallion – crisp, dry and airy; Bitter &<br />

Twisted – spicy, aromatic and zesty and<br />

Ptarmigan – bitter, rich and fruity.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Try Bitter &<br />

Twisted with Asian food where the<br />

bitterness is a good foil or with crab,<br />

lobster or shrimp. The sweetness of<br />

these fish would go well with the light<br />

malts. B&T could also go well with fattier<br />

fish, like salmon or mackerel.<br />

Alva, Clackmannanshire,<br />

www.harvistoun.com<br />

Inveralmond<br />

Classic beer collection includes:<br />

Independence, a full-bodied and malty<br />

beer with subtle hints of mixed fruits and<br />

punches of spice; Ossian, fruity flavour<br />

with distinct nutty tones and a hoppy,<br />

zesty, orange aroma; Thrappledouser, a<br />

golden copper coloured ale, which has a<br />

thick and creamy off-white head, a<br />

delicate citrus aroma and a unique spicy<br />

floral taste. Ossian has just won Camra<br />

Champion Gold Beer of Scotland <strong>2010</strong>. By<br />

the time you read this, the brewery will<br />

have relaunched Inkie Pinkie, a light<br />

summer ale which is available at The<br />

Abbotsford.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Try Ossian with<br />

pork, chicken and veal, Lia Fail with<br />

strong game or a dense treacle tart, or<br />

Thrappledouser with a sweet, nutty<br />

pudding.<br />

22 Inveralmond Place, Perth,<br />

Perthshire PH1 3TS,<br />

www.inveralmondbrewery.com<br />

Est. 1997<br />

Loch Fyne Ales<br />

In cask and bottle: Avalanche – A dry,<br />

straw-coloured beer with a fragrant<br />

“lemony” foretaste and an intriguing hint<br />

of grapefruit in the finish. Also,<br />

Highlander, Maverick, Piper’s Gold and<br />

Vital Spark.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Try Avalanche<br />

with a Thai red prawn curry, Highlander<br />

with a steak and ale pie, Vital Spark with<br />

liver and onions, or Piper’s Gold with fish<br />

and chips.<br />

Achadunan, Cairndow, Argyll.<br />

Tryst<br />

Draught real ales and in bottles include: Raj<br />

I.P.A., an India pale ale, Drovers, 80/, and<br />

Blathan. The latter with its strong floral<br />

nose, is a single-hop variety enhanced with<br />

elderflowers. Antonine Amber uses<br />

Scottish oats and malted barley.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Try Carronade,<br />

another India Pale Ale, with meats and<br />

cheeses.<br />

Falkirk, www.thetrystbrewery.co.uk<br />

Est. 2003


Sinclair Breweries<br />

The brewery now encompasses Atlas and<br />

Orkney beers. Their Flagship beer is<br />

Lattitude, available in cask and bottle.<br />

Described as a Pilsner, it is crisp, fresh,<br />

citrus and hoppy. Also Three Sisters, a dark<br />

ale; Nimbus, a strong pale ale; Blizzard, a<br />

golden winter beer; Wayfarer, an Indian<br />

Pale Ale; and Tempest, a wheat beer.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: Lattitude is<br />

good with Tobermory cheddar and<br />

Grimbister whilst Three Sisters is<br />

recommended with oysters.<br />

Kinlochleven,Perthshire.<br />

www.atlasbrewery.com<br />

William Brothers<br />

Brewing Co<br />

Historic bottled ales, including Kelpie<br />

made with seaweed; Grozet made with<br />

gooseberries; Alba made with Scots<br />

pine and spruce sprigs; and, of course,<br />

Heather Ale, brewed in Scotland since<br />

2000 BC and revived for contemporary<br />

Scottish culture!<br />

Contemporary bottled beers include:<br />

Joker, Midnight Sun and Good Times.<br />

Food tasting Suggestion: Poach a<br />

chicken with two bottles of Heather<br />

Ale. Baste in honey and transfer to very<br />

hot oven! Heather Ale also works well<br />

with spicy Asian food.<br />

New Alloa Brewery, Kelliebank,<br />

Alloa, www.williamsbrosbrew.com<br />

Est. 1988<br />

West<br />

A real gem, this brewery has combined<br />

modern technology with the<br />

tradition and techniques of hundreds<br />

of years of German brewing. Strict<br />

adherence to The Rheinheitsgebot<br />

beer purity law of 1516 means that only<br />

four core ingredients – water, malt,<br />

hops and yeast – are used in all WEST<br />

beers.<br />

Beers include: Hefe weizen, a wheat<br />

beer; Dunkel (a dark lager); specialty<br />

Christmas and Oktoberfest beers, a<br />

MunichRed, a light house lager; and the<br />

award-winning St Mungo lager, a<br />

homage toGlasgow’s patron saint.<br />

Food tasting suggestion: The<br />

‘Sauerbraten’, marinated and slowcooked<br />

silverside of beef in a rich<br />

gingerbread sauce, served with bread<br />

dumplings and spiced red cabbage with<br />

Dunkel.<br />

Templeton Building.<br />

Glasgow Green, Glasgow, G40 1AW,<br />

www.westbeer.com<br />

Other breweries we don’t have<br />

space to cover include Arran,<br />

Brewdog, Broughton Ales,<br />

Colonsay, Hebridean, Houston,<br />

Kelburn, Orkney, Stewarts,<br />

Traquair, to name but a few.<br />

29


30<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

What follows is a pretty<br />

comprehensive guide to those Auld<br />

Reekie bars recognised as good<br />

places to sip some foamy brew. They<br />

are often imbued with history and<br />

tend to be traditional in décor. Some<br />

are very ornately kitted out whilst<br />

others are basic and cosy. They are<br />

more likely to be pet-friendly than<br />

other Edinburgh bars and will<br />

probably serve hearty Scottish fare<br />

or snacks.<br />

Central<br />

BEER<br />

WHERE TO DRINK REAL ALE<br />

IN EDINBURGH<br />

The Abbotsford, 3-5 Rose Street,<br />

www.theabbotsford.com – At least<br />

five guest ales served at a fine ‘island<br />

bar’. Est. 1902 specialising in beers from<br />

Scottish independent breweries. Lunch<br />

& dinner served in the bar or in the<br />

restaurant ‘Above’.<br />

The Guildford Arms,<br />

1-5 West Register Street, EH2 2AA,<br />

www.guildfordarms.com – Ten taps of<br />

(mostly Scottish) cask ales from<br />

Scottish microbreweries and some very<br />

interesting guest ales to boot. Very<br />

handy meeting place at East end of<br />

Princes Street.<br />

Café Royal, 17 West Register Street,<br />

EH2 2AA, www.caferoyal.org.uk – You<br />

will be wowed by the ornate décor.<br />

The pub dates back to 1826 and is<br />

famous for oysters. A good selection<br />

of cask ales. Blackboards suggest food<br />

and ale combos. Excellent service.<br />

Cambridge Bar, 20 Young Street,<br />

EH2 4JB, www.cambridgebar.co.uk<br />

– Deuchars IP and one cask pump.<br />

Burgers.<br />

Cask and Barrel, 115 Broughton Street,<br />

EH1 3RZ www.caskandbarrel.co.uk<br />

– Spacious, busy pub at bottom of the<br />

street with food and sport on the box.<br />

Five or six real ales.<br />

Oxford Bar, 8 Young Street, EH2 4JB<br />

www.oxfordbar.com – Famous for Ian<br />

Rankin’s Inspector Rebus and milking it.<br />

Hard to find any mention of the actual<br />

beer on the website but it does have<br />

real ales and pies. Spartan décor.<br />

Standing Order, 62-66 George Street,<br />

EH2 – Spacious Wetherspoon’s pub.<br />

Central, cheap and frequent beer<br />

festivals where you can find obscure<br />

English beers.<br />

Tass, 1 High Street, EH1 1SR<br />

– Tass 80/, Deuchars IPA, and two<br />

guest ales.<br />

Teuchtars, 26 William Street, EH3 7NH<br />

www.aroomin.co.uk<br />

– Five or six cask<br />

ales with an<br />

excellent Scottish<br />

restaurant<br />

downstairs.


Cramond<br />

The Cramond Inn, 30 Crammond<br />

Glebe Road, EH4 6NU<br />

– By the sea, owned and sells beer by<br />

brewers Samuel Smith.<br />

Dalry<br />

The Diggers (Athletic Arms),<br />

1-3 Angle Park Terrace, EH11 2JX<br />

– Diggers 80/- , Deuchars IPA and four<br />

rotating guest ales<br />

The Golden Rule, 30 Yeaman Place,<br />

EH11 1BT – Excellent guest ales, Belgian<br />

fruit beers and lunches.<br />

Thomson’s, 182-184 Morrison Street,<br />

EH3 8EB www.thomsonsbar.co.uk<br />

– Based on the architectural designs of<br />

Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. Extensive<br />

array of real ales and malts.<br />

Fountainbridge<br />

McCowens, 24 Dundee Street, EH11 1AJ<br />

– Modern bar within leisure complex,<br />

so handy for the gym, cinema and<br />

bowling. Real ales from the wonderful<br />

Inveralmond brewery.<br />

New Town<br />

The Cumberland Bar,<br />

1-3 Cumberland Street, EH3 6RT<br />

www.cumberlandbar.co.uk – Spacious<br />

bar with lots of rooms and beer<br />

garden. Eight real ales on tap. Mixed<br />

clientele, from students to business<br />

men, pet-friendly. Quiz on Monday<br />

nights, starting at 8.30pm<br />

Kay’s Bar, 39 Jamaica Street, EH3 6HF<br />

– Well worth the walk down the hill<br />

from the city centre. Looks like a<br />

cottage, has a cast iron fireplace and is<br />

snug. Large selection of real ales and<br />

food at lunchtime.<br />

St Vincent Bar, 11 St Vincent Street,<br />

EH3 6SW – Six real ales on tap, one<br />

dedicated to Brewdog.<br />

Leith<br />

The Malt and Hops, 45 The Shore,<br />

Leith, EH6 6QU www.barcalisa.com –<br />

Located in the foodie quarter of Leith,<br />

this pub has eight real ale pumps and a<br />

31


BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

32 constantly changing selection. It is a<br />

traditional one room free-house with a<br />

ceiling decorated with dried hops. Very<br />

traditional, nice ambience, dogs<br />

welcome and snacks such as toasties<br />

and stovies.<br />

Teuchtars, 1c Dock Place, EH6 6LU<br />

www.aroomin.co.uk – Tucked away in a<br />

nook in Leith. Five or six cask ales.<br />

Excellent Scottish restaurant<br />

over-looking the water out back.<br />

Leith Walk<br />

Robbies, 367 Leith Walk, EH6 8SE<br />

– Halfway down Leith Walk. About six<br />

real ales. No food but always busy with<br />

a mixed crowd.<br />

Newhaven<br />

BEER<br />

WHERE TO DRINK REAL ALE<br />

IN EDINBURGH<br />

The Starbank Inn, 60-64 Laverockbank<br />

Road, EH5 3BZ, www.starbankinn.com<br />

– Newhaven pub with views<br />

overlooking the Forth. Eight real ale<br />

taps, four of which are traditional cask<br />

conditioned ales and four rotating<br />

guest ales. Whisky and food. Buses 11<br />

or 16.<br />

The Old Chain Pier, 32 Trinity Crescent,<br />

EH5 3ED – Another Newhaven pub,<br />

virtually on the Forth! Real ale and<br />

food. Combine with a visit to the<br />

above. Again buses 11 or 16.<br />

Old Town<br />

The Blue Blazer, 2 Spittal Street,<br />

EH3 9DX – Has occupied a prominent<br />

corner of West Port for over 100 years.<br />

Wooden pews, real fire and small, so<br />

can get pretty packed. There are always<br />

eight or nine real ales on offer and if<br />

you are looking for spirits, there are ten<br />

cognacs, 15 gins, 20 bourbons, 50 malts<br />

and an amazing selection of 75 rums.<br />

For those interested, the Blue Blazer<br />

runs a monthly Rum club with free<br />

tastings – call for details.<br />

The Bow Bar, 80 West Bow, EH1 2HH<br />

– Halfway down Victoria Street you<br />

will find this small, well-loved gem.<br />

Eight or so well kept ales and 160<br />

malts. Lots of Scottish character.<br />

The Canon’s Gait - 232, Canongate, EH8<br />

8DQ – Local real ales always available<br />

and food served from 12 noon-8pm.<br />

Deacon Brodies, 43 Lawnmarket,<br />

EH1 2NT – Good selection of real ales<br />

and a huge selection of malt whiskies<br />

Doctors, 32 Forrest Rd, EH1 2QN<br />

– Situated across from the Old<br />

Infirmary and the meadows. Real ales<br />

in spacious bar.


Halfway House,<br />

24 Fleshmarket Close, EH1 1BX,<br />

www.halfwayhouseedinburgh.com –<br />

Edinburgh pub of the year 2009/10 and<br />

advertised as Edinburgh’s smallest and<br />

friendliest pub. Halfway up the close<br />

between Waverley station and<br />

Cockburn Street. Usually offers four<br />

cask ales. Nice menu of traditional<br />

dishes such as Cullen skink, Coldingham<br />

wild boar sausages and haggis, neeps<br />

and tatties. Whisky, of course<br />

Southside<br />

Leslies, 45-47 Ratcliffe Terrace,<br />

EH9 1SU www.lesliesbar.com – On the<br />

edge of the city centre, established over<br />

100 years ago. 5 or 6 real ales and a large<br />

selection of whiskies.<br />

The Junction Bar, 24-26 West Preston<br />

Street, EH8 9PZ – Has been bought by<br />

the Cask and Barrel (above) and will be<br />

the Cask And Barrel Southside with four<br />

regular and four guest pumps.<br />

Stockbridge<br />

The Stockbridge Tap, 2 Raeburn place,<br />

EH4 1HN – 120 Malt whiskies and seven<br />

real ales (four of them guests, which<br />

change). Good menu.<br />

Hectors, 47-49 Deanhaugh Street,<br />

Stockbridge, EH4 1LR – Beautiful, modern,<br />

bar that now has five ales on tap.<br />

The Regent, 2 Montrose Terrace,<br />

EH7 5DL – “Straight-friendly”, comfy<br />

chesterfields and pints of ale.<br />

Tollcross<br />

Bennets, 8 Leven Street, EH3 9LG<br />

– Listed building next to the King’s<br />

Theatre and popular with visiting<br />

‘luvvies’. Two cask ales and in excess of a<br />

hundred malt whiskies. Magnificent<br />

Victorian décor, nice homemade food<br />

and well worth a visit.<br />

Cloisters, 26 Brougham St, Tollcross,<br />

EH3 9JH – Popular bar with nine real<br />

ales and 70 whiskies and pub grub.<br />

WHERE TO BUY YOUR<br />

BEER<br />

<strong>Bite</strong> supports local businesses and<br />

therefore we would recommend the<br />

following three beer shops as the<br />

best places to make your purchases.<br />

Luckily one is in the south, one in the<br />

east and one in the west of the city.<br />

We know it is confusing that two out<br />

of the three are described as ‘wine’<br />

shops but take our word for it – they<br />

have an excellent range of beer.<br />

Appellation Wines – 43, Dalry Road,<br />

Cornelius Wine & Beers<br />

– 18-20 Easter Road<br />

Henderson Wines<br />

– 109 Comsiton Road.<br />

33


The Shore in Leith tends to be<br />

dominated by a number of<br />

fashionable restaurants and<br />

gastropubs, but lurking amongst<br />

them all is The Malt & Hops, which<br />

rests right on the side of the water.<br />

Long-established pubs always like to<br />

claim the distinction of being the<br />

oldest pub in any given area, but the<br />

Malt’s credentials are convincing, and<br />

its origins can be traced back to the<br />

mid 18th century.<br />

It is not a large building, with about a<br />

dozen tables filling it to capacity, but I<br />

have always liked this pub. It is an<br />

honest, down-to-earth, unpretentious<br />

place, earthy and gritty, very much<br />

catering for local residents.<br />

The list of real ales is impressive for<br />

such a small establishment, and the aim<br />

is to provide local ales, and Calum and<br />

Lisa are always seeking out the new and<br />

interesting ones. There were eight on<br />

tap on the day of my visit, but there are<br />

always many others being racked up in<br />

readiness. For example, Crouch Vale<br />

Apollo (4.35%), Raj IPA Tryst (5.5%), An<br />

Teallach Ale (4.2%), Wylam<br />

Collingwood (4.5%), Kelburn Dark Moor<br />

(4.5%) and Orkney Best (3.6%), with<br />

prices ranging from £3.05 to £3.20.<br />

I tried several of these delights. The<br />

Apollo was frothy, with a long taste;<br />

Collingwood was very light on the taste;<br />

the Kelburn Dark Moor was infused with<br />

a hint of chocolate, and the Raj Tiger<br />

was fruity with a real bite to it.<br />

PUB REVIEW<br />

THE MALT & HOPS<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

The décor is pure traditional pub –<br />

hundreds of cask badges reflecting the<br />

diversity of previous offerings adorn<br />

the walls and overhead beams (one<br />

that caught my eye was Piddle in the<br />

Sun from the Wyre Piddle brewery!),<br />

alternating with banknotes from the<br />

four corners of the world. The central<br />

beams are festooned with hop plants,<br />

which apparently help to absorb the<br />

smells, and even though nearing the<br />

end of their lives (new ones coming in<br />

August), are still aromatic when<br />

crushed between the fingers – and<br />

apparently they are the nearest<br />

botanical relative to the cannabis<br />

sativa plant. No wonder the<br />

atmosphere is so relaxed here!<br />

THE MALT & HOPS<br />

– 45 The Shore, Edinburgh, EH6 6QU<br />

– 0131 555 0083<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Mon, Tues: 12pm-11pm<br />

Wed-Thurs: 12pm-12am<br />

Fri, Sat: 12pm-1am<br />

Sun: 12.30-11pm<br />

35


36<br />

BITE<br />

‘n’<br />

SLURP<br />

BEER<br />

DISH OF THE MONTH<br />

Sticky Stag Pudding with Beer Butterscotch<br />

Sauce, Clootie Dumpling Ice Cream<br />

Recipe Invented By Claus Andersen<br />

of Andersons Restaurant,<br />

Boat of Garten.<br />

For the Pudding<br />

175g dates (pitted)<br />

1 bottle Cairngorm Brewery Stag beer<br />

125g soft butter<br />

125g dark muscavado sugar<br />

200g self-raising flour<br />

3 large eggs<br />

For the Sauce<br />

100g butter<br />

200g dark muscavado sugar<br />

350ml double cream<br />

Beer dates have been soaked in<br />

To Serve<br />

1. Soak dates in Cairngorm beer for 24<br />

hours. Lightly grease 6 individual<br />

pudding moulds or one large<br />

pudding mould.<br />

2. For the Pudding; In a bowl with an<br />

electric whisk, cream together the<br />

soft butter and muscavado sugar,<br />

add one egg at a time while still<br />

beating (don’t worry if it looks split).<br />

3. Drain the beer from the dates and<br />

set aside. In a blender or food<br />

processor puree the dates. Add<br />

pureed dates to pudding mixture<br />

and beat some more.<br />

4. Add self-raising flower and beat till<br />

well mixed-through (about 1<br />

minute).<br />

5. Divide mixture between the<br />

pudding moulds.<br />

6. Bake in pre-heated oven at 190<br />

degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.<br />

7. For the Sauce; Place beer in a<br />

saucepan and boil till it has reduced<br />

in volume by two-thirds and is syrupy.<br />

8. In another saucepan, melt butter<br />

and sugar together stirring every so<br />

often so it does not stick. Bring to<br />

boil, and simmer for one minute.<br />

Add cream carefully a little at a<br />

time while stirring. Bring back to<br />

boil while stirring. Leave to simmer<br />

for 5 minutes.<br />

9. Add Cairngorm Beer syrup to the<br />

sauce and stir it till all amalgamated.<br />

10. To Serve; Tip out pudding from<br />

pudding mould and place in center<br />

of bowl, pour over warm<br />

butterscotch and add favourite<br />

flavour of ice cream. We suggest<br />

clootie dumpling ice cream. Simply<br />

break up a clootie dumpling and mix<br />

it through some softened vanilla ice<br />

cream. Refreeze till set. Lovely.<br />

11. Sit down, relax and enjoy your hard<br />

work.


RESTAURANTS<br />

AMERICAN<br />

Hardrock Cafe – Feast your eyes on our<br />

fantastic menu, freshly prepared on the<br />

premises and enjoy the atmosphere in the<br />

company of some of the greatest names in<br />

rock. 20 George Street, EH2 2PF – 0131 260<br />

3000 www.hardrock.com/edinburgh<br />

BENGALI AND INDIAN DINING<br />

Ignite – Cuisine based on traditional<br />

recipes from Bangladesh and Northern India<br />

in a sumptuous setting. Dining at Ignite is an<br />

experience capable of rekindling your<br />

passion for Indian food. Open 7 days for<br />

lunch and dinner. 272 Morrison Street,<br />

Haymarket – 0131 228 5666<br />

www.igniterestaurantå.com<br />

Lancers Brasserie – A sumptuous dining<br />

experience in Stockbridge offering awardwinning<br />

Indian cuisine. Three dining rooms,<br />

Lancers Mess, The Regiment Club & The<br />

Officers Club, can cater for every desired<br />

dining experience from an intimate dinner<br />

for two, through to private dining and up to<br />

large parties. Try the Chef's Selection from<br />

the A La carte menu (£18.95) and the<br />

vegetarian and non-vegetarian Thali (£22.95)<br />

and (£17.95) respectively. Open for lunch<br />

and dinner. 5 Hamilton Place, Stockbridge,<br />

Edinburgh EH3 5BA. Tel: 0131 332 3444 &<br />

0131 332 9559. www.lancersbrasserie.co.uk<br />

BISTROS AND BRASSERIES<br />

The Basement Bar & Restaurant<br />

– Daily changing menu packed full of<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

inspiring freshly cooked dishes sitting<br />

alongside comforting staples means that<br />

there is something for all in this local<br />

institution. Priced to tempt you and us away<br />

from cooking at home. If you have not found<br />

this place yet you are truly missing out.<br />

10a-12a Broughton Street – 0131 557 0097<br />

www.thebasement.org.uk<br />

Bisque – Casual gourmet dining using<br />

locally sourced food, served in a relaxed<br />

and contemporary setting. The bright, airy<br />

brasserie and sunny garden terrace are<br />

perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch and<br />

dinner, not to mention a glass of wine<br />

from the well thought out list. Open all<br />

day, every day. 69 Bruntsfield Place –<br />

Bookings: 0131 622 8163 or<br />

reserve@bisque.co.uk www.bisquebar.co.uk<br />

Browns – Spacious brasserie-style<br />

restaurant with trademark quality service<br />

and bustling atmosphere. Choose<br />

throughout the day from a freshly<br />

prepared menu or enjoy a snack or predinner<br />

cocktail in the bar. Bar open daily<br />

9am-10.30pm Sun, until midnight Mon-<br />

Thurs, 1am Fri and Sat; restaurant noon to<br />

11pm daily (10.30pm Sun).<br />

131-133 George St – 0131 225 4442.<br />

Elbow – Eat... the freshest produce from<br />

cakes to steaks. drink...grape to grain &<br />

everything in between. Enjoy...the little<br />

things that count. Open for breakfast at<br />

11am. Live music 1st Friday of every month.<br />

Pub Quiz every Tuesday. Open mic every<br />

Sunday. Upstairs space available for free hire.<br />

133-135 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh, –<br />

0131 556 5662 www.elbowedinburgh.co.uk<br />

37


38<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

e.s.i. – Englishman, Scotsman and an<br />

Irishman! Watch the chefs in the open<br />

kitchen create your meal with fresh,<br />

homemade produce. Diverse beer list<br />

ranging from Timothy Taylors Landlord of<br />

Yorkshire, to James Boags of Tasmania,<br />

whilst the bottle of wine on your table<br />

could be award winning. Expect value for<br />

money, a comfortable environment and an<br />

enjoyable experience.<br />

46 Queen Charlotte Street, Leith<br />

– 0131 555 3103 info@esibrasserie.com<br />

www. esibrasserie.com<br />

BRITISH RETRO<br />

Monster Mash – A traditional retro British<br />

Cafe, 'not so much Jimmy Choo shoes as<br />

jumpers for goal posts'. All your favourite<br />

home-cooked meals from yesteryear made<br />

freshly on-site.... just like ‘maw’ used to! In<br />

addition to a range of British favourites, a<br />

good rota of daily specials and vegetarian<br />

options of sausages guarantee a regular<br />

clientele. Fully licensed, traditional beers &<br />

wines complement the menu. Open for<br />

breakfast, lunch & dinner Mon-Fri from 8am<br />

and Sat & Sun from 9am. 4a Forrest Rd<br />

– 0131 225 7069<br />

www.monstermashcafe.co.uk<br />

CALIFORNIAN<br />

Calistoga Central & Sideways Wines –<br />

Great food, great wine, wine sales, wine<br />

tastings, whisky tastings all available at<br />

Edinburgh's Original Californian<br />

Restaurant now based exclusively at<br />

70 Rose St. Lane North, Edinburgh EH2<br />

3DX. Tel 0131 225 1233. Website -<br />

www.Calistoga.co.uk – Specialty<br />

Restaurant of the Year Finalists for this<br />

year's Scottish Restaurant Awards<br />

ETHICAL EATING<br />

pickledgreen – Eco-efficient café and<br />

restaurant on Edinburgh’s Rose Street.<br />

Simple, seasonal cooking served up in a<br />

fresh and unfussy environment.<br />

158-162 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH23JD<br />

– 0131 220 0477 www.pickledgreen.co.uk<br />

or hello@pickledgreen.co.uk<br />

The Lot – A laid-back, spacious bistro,<br />

arts & music venue with recently acquired<br />

charity status. Works to support local<br />

musicians & artists and operates as an<br />

ethical business that serves the local<br />

community. The bistro menu is full of<br />

delicious, fresh dishes made with locally<br />

sourced ingredients which are excellent<br />

quality and value for money. All tea and<br />

coffee is fairly-traded, in keeping with the<br />

ethical aims of the charity. Highlights<br />

include an exciting exhibition programme<br />

of new artists, a child-friendly<br />

atmosphere, very helpful staff and a<br />

unique and relaxed environment. Open<br />

Mon-Sat 11am-late, Sun noon-6pm.<br />

4 Grassmarket – 0131 225 9924<br />

www.the-lot.co.uk<br />

Urban Angel – Open daily for brunch,<br />

lunch and dinner Urban Angel source the<br />

very best organic, fair trade, local and free<br />

range produce from across Scotland. A<br />

creative menu with a host of daily<br />

specials. Home-made breads, cakes and<br />

desserts and a reputation for the best<br />

croissant and cakes in town. Numerous<br />

local and national awards, ‘best breakfast


in Scotland’ The Observer Food Monthly<br />

Awards and ‘best budget dining in<br />

Edinburgh’ The List Food & Drink Guide.<br />

Enjoy with a clear conscience in stylish<br />

and environmentally aware surroundings.<br />

Private dining. Open – 121 Hanover St,<br />

Mon-Sat 10am-10pm & Sun 10am-5pm<br />

– 0131 225 6215; 1 Forth St,<br />

Mon-Sat 9am-10pm & Sun 9am-5pm<br />

– 0131 556 6323<br />

FISH & SEAFOOD<br />

The Ship on The Shore – Seafood<br />

Restaurant and Bar. Sustainable Scottish<br />

seafood served with simplicity and style<br />

complemented by a carefully chosen and<br />

extensive wine and champagne list. Try the<br />

fruits de mer for two or the oysters, both<br />

with champagne. The Ship also serves<br />

lobster, smoked salmon, mussels, crab,<br />

monkfish, bass and much more. Seasonal<br />

specialities include game and meat dishes.<br />

Outside seating. Food served Mon-Sun<br />

noon-10pm, 24-26 The Shore<br />

– 0131 555 0409.<br />

Skippers – Leith’s original seafood bistro<br />

serving fresh, quality produce for over 25<br />

years. The menu is complemented by a<br />

superb wine list and a fine selection of<br />

Scottish bottled ales. Open 7 days, lunch<br />

from 12pm, dinner from 6.30pm.<br />

1a Dock Place, Edinburgh – 0131 554 1018.<br />

FRENCH<br />

Café Marlayne – An absolute winner!<br />

Both branches of this Edinburgh favourite<br />

have a well deserved reputation for<br />

serving consistently first rate cuisine that<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

is fresh, seasonal and skilfully cooked. The<br />

homemade desserts are ‘to die for’. Open<br />

for lunch and dinner. 7 Old Fishmarket<br />

Close – 0131 225 3838 and<br />

76 Thistle Street – 0131 226 2230.<br />

La Garrigue – Regional French cuisine<br />

from the Languedoc/Roussillon prepared<br />

by food-loving chef Jean Michel Gauffre.<br />

Open 6 days for lunch & dinner; closed Sun.<br />

31 Jeffrey St – 0131 557 3032.<br />

La P’tite Folie – Informal, bustling bistro<br />

with mixed clientèle. Favourites include<br />

moules frites, steak frites, beef bourguignon,<br />

duck, etc. Extensive wine list. 2 course lunch<br />

£8.95, noon-3pm. Dinner a la carte 6-11pm.<br />

Large groups catered for, set dinner<br />

available. Open 7 days (Suns eve only).<br />

9 Randolph Place – 0131 225 8678<br />

61 Frederick Street – 0131 225 7983<br />

INDIAN<br />

Britannia Spice – This award-winning gem<br />

of the Edinburgh dining scene is often<br />

referred to as the best Indian restaurant in<br />

the Capital. In fact it won the ‘Best in<br />

Britain’ Award three years running! The<br />

menu is vast – Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepali,<br />

Thai dishes are served and the prices are<br />

reasonable. Conveniently located in Leith<br />

near the Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean<br />

Terminal shopping centre and the Scottish<br />

Executive, Britannia Spice is served by<br />

frequent buses from the City centre.<br />

150 Commercial Street, Ocean Drive,<br />

Leith, EH6 6LB. 0131 555 2255.<br />

Open Mon-Sat 12 noon-2pm;<br />

5pm-11.45pm, Sun 5pm-11.45pm<br />

www.britanniaspice.co.uk<br />

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40<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

Suruchi/Suruchi Too – Innovative cuisine<br />

from the major culinary regions of India.<br />

Skilfully prepared by master chefs.<br />

14a Nicolson St – 0131 556 6583<br />

121 Constitution St – 0131 554 3268.<br />

ITALIAN<br />

Al Dente – Literally ‘on the tooth’ which is<br />

typical of freshly cooked pasta and typical<br />

of this authentic restaurant which serves<br />

‘pure’ Italian food. The changing menu<br />

includes dishes from Puglia to Tuscany and<br />

is complemented by regionally themed<br />

nights once a month. Food cooked with<br />

passion using only the freshest, seasonal<br />

ingredients. Ideal venues for corporate<br />

events private parties or business lunches.<br />

Nominated for the Ethical Good Food<br />

Awards 2009.<br />

– 139 Easter Road, Edinburgh EH7 5QA<br />

– 0131 652 1932 mob 07530516822<br />

Centotre – Centotre is an Italian restaurant<br />

with a difference. In this beautiful building<br />

Victor and Carina Contini have created a<br />

happy and buzzy place to be where the<br />

food is described as a labor of love, using<br />

only the freshest and most authentic<br />

ingredients available. Simple • Fresh •<br />

Italian – at its best.<br />

103 George street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES.<br />

– 0131 225 1550 www.centotre.com<br />

Santo’s Bistro – At Santo’s bistro we could<br />

bore you by saying we do paninis, wraps,<br />

hot filled rolls etc, etc... But, now open, at<br />

the heart of office-land, we are proud to<br />

serve real homemade food that changes<br />

daily and is all artisan-made. By the way<br />

don’t be afraid of the comfortable and<br />

expensive good look... you can choose a<br />

good bite to eat from 2.50 upwards. Fresh,<br />

simple, good, ‘no fuss’ food made daily –<br />

guaranteed! All you have to do is come in<br />

and see for yourself. Open 8am-5pm, 23<br />

Canning Street, Edinburgh – 0131 228 6298.<br />

Zanzero – Zanzero adds the zing to Italian<br />

food, using only the best ingredients to<br />

create delicious pastas and organic gourmet<br />

pizzas this Italian Diner also offers a<br />

selection of burgers and salads for the<br />

more laid back Italian food lover. Our<br />

young, fun, Italian cafe bar in Stockbridge is<br />

alive with flavor and atmosphere. See you<br />

there! 14-16 North West Circus Place,<br />

Edinburgh, EH3 6SX.<br />

– 0131 220 0333, www.zanzero.com<br />

KURDISH & MIDDLE EASTERN<br />

Hanam’s – Edinburgh’s only Kurdish &<br />

Middle East restaurant proudly offers a<br />

wide variety of authentic dishes served<br />

with complimentary naan bread. Traditional<br />

costumes, music, decor and speciality<br />

events throughout the year, ensure the<br />

Hanam’s experience is really something to<br />

shout about. Also Shisha Pipe Balcony.<br />

Open 7 days from Midday-Late.<br />

3 Johnston Terrace (nr the castle)<br />

– 0131 225 1329 and online booking at<br />

www.hanams.com<br />

MONGOLIAN<br />

Khublai Khan – The party venue, informal,<br />

relaxed and great fun. Edinburgh – 3 course<br />

Pre-theatre £12.95, Eat-all-you-like BBQ Buffet<br />

– £20.95 – 0131 555 0005.<br />

Also in Glasgow – 0141 552 5646.<br />

www.khublaikhan.co.uk for deals and promos.


POLISH<br />

Pani Solinska – Fully licensed<br />

restaurant/bistro serving the best<br />

traditional and modern cuisine including<br />

classic dishes such as Bigos and Perogi. Also<br />

serving light meals, soup, sandwiches, tea,<br />

coffee and cakes. Vodkas, beers and wines.<br />

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.<br />

73 Broughton St – 0131 557 6900.<br />

SCOTTISH<br />

Forth Floor – “Stunning setting,<br />

unpretentious food for people who love to<br />

eat,” – <strong>Bite</strong>. Open Tues-Sat for dinner, Tues<br />

dinner – wine @ wine shop prices!<br />

Harvey Nichols, St Andrew Square<br />

– 0131 524 8350.<br />

The New Bell Restaurant / Hellers<br />

Kitchen – The New Bell is Scottish seasonal<br />

cooking at its best using fresh, locally<br />

sourced produce. They offer a relaxed dining<br />

experience in informal surroundings. Serving<br />

lunch & dinner every day 12noon - 2pm<br />

(Sundays 12.30pm) and 5.30pm until late. Pretheatre<br />

menu available and large parties<br />

welcome. See the website for special offers<br />

and menus www.thenewbell.com<br />

233 Causewayside (5 mins from the<br />

Meadows) – 0131 668 2868.<br />

Sister restaurant, Hellers Kitchen, is a bright,<br />

modern bistro in the heart of the Southside.<br />

Chef Richard Heller cooks up a storm in the<br />

kitchen – from American style pancakes to<br />

perfectly cooked steaks and daily changing<br />

fresh fish dishes. For a quick bite, try one of<br />

their special recipe stonebaked pizzas. Their<br />

on-site bakery delivers the perfect midafternoon<br />

pick-me-up of cupcakes, scones<br />

and delicious desserts. Open all day from<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

8.30am (Sat 9am & Sun 10am)<br />

15 Salisbury Place – 0131 667 4654,<br />

www.hellerskitchen.co.uk<br />

A Room In The Town, A Room In<br />

The West End, A Room In Leith<br />

– Scottish bistro, BYOW optional.<br />

Open for lunch and dinner.<br />

In Town, 18 Howe Street – 0131 225 8204,<br />

The West End, 26 William Street<br />

– 0131 226 1036,<br />

In Leith 1c Dock Place – 0131 554 7427.<br />

The Scottish Cafe and Restaurant<br />

– We are delighted to welcome you to The<br />

Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at The National<br />

Gallery of Scotland. A celebration of<br />

Scotland's wonderful produce and best<br />

producers. Whether you are looking for a<br />

coffee and home made cup cake, a quick<br />

light lunch, bowl of soup and sandwich or a<br />

more formal dining experience whilst<br />

overlooking the delightful Princes Street<br />

Gardens and Edinburgh skyline.<br />

National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound,<br />

Edinburgh, EH2 2EL.<br />

– 0131 226 6524 www.thescottishcafe.com<br />

Stac Polly – One of Edinburgh’s original<br />

restaurants for authentic Scottish food and<br />

atmosphere; now in its 21st year. Tasteful,<br />

traditional décor such as stonewalls, Anta<br />

furnishings and thistles combine with<br />

flickering candles, crisp linen and twinkling<br />

glasses to give a truly Scottish experience.<br />

Expect a menu of exciting interpretations<br />

of modern and traditional cuisine. Private<br />

rooms available and outdoor facilities in<br />

Dublin St. Open 7 days.<br />

29-33 Dublin St – 0131 556 2231<br />

8-10 Grindlay St – 0131 229 5405<br />

38 St Mary’s St – 0131 557 5754<br />

41


42<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

SPANISH<br />

Iggs and Barioja – Est. 1989, Iggs now<br />

specialises in seafood. Lunch 2 courses<br />

£12.50, pre-theatre available and dinner à la<br />

carte. Barioja is a multiple award-winning<br />

restaurant serving paella and tapas. Great<br />

for parties. All overseen by the ever<br />

charismatic Iggy.<br />

15/19 Jeffrey St – 0131 557 8184<br />

(restaurant) 0131 557 3622 (bar).<br />

Tapa Bar and Restaurant – “Fantastic meal,<br />

service excellent and choice of tapas”,<br />

“Excellent food and good value - and<br />

children friendly!”, “Good food, fantastic<br />

service, great value” (customer quotes for<br />

popular tapas bar in Leith). Try the Chef's<br />

daily selection of Tapas served on a sharing<br />

plate suitable for 2 persons (served 12.00-<br />

5.00pm / excl. drinks) only £10.00.<br />

19 Shore Place, Edinburgh EH6 6SW<br />

– 0131 476 6776. Open all day 7 days.<br />

tapa@tapaedinburgh.co.uk<br />

www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk<br />

TEX MEX<br />

Tex Mex – Donald Mavor, head chef and<br />

proprietor brings the heart of Mexico to<br />

your table, emphasising traditional Mexican<br />

food with an authentic menu. Try the<br />

flaming fajitas and the potent Margaritas<br />

‘the best in town’. Good fun, tasty food and<br />

very affordable.<br />

64 Thistle Street – 0131 260 9699<br />

www.texmex2.com<br />

THAI<br />

Spicebox Authentic Thai Cuisine –<br />

Utilising the extensive expertise of a team<br />

of world-class Thai chefs, Spicebox, a<br />

gourmet takeaway, is the latest and most<br />

exciting news for Thai food lovers in<br />

Edinburgh. Each dish is hand made to order<br />

using the freshest, top quality ingredients<br />

with no MSG. Fruit carving, catering and<br />

chef hire also available.<br />

– 0131 662 4411 www.spicebox201.co.uk<br />

Thai Orchid – Award-winning authentic<br />

Thai cuisine using the best locally sourced<br />

produce and imported Thai spices.<br />

3 course business lunch £7.95. 5a Johnston<br />

Terrace (top of the Royal mile)<br />

– 0131 225 6633 www.thaiorchid.uk.com<br />

VEGETARIAN<br />

Henderson’s Restaurant and Bistro –<br />

Delicious, wholesome food, using the best<br />

and freshest of ingredients, all at reasonable<br />

prices from Scotland’s legendary vegetarian<br />

restaurant, family run since 1962. Special<br />

diets and food intolerances catered for.<br />

Mon-Wed 8am-10pm; Thurs-Sat 8am-11pm;<br />

Sun Bistro open 12-8.30. 94 Hanover Street,<br />

Edinburgh EH2 1DR – 0131 225 2131<br />

www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk<br />

L’Artichaut – Fully accredited by the<br />

Vegetarian Society just three months after<br />

opening, L’Artichaut, the latest vegetarian<br />

restaurant in town is a marriage between<br />

two incompatible cuisines; a French-<br />

Vegetarian restaurant, treading the fine line<br />

between indulgence and healthy living.<br />

Superbly presented, yet very satisfying<br />

dishes, supported by a totally organic and<br />

vegetarian wine list makes L'Artichaut an<br />

ideal venue for any food and wine lover.<br />

Vegans are also well-catered for with a


large selection on offer. Open Tuesdays to<br />

Sundays 12 noon - 9.30pm. 14 Eyre Place<br />

– 0131 558 1608 www.lartichaut.co.uk<br />

CUPCAKES<br />

Rainbow Cupcakes – Bespoke cupcakes<br />

for all occasions, four ranges to pick from<br />

or why not create your own for birthdays,<br />

weddings, christenings, congratulations etc.<br />

Anything is possible! 5% of profits go to<br />

cancer related charities.<br />

Contact Katie on 07886600530 or<br />

www.rainbowcupcakes.co.uk<br />

BARS AND BAR FOOD<br />

Amicus Apple – Hardly a secret<br />

destination, Kevin Spacey, the cast of<br />

Gossip Girl and top premiership<br />

footballers have been clocked enjoying<br />

an award-winning cocktail in recent<br />

months. However, the food is the real<br />

find! Whatever you fancy, leisurely<br />

lunches, languid evenings or late nights,<br />

you are guaranteed a great time -<br />

17 Frederick Street, Edinburgh<br />

– 0131 226 6055 info@amicusapple.com<br />

Boda Bar – A bohemian, cheeky, wee<br />

boozer with a subtle Swedish twist. It is a<br />

cosy bar with a strike of craziness. If you are<br />

unlucky you can get to hear Abba more<br />

than once per night. But since we love<br />

Spotify - you can always ask if you have any<br />

special requests. Since the owners love<br />

their wine, they have decided to have nice<br />

wines at a good price so - try out the wine<br />

list. You can also try Idun's a new<br />

Elderflower Cider or maybe an OP<br />

Andersson Aquavit (only you have to sing<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

before you drink it). Or what about our<br />

Craft Guerilla nights -every last Wednesday<br />

of the month. Check web for full event<br />

details. Open Mon-Fri 2pm-1am, Sat noon-<br />

1am, Sun 1pm-midnight. 229 Leith Walk –<br />

0131 553 5900 www.bodabar.com Free Wifi.<br />

The Basement Bar & Restaurant – Real<br />

gem, with staff who have an interest in<br />

providing unusual, quality drinks. A great<br />

homegrown cocktail list, hand picked wines<br />

from local suppliers, beers that you won’t<br />

find in any high street bar and a dizzying<br />

range of tequilas. perfect atmosphere to<br />

relax and lose a few hours.<br />

10a-12a Broughton Street – 0131 557 0097<br />

www.thebasement.org.uk<br />

Forth Floor Bar – For the finest bespoke<br />

cocktails, wines and draught beers head to<br />

this swanky cocktail bar with curvy<br />

banquettes, chilled music and stunning<br />

views. Open from noon every day, Tues-Sat<br />

til midnight. Food served noon-7pm.<br />

Harvey Nichols, St Andrews Square<br />

– 0131 524 8350.<br />

Hector’s – This funky,shabby chic bar has a<br />

constant buzz as locals of all ages mix with<br />

visitors from further afield. Try an<br />

unbeatable eggs benedict with a bloody<br />

mary at the weekend or indulge in a<br />

homemade burger from the main menu that<br />

runs for the rest of the week (voted one of<br />

Edinburgh's top five). Hectors also boasts<br />

one of the best drinks ranges in town, from<br />

real and Belgian ales on draught to an<br />

extensive wine list....something for<br />

everyone in a relaxed and friendly<br />

atmosphere.<br />

47-49 Deanhaugh St – 0131 343 1735.<br />

43


44<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

Joseph Pearce – A large airy bar at the<br />

top of Leith Walk. You can eat from 11am-<br />

9pm daily. The menu changes seasonally,<br />

but always include meatballs! Daytime we<br />

are more like a cafe with a popular<br />

kidscorner for all ‘latte mothers’. Free<br />

WiFi. Night-time busy bar with a relaxed,<br />

cool, friendly crowd. Check out web for<br />

all our crazy events www.bodabar.com<br />

Open Sun-Thurs 11am-12pm and Fri-Sat<br />

11am-1am. 23 Elm Row – 0131 556 4140.<br />

Roseleaf Bar Café – A cosy wee bar cafe<br />

in the heart ‘o’ Leith serving fresh juices,<br />

real ales, homemade ginger beer, cracking<br />

coffee, loose leaf teas & “Pot-Tails!”...<br />

cocktails in teapots! All served up in<br />

Grannies finest bone china. Wholesome<br />

brunchies, lunchies, din-dins & munchies<br />

served from 10 till 10 everyday with daily<br />

changing specials including Sunday roasts &<br />

home baked cakes all made with luv! All<br />

locally sourced, free range & organic where<br />

possible cause it tastes really, really good!<br />

Free WIFI, wheelchair & child friendly. Open<br />

from 10am-1am everyday. For bookings call<br />

0131 476 5268 or email info@roseleaf.co.uk<br />

23-24 Sandport Place, Leith<br />

www.roseleaf.co.uk<br />

Sofi’s – is a chic, hip, upbeat and popular<br />

little bar with many events, e.g Champagne<br />

Sundays where champagne is offered at<br />

great prices, film nights every Monday,<br />

Knitting on Tuesdays and lots more. Our<br />

lighter snacks are perfect with one of our<br />

many wines and we also have a great new<br />

cocktail menu both virgin and alcoholic.<br />

Mon-Fri 2pm-1am, Sat noon-1am and Sun<br />

1pm-midnight. 65 Henderson Street<br />

– 0131 555 7019 www.bodabar.com. Free WiFi.<br />

The Earl of Marchmont – recently<br />

re-opened by Peter and Billy Ross of Renroc<br />

Café. The Earl a bustling, community-based<br />

hub has a contemporary interior with<br />

generous outside seating and beautiful<br />

lighting. On offer is an extensive all day<br />

menu served by a welcoming service from<br />

all the staff. Enjoy chilled Sunday<br />

afternoons or a night out with friends and<br />

family. Visit www.renroc.co.uk and follow<br />

link for the Earl. 22 Marchmont Crescent,<br />

Edinburgh – 0131 662 1877.<br />

The Standard Sports Bar & Grill –<br />

Good food with express lunch menu Mon-<br />

Fri noon till 4pm, Sunday roasts, children<br />

welcome, noon till 6pm. Premium drinks<br />

and cocktails. Sunday night quiz and the<br />

basement bar is dedicated to sport (also<br />

free to hire). All this makes The Standard a<br />

must for foodies, locals, sports fans and<br />

students. Sun-Thurs 11am - midnight Fri Sat<br />

11am- 1am. Food served noon till 9pm.<br />

24 Howe Street, Edinburgh EH3 6TG –<br />

0131 225 6490 www.thestandardbar.co.uk<br />

The Street – Lively night time hot spot<br />

with an eclectic back bar, plus light bites &<br />

classic pub grub served until 9pm daily,<br />

light bites until midnight on weekdays,<br />

check out “orange wendy’s” Wednesday<br />

Pub Quiz. Djs every Thus, Fri, Sat. Open<br />

everyday from midday until 1am.<br />

2 Picardy Place, EH1 3JT – 0131 556 4272<br />

www.thestreetbar.co.uk<br />

Victoria – If Scandinavian style equals<br />

minimalistic Victoria doesn’t fit. It is<br />

colourful, radiant and full of life. The crowd<br />

is a cool, friendly and open-minded and<br />

there are a lots of events e.g. singles nights,<br />

Eurovision party, Come Dine with Me and<br />

what ever else that pops up in our silly


minds. We serve a lot of different drinks:<br />

Beers from 30 different countries and 12<br />

different gins. Open: Mon-Fri 2pm-1am, Sat<br />

noon-1am; Sun 1pm-midnight. Now also<br />

children licensed from opening til 5pm.<br />

265 Leith Walk – 0131 555 1638. Free WiFi.<br />

www.bodabar.com<br />

COCKTAIL BARS<br />

Tonic – Edinburgh’s stylish, vibrant and sexy<br />

cocktail bar has a new menu showcasing 40<br />

fabulous new creations with a twist on the<br />

classics. A brand new selection of premium<br />

spirits, bespoke bitters are also available<br />

including up to 10 new products exclusive<br />

to Scotland. Open 12 noon to 1am every<br />

day. 34a North Castle Street, Edinburgh<br />

– 0131 225 6431 www.bar-tonic.co.uk<br />

CAFÉS/INFORMAL<br />

Always Sunday – Enjoy a sunny refreshing<br />

experience in the heart of Edinburgh’s old<br />

town. Serving fair-trade coffee, pots of tea,<br />

fresh fruit smoothies, breakfast, lunch, wine<br />

and beer, all day deli dishes and fabulous<br />

home-made cakes! Open Mon-Fri, 8am-<br />

6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-6pm, (extended hours in<br />

the summer). 170 High Street, Edinburgh<br />

– www.alwayssunday.co.uk<br />

Edinburgh Larder – A relaxed, bright and<br />

welcoming environment with a delicious<br />

selection of local, good quality food, using<br />

organic / seasonal ingredients wherever<br />

possible. Great coffee from Artisan roast,<br />

fantastic teas from Eteaket, lovely home<br />

baking and superb cakes. Fully licensed with<br />

tasty local beer, wines from Friarwood and<br />

a selection of Scottish spirits. Open on<br />

Friday / Saturday evenings with extended<br />

opening hours over the summer. Free WIFI,<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

wheelchair & child friendly. Open Mon –<br />

Thus 9am-5pm, Fri & Sat 9am-10pm and Sun<br />

10am-5pm. 15 Blackfriars Street EH1 1NB<br />

– 0131 5566 922 www.edinburghlarder.co.uk<br />

Espresso Mondo/E Mondo – By day<br />

Espresso Mondo is so relaxing that it has<br />

become a favourite spot for professionals<br />

to visit at lunchtime or after work for a<br />

coffee, a bite to eat and a chat. Serving<br />

pasta, tapas, wraps and bagels, speciality<br />

teas, fair-trade coffee, pastries, cakes and<br />

muffins. Like the food, it is a cut above<br />

standard cafe fodder. Come evening, the<br />

venue changes its name to E Mondo to<br />

emphasise the shift from coffee shop to<br />

brasserie serving a varied menu of fine<br />

wines, cocktails and beers. 116 Lothian<br />

Road, Edinburgh – 0131 228 3990.<br />

Renroc – Local produce, fresh juices and<br />

Illy coffee. Indoor dining & outdoor heated<br />

seating. A great place to eat, relax and<br />

unwind in a chilled atmosphere. Fully<br />

Licensed. Open Mon-Tue 8am-6pm, Wed-<br />

Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun<br />

10.30am-6pm. 91 Montgomery St<br />

(200 metres from Leith Walk heading<br />

east) – 0131 556 0432 www.renroc.co.uk<br />

DELICATESSEN<br />

Deli Polonia – Offering the largest range<br />

of Polish produce in Edinburgh. We have a<br />

variety of fresh breads which are a<br />

combination of sweet and sour dough (half<br />

wheat-half rye), the biggest range of fresh<br />

Polish Sausages and a wide range of Polish<br />

beers and much much more... All<br />

nationalities very welcome. Come in and<br />

enjoy a coffee – www.delipolonia.com<br />

235-7 Leith Walk, Edinburgh<br />

– 0131 555 1281.<br />

45


46<br />

BITE LISTINGS<br />

EATING AND DRINKING<br />

FOOD AND WINE CLUB<br />

<strong>Bite</strong> Club – The gourmet food and wine<br />

club associated with this fine magazine!<br />

Exclusive invitations to bespoke events,<br />

discounts at restaurants and bars, free<br />

tastings and more! For more info please<br />

email us at contact@bitepublishing.co.uk<br />

TEMPTING TAKEAWAYS<br />

THAI<br />

Spicebox Authentic Thai Cuisine –<br />

Utilising the extensive expertise of a team<br />

of world-class Thai chefs, Spicebox, a<br />

gourmet takeaway, is the latest and most<br />

exciting news for Thai food lovers in Edinburgh.<br />

Each dish is hand made to order<br />

using the freshest, top quality ingredients<br />

with no MSG. Fruit carving, catering and<br />

chef hire also available.<br />

– 0131 662 4411 www.spicebox201.co.uk<br />

WINE STORES<br />

Appellation Wines – This truly<br />

independent wine shop and internet<br />

business specialises in importing and selling<br />

wines that you won’t find anywhere else in<br />

Edinburgh. 50% of stock is exclusive to<br />

Appellation Wines in the UK. Staff are<br />

knowledgeable and friendly. The shop<br />

stocks some great examples from the<br />

classic wine regions, but also expect<br />

something a little more leftfield too –<br />

definitely one for the wine enthusiast. Also<br />

international beers and you can buy a<br />

coffee and/or cupcake. 43 Dalry Rd,<br />

Edinburgh EH11 2BU – 0131 202 0985<br />

www.appellationwines.co.uk<br />

Henderson Wines – Independent wine<br />

merchant. Extensive range of wines,<br />

champagnes, beers & spirits. Wines range<br />

from pick ’n’ mix for £10 to bottles of £130.<br />

Collectable spirits also. Home delivery.<br />

109 Comiston Rd – 0131 447 8580.<br />

Sideways Wine Store – Californian wine<br />

specialist. Over 150 wines and beers<br />

available. Free delivery in Edinburgh area.<br />

Buy direct from www.Bottleshock.co.uk.<br />

91 St. Leonards Street, EH8 9QY<br />

– 0131 668 4207.<br />

WoodWinters Wines & Whiskies –<br />

Drinking wine is about pleasure and should<br />

be fun whether you’re buying party wine<br />

sub £5 or you’re a canny claret collector.<br />

Our shop is…small; compact and bijou. We<br />

treat our customers like wine-loving friends;<br />

pointing them in the right direction and<br />

getting to know what they like. And, when<br />

we know what you like, we can deliver<br />

more of it! Regular tastings and a wide<br />

range of organic and bio-dynamic wines<br />

from small vineyards around the world.<br />

91 Newington Rd, Edinburgh, EH9 1QW<br />

– 0131 667 2760 www.woodwinters.com<br />

WINE TASTING CLUB<br />

W’est Solutions – An exciting way to<br />

learn about great wines. There is no selling<br />

at our events, they are about having fun and<br />

learning. Four 2hr tastings will include 8<br />

wines and food complements. Topics are<br />

varied and wines are unique.<br />

For more info – please call Sandy Ramsay<br />

on 07871 793801 or<br />

email sramsay01@aol.com


Competitions<br />

Win some Puddledub Pork!<br />

Pork processing and curing business, Puddledub Pork, utilise pork produced on<br />

the family farm at Clentrie, Auchtertool, in West Fife. They produce all the fresh<br />

pork cuts, hams, bacons, and sausages and using its own smokehouse can offer<br />

smoked hams and bacon. www.puddledub.co.uk. <strong>Bite</strong> has teamed up with<br />

Puddledub to offer one lucky reader a fantastic BBQ selection,<br />

perfect for any summer BBQ.<br />

Win an Italian Meal for Two!<br />

La Stazione is a quiet Italian restaurant steeped in history situated in central<br />

Edinburgh’s ‘West End’. The simple menu uses fresh ingredients purchased<br />

daily to order and are skillfully combined to bring out the authentic flavours<br />

from across the Italian regions highlighting well known chef Nino’s passion<br />

for food. Ryries Bar, 1 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5EY, Tel: 0131<br />

337 7582. <strong>Bite</strong> has a meal for two to give away to one lucky reader.<br />

Win some Pies!<br />

Simple Simon’s have just won four<br />

awards at the British Pie Awards<br />

<strong>2010</strong>. Gold for their Cheese Board<br />

Pie, silver for their Butterbean and<br />

Brie Pie and two bronze awards for<br />

Danny Wild’s Magnificent Cheese<br />

and Onion Pie and for Chorizo with<br />

Devilled Black Eyed Beans and<br />

soft Goats Cheese Pie.<br />

Available at Harvey Nichols,<br />

Waitrose and Peckhams and at<br />

www.simplesimonspies.co.uk.<br />

<strong>Bite</strong> has one of each<br />

award-winning pie to give<br />

away to one hungry reader.<br />

Win some Galloway Lodge<br />

Preserves<br />

Galloway Lodge Preserves are<br />

devoted to making delicious<br />

award-winning marmalades, jams,<br />

chutneys, jellies and mustard for<br />

over 30 years. They use only<br />

the finest ingredients and cook in<br />

small batches using traditional<br />

methods. Galloway Lodge Preserves<br />

is the home of the world famous Poacher's Pickle ® - one of their<br />

most popular products. Poacher’s Pickle is their only<br />

trademarked chutney and a Gold Great Taste Award winner.<br />

More info at www.gallowaylodge.co.uk<br />

<strong>Bite</strong> has one range of the Galloway Lodge<br />

Preserves to give away to one lucky reader.<br />

TO ENTER<br />

To enter any or all of the above simply send your name, address, tel number, dob and<br />

occupation to contact@bitepublishing.co.uk. Closing Date for Competitions is – <strong>July</strong> 20th<br />

Please Note: Your data may be passed on and maybe used for further promotions and all competition entries<br />

must come from people aged over 18.


0131 538 6131 www.cafefish.net 60 Henderson Street, Edinburgh EH6 6DE<br />

Café Fish is based in the heart of Leith just 100 meters from the shore. Our menus change on a<br />

daily basis and we offer a fixed price lunch at £10 for two courses and a<br />

Dinner menu at £19.50 for two courses.<br />

Mull crab, Skye scallops, Atlantic cod, monkfish, halibut, mackerel and sole are<br />

all regulars on our menus. We only use 100% fresh Scottish fish and shellfish and also<br />

have a meat and vegetarian choice.<br />

Our wine list is fab and features loads of bottles at £20 or under, including a fantastic selection of<br />

wines particularly suited to fish dishes, Albarino, Viognier, Cortese, Fiano, Pinot Gris,<br />

Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay along with some good big earthy reds too.<br />

If it’s a special occasion, dinner with friends, or just a few drinks and a plate of oysters or scallops<br />

at the bar, you are very welcome, suited and booted or in jeans and a tee-shirt.<br />

Open Tuesday to Saturday 12.00 until 10.00pm (last orders) and Sunday 12.00 until 4.00pm

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