Food

Akva Smorgasbord

16/02/17

Fountainbridge, Edinburgh

We’re in the mood for lunch out and we’ve been promising ourselves we’ll try this smorgasbord for a while. Akva is a big, spacious, Swedish-style bar with a relaxed and friendly buzz about it. It’s pleasantly located in Fountainbridge at the top of the Union Canal, one of Edinburgh’s hidden treasures. They do a conventional menu, which we’ve sampled before, but they also offer a daily lunchtime buffet.

It’s all reassuringly simple. When you choose to ‘go smorgasbord’ you’re issued with a decently sized plate and invited to fill it from the buffet for a very reasonable £7.50. If you’re an individual with a particularly hearty appetite, another fiver will allow you to return for even more and the great thing is, you don’t have to decide straight away. (Just as well as it turns out, because even we have to admit that one plate is plenty even for seasoned diners like us).

It would take forever to list everything that’s on offer today, but the array includes smoked trout, smoked salmon, freshly sliced ham, smoked cheese and a multitude of brightly coloured salads , grilled vegetables and assorted pickles. In addition to this, there are two hot dishes – today’s choice is veggie sausage casserole and a three bean chilli, both with accompanying hot rice. There’s also a selection of breads to choose from (the black bread is particularly good). When you’re presented with such a cornucopia of delights to select from, you’ll find yourself trying a little bit of everything and that’s no bad thing, because it means that every forkful you taste is different. Though we try hard to pace ourselves we manage to devour everything on our plates in record time and feel pleasantly full, rather than stuffed.

This is a refreshingly different kind of lunch, a great choice if you’re meeting up with friends and family (particularly those hard-to-please veggie ones) and when you’re finished, you can always nip upstairs and enjoy the free-to-use ping pong table, which in my book is a great addition to any bar – or, weather allowing, why not try a walk along the canal where you can happily work of some of those calories?

Next time you’re stuck for lunch, you know where to go.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

 

Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Brasserie

St Andrew Square, Edinburgh

09/02/17

The Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Brasserie isn’t really on our radar, but first it pops up in T2: Trainspotting, and then we receive an email promoting their winter menu, offering us three courses and a cocktail for a more than reasonable £22 per head. It seems silly not to take advantage of the offer, so we book ourselves in and, a few days later, rock up for our meal.

We’re seated by the window, which definitely helps set the mood: not only is this where Mark Renton reprises his infamous ‘Choose Life’ monologue in T2, we also have an uninterrupted view of the cityscape and castle. And the free ‘Winter Storm’ cocktail – a Bacardi, lime and ginger concoction – is absolutely delicious. So far, so good.

We’re not let down by the food either. Okay, so it’s a little bit too quick arriving, making us feel slightly rushed. But the service is charming, and we take our time eating without anyone bothering us. And the wine we order (a Bordeaux sauvignon blanc) is cold and crisp, and we’re really rather happy here.

I start with the soup of the day, mainly because I’m cold after the walk here, and it’s a sweet potato soup, which I always like. It’s lovely too, with a fresh, citrusy tang that cuts through the creaminess. Philip has the cured Orkney herring, which comes with blood orange, chicory and a herb dressing. It’s sharp and fresh, a light and nicely textured dish, of which he heartily approves.

Philip’s main is honey-roasted Hawick ham, with grain mustard, baby carrots and mashed potato. This is the star of the day, those crispy flakes of pulled ham simply bursting with flavour. The creamy mash is delicious too. I opt for the gnocchi, with goat’s cheese, beetroot, rocket and lime preserve. This is intensely flavoured, and truly delectable, although it’s perhaps a little heavy after the soup, and I can’t finish what’s on my plate.

I still order a dessert though, opting for the chocolate rice pudding with satsuma and biscotti. This is the only disappointing part of the meal, being rather too runny for my taste, and with the satsuma not quite sharp enough to cut through the bitter chocolate. Luckily, Philip’s rhubarb crumble cake with rhubarb sorbet is marvellous, and he lets me share it: it’s warm, sticky and indulgent, and even comes with a little pot of custard, which is always a good thing.

All in all, this is a very positive experience. Would we come back? I don’t know. The vibe isn’t really us: it all seems a bit corporate maybe. But we enjoyed it anyway, and if you like that kind of thing, then it’s definitely worth checking out.

4 stars

Susan Singfield

Norton House Hotel & Spa

Ingliston, Edinburgh

30/01/17

Ah, afternoon tea! Could there be a more quintessentially British concept? I seriously doubt it. This kind of experience has been bringing smiles to the faces of the beleaguered citizens of the UK for a very long time indeed. And now, more than ever, we really need those smiles!

Actually, I have to confess that the prospect of cakes and coffee isn’t one that particularly floats my gastronomic boat, but on this occasion I am outnumbered three-to-one, and since this is a belated Christmas treat for members of the family, I can hardly suggest a plate of cheeky noodles instead – so along we go and even I have to admit that there can be few settings quite as perfect for the occasion as Norton House. Situated ten miles or so outside of Edinburgh, it sits amidst fifty-five acres of impeccably tended gardens and on this sunny, late January day, it all looks absolutely splendid. I have to reflect that life can be hard sometimes, but hey, today really isn’t so bad.

The dining room is delightfully quaint and I’m happy to note, well-attended, so there’s a convivial bustle about the place (the last time we tried one of these things, we were the only people in the dining room, which tends to dampen the spirits somewhat). We get off to an excellent start with the perfect appetiser, a glass of chilled champagne, which gives us that delightfully muzzy feeling (luckily neither of us is the designated driver!). There are unlimited quantities of tea or coffee and it’s elegantly served in proper china cups and saucers. And then the food arrives. Wow. What you can see in the picture serves two people, so we certainly weren’t complaining about the portions.

There are four kinds of finger sandwiches – smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers; honey roast ham with English mustard; egg and cress mayonnaise; and cucumber and mint – all freshly prepared and quite delicious. Of course there are scones and (nice touch this), for those of us who greet the presence of dried fruit with the same enthusiasm we might reserve for a portion of freshly grilled bluebottles, there are also some plain ones on offer, with lashings of clotted cream and raspberry jam. The latter is a little on the runny side, but frankly, if this is the only criticism we can find, it’s not so bad. The scones are brilliant examples of their kind: light, fluffy and hard to resist – but you need to try because there are still the puds.

Ah, the puds! Each one is more delightful than the last, but in amongst the feeding frenzy I manage to note that there’s a passion fruit tart that melts in the mouth, a lemon polenta cake that has a delightful coconut texture, a vanilla panna cotta that’s to die for, a chocolate cake that really ought to be stodgy but is as light as you like, and even some little bright green macarons for those who adore that kind of thing.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we can eat like nobody’s business, but even we have to admit defeat before we’ve quite cleared everything off the display; but it’s no bother. The friendly waitress points out that whatever we can’t finish can be packaged up in a cardboard box, so we can take it home and have another run at it once we’ve recovered our appetites – which, to be honest, isn’t till the following day.

Look, let’s be clear. Afternoon tea still isn’t my favourite thing, but I’d be a very hard man to please if I didn’t acknowledge that, if this kind of thing is your pleasure (as it is my companions’), then you should make a beeline for Norton House at your earliest opportunity. Because, when it comes to the great British cream tea, this is pretty much as good as it gets.

4.8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Pompadour by Galvin

Princes Street, Edinburgh

29/01/17

Situated in Edinburgh’s famous Caledonian hotel, the Galvin brothers’ Pompadour restaurant is a real delight. We’re here because… well,  because, why not? We have family visiting, and we want to give them a treat. And a jolly lovely treat it turns out to be.

We’re eating from the seasonal menu, which is £45 for three courses – and well worth every penny. To start, I opt for the salad of poached winter fruits, speck and toasted macadamia nuts. It’s a triumph: sweet and salty and bursting with flavour. Philip has the lasagne of North Berwick crab with beurre nantaise, which is the chef’s signature dish. It’s wonderfully aromatic and so light it virtually melts in the mouth.

Next up, the main courses. I have the corn fed chicken breast, with pommes mouuseline, roast chervil root and purple sprouting broccoli. This is quite simply the best chicken dish I’ve ever tasted; it’s almost ridiculously delicious. I didn’t know chicken could be quite so… chickeny. And the accompaniments are perfect too. Philip has the haunch and faggot of venison, with wild mushrooms, pommes Anna, red cabbage and charred onion, which, served pink, is as rich and tender as can be. He’s a very happy man. One of our guests samples the roast fillet of Peterhead sea bream, with pearl barley kedgeree and a confit egg yolk; she pronounces it ‘delicious’ too.

Thankfully, this isn’t one of those restaurants where they try to get us through quickly, so that they can offer our table to the next set of  diners in the queue. We’re allowed to progress slowly, which means that we can take a breather before pudding, and enjoy the rather pleasant New Zealand sauvignon blanc we’ve chosen to accompany our meal. And I’m glad of this, because the puddings are lovely. I have the salted Valrhona dulce chocolate crémeaux, with almonds, prunes and rum ice cream, and it’s gorgeously reminiscent of my starter, with its salty-sweet flavours and lightness of touch. Philip goes for the classic apple tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream, which is perfectly executed too.

Would we come back again? Of course we would. The food is faultless, and the service impeccable.

5 stars

Susan Singfield

Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor

31/12/16

Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh

It’s New Year’s Eve, and it’s grey and drizzly here in Edinburgh, so we decide to take our guests to the Hilton to sample their afternoon tea. It seems a civilised way to spend our time, talking and eating being two of our favourite pastimes.

There’s a range of sandwiches (smoked salmon, cheese and chutney, and a rather decent egg mayonnaise), and a selection cakes, of which the lemon drizzle and the carrot are definitely the best. There are scones too (fruit scones, which necessitate two of our party picking out sultanas with a grim determination), and these are warm and fresh and really very good. We polish it all off with ease, and wash it down with coffee and tea. The service is friendly and attentive, and we all enjoy ourselves.

So yeah, it’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with any of it, but it’s slightly disappointing anyway. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re sitting in what feels a bit like a corridor, and there’s barely anyone around. Maybe it’s the huge thick Costa mugs, and the full sized cutlery. It just doesn’t feel very luxurious; it lacks the refinement I expect from an afternoon tea. A decent nosh, then, just not much of a treat.

3.1 stars

Susan Singfield

HOME
Home 1 SA : The opening of Home restaurant, Edinburgh. Josh Littlejohn with Dean Gassabi of Maison Bleue at the opening of Home7-8 Queensferry St Lane, Edinburgh. Picture by Stewart Attwood All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2016. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission.

30/12/16

Queensferry Street, Edinburgh

Maison Bleue at Home is a restaurant with a mission: to provide for the homeless. On Monday afternoons, it opens its doors to those of no fixed abode, and training and employment opportunities are also available for some of Edinburgh’s most disadvantaged people. A quarter of the staff working here have been homeless at some point in their lives, and all profits go to Social Bite’s parent charity. In short, it’s a business with a heart.

It’s also a very good restaurant. It’s Philip’s birthday, so there are four of us out celebrating, and we are off to a good start with a complimentary glass of fizz in honour of the day. It’s a special occasion, so we’re planning on indulging ourselves by going à la carte, but it turns out we all want things from the keenly priced set menu (£29.90 for three courses), so that works out well. We have olives and bread and wine while we’re waiting. We’re happy.

I start with a shellfish bisque, which has such depth of flavour that I feel like I could dive right into it. It’s delicious. Philip opts for the Saigon beef, redolent with the flavours of soy and sesame, and he clearly enjoys every mouthful. His daughter and her boyfriend both have the fondue de Camembert; they allow us to sample a mouthful and we’re glad we do. It’s a creamy, indulgent delight.

For his main, Philip has the North African lamb tagine. The lamb is mouthwateringly succulent and tender, and the dish is robustly spiced. The rest of us all go for the Châteaubriand filet steak (which carries a £5 supplement). I like mine rare, and this is perfectly judged, very pink indeed but nicely warm and soft enough to cut without a special knife. It’s served with fondant potatoes and a ratatouille, both of which are bursting with flavour. The pepper sauce is a bit too peppery (I like a punch, but this is a more like a kick in the teeth) but it’s our only criticism, so that’s okay.

For pudding, two of us take the sticky toffee option, and it’s everything you’d hope for it to be. The other two sample the Xmas pudding brûlée, which is a festive delight, with Christmas spices adding an interesting twist to an old favourite.

The service is excellent: warm, friendly and relaxed. And of course we take up the offer to pay it forward, adding twenty pounds to our bill to pay for two homeless people’s Monday meals. It’d be wrong not to, wouldn’t it?

This is a lovely place to be. Try it. If it’s good enough for Leonardo di Caprio, then surely it’s worth a visit?

4.6 stars

Susan Singfield

Tamatanga

26/12/16

Trinity Square, Nottingham

It’s Boxing Day and we’re both suffering from the after-effects of eating way too much in too short a time – a wonderful problem to have in such harsh times, but not one that is conducive to going out for dinner. But going out we are for a big family nosh-up and, happily, the chosen venue is Tamatanga, an upmarket curry joint in Nottingham city centre. After a glass or two of Cobra, I can detect a small part of my insides that isn’t totally stuffed – but still it seems wise to share a thali rather than having one each, which, I have to say, is probably a first for us.

A word or two about the venue. It’s a lively, vibrant dining place, pretty much open plan with an upstairs section to handle any overspill, and the staff are very attentive. A lot of restaurants go to pieces when the demand is high, but this place seems to be run with absolute precision, so we don’t have to wait very long for the thali, which arrives looking absolutely splendid (see picture). I love this kind of dining when you get lots of different flavours to try. The Tamatanga Thali comes with a choice of two curries – we choose Butter Chicken (rich, creamy and succulent) and, perhaps the star of the show, a Balchao Prawn Curry, fragrant with fresh coriander in a coconut finished sauce. There are also generously sized portions of Bombay Potatoes, Bhindi Do Piaza (okra with caramelised onions), daal, chutney, a delightfully fluffy naan bread and several poppadums. Our flagging appetites are revived enough to prompt us to order another naan to mop up the last of these mouth-watering juices, and we resolve that we will come again, when we have eaten less beforehand.

Around the table we see plenty of other colourful options – fabulous birianis, spicy salad bowls, and there’s a wide range available for the vegetarians in our group.  Would we recommend Tamatanga? Yes, for sure. This is classy Asian food, superbly cooked and beautifully presented.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

 

 

Ong Gie

17/12/16

Brougham Place, Edinburgh

I’m almost ashamed to admit that, in all my years on this planet, I have never eaten Korean food before – and we pass by this neat, pristine little restaurant on Brougham Place nearly every day of our lives on our way to the Quartermile – so, we tell ourselves, why not give it a whirl? I’m very glad we do.

There’s a scrupulously clean interior and a decidedly friendly atmosphere at the Ong Gie. A gentleman called Wan strolls over to the table and introduces himself. This is his place, he tells us and, if we need recommendations or advice, he’s happy to oblige. Wan, it has to be said, is a bit of a charmer and in moments we’re chatting happily away as if we’ve known each other for years. I can’t help feeling that every restaurant should have somebody like Wan front of house.

For starters, we choose two dishes – Jumbo Chicken Wings and Seafood Pancakes with spring onion and courgettes. The former are just what we expect – four generously sized pieces of chicken with a crispy coating and a deliciously sticky sweet chilli sauce. The other starter, however, is a real surprise – four chunky potato pancakes, generously stuffed with prawns and satisfyingly glutinous. These have a soy dipping sauce. Both starters are spot on and we look forward to the main courses. (I should perhaps point out that the service here is excellent, Wan clearly running the place with precision.)

For mains we order Crispy Rice with Seafood Stew –  the rice makes a deliciously crunchy base onto which is poured an aromatic casserole featuring king prawns, mussels and squid. There’s a lovely touch of theatre when the stew is poured onto the rice at the table making a delightful hissing sound. Talking of theatre, we also opt for the Yang Gogi Jumool Luk, which is a lamb barbecue. It hasn’t escaped our notice that set into each table is a rectangular grill. The spicy marinated lamb is brought to the table in a bowl and we are invited to cook it ourselves, bit-by-bit or all at once. It certainly makes for an appetising experience as the meat hisses and sizzles in front of our very eyes. Once it’s done to our satisfaction, we pop it into a lettuce leaf, add some sauces to taste and away we go. With the main courses we share a bowl of Udon noodles, served cold and simply perfect to cut through the exotic flavours of the marinaded meat.

As if all this isn’t exciting enough, I feel I have to say something about the price. This place is extraordinary value for money. Our meal for two, including a bottle of prosecco and a Tsingtao beer, comes to around sixty pounds. Have we enjoyed our first meal of Korean food? Oh yes we have. Would we recommend it to others? In a heartbeat. And will we be coming back again. Try and stop us.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

The Cottage Kitchen

25/11/16

Logies Lane, St Andrews

We’re in Dundee for an event which finishes around midday, so we decide to call in at St Andrews on the way back to Edinburgh. It’s a crisp, bright afternoon and we arrive feeling hungry, so we decide we’ll eat first and explore later. There are plenty of ‘chain’ restaurants and cafes around, but we soon spot the Cottage Kitchen, tucked away on Logies Lane. It’s busy but we notice a small unoccupied table and make a beeline for it.

The interior is intimate, rustic and there’s a friendly atmosphere. There’s a basic menu on the table and a selection of specials on a chalkboard above the counter. We don’t want to spend ages perusing the menu, so we choose quickly, deciding that we will share the two meals between us.

These comprise a homemade Puddledub pork sausage roll and a marinated bavette steak sandwich. The former is definitely the star of the show, a generous hunk of nicely seasoned meat wrapped in flaky pastry. The steak bavette is decent too, a chunk of medium rare meat, ladled with a horseradish sauce and served on crumbly focaccia. It comes with a choice of a side salad (there are four to choose from) and we opt for the roasted chorizo and mixed pepper which is delicious going down, but is clearly destined to repeat itself later on. As it’s a chilly day, we also order an accompanying mug of tomato and lentil soup apiece, which is hearty and warming,  but a lot bigger than we bargained for. It may seem surly to complain that there is a bit too too much of everything, but we’re left far too full to investigate the selection of delicious-looking cakes and pastries (all made on the premises, I’m told), so we decide we’ll investigate them another time.

All in all, a decent lunch venue, offering something a little bit different.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

Indigo Yard

06/11/16

Charlotte Street, Edinburgh

Indigo Yard is a a lovely pub/restaurant, owned by the Montpelier group, and just as delightful as the rest of their venues. Tucked away in a little lane at the end of Princes Street, it’s all wooden panels and candlelight. On this particular Sunday afternoon, it’s relatively quiet, but there are still enough punters to generate a buzz.

We’re here for a pre-theatre dinner, so we don’t experience the evening vibe. I imagine this place has a very different rhythm as the night draws in, and we’ll certainly be back some time soon to check this out.

Make no mistake: this is a long way from fine dining. This is ‘gromphy’ comfort food, and it’s very keenly priced. As well as the à la carte, there’s a set menu, where two courses cost just £10, and we decide to sample this.

To start, Philip opts for the smoked haddock fishcakes with hollandaise sauce, which are tasty and satisfying and nicely cooked. I go for the grilled halloumi and roasted red pepper salad with basil oil, which arrives on a bed of rocket with a sticky balsamic dressing. Yum! It’s simple, but it works, and the roasted peppers are deliciously sweet.

For the main, I choose an Indigo Orkney steak burger with fries. It’s not exciting – it’s a burger – but it’s exactly what I fancy and a decent plate of food. The burger is sturdy and well-flavoured, and the tomato relish adds a welcome piquancy; the fries are frozen, but they’re serviceable. There are sides of Mac N Cheese  on the menu, and the bacon with smoked Applewood cheddar version sounds so good, we decide to share a portion, just because we can. And we’re glad we do, because it’s pretty damned amazing. A bowl of this alone would constitute a perfect lunch, especially for diners nursing last night’s hangovers.

Philip’s main is more interesting than mine: it’s chicken and noodles with ginger and cashew nuts, and it’s lovely – all warmth and crunch and succulence.

We’re feeling greedy so, although we’re full, we decide to have dessert. We share a trio of sweet treats, which comprises small portions of banoffee pie, salted caramel & dark chocolate cheesecake and a lemon tart. The standout is the lemon tart, which is sharp and sweet as anything.

Even with a pint of beer and a bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc, the bill comes in at just £63 – which is quite impressive for what we’ve had. Even more impressive is the fact that Indigo Yard is working with Scottish homeless charity, Social Bite, so we’re offered the chance to ‘pay it forward’ and buy a Christmas dinner for a homeless person. Who could refuse? £5 is a small addition to our bill, but it’s one that makes a difference.

All in all, our experience at Indigo Yard was an extremely positive one – and we’re happy to recommend it to anyone who wants to eat and enjoy themselves in Edinburgh.

4.2 stars

Susan Singfield