Eating Edinburgh
Eat, drink and be merry during the Edinburgh festival with the inside guide to some of the city’s top spots
PUB CULTURE
A killing thirst is easily slaked in pub-drenched Edinburgh. But finding a great spot with a buzzy atmosphere and interesting surrounds requires a little more local knowledge. The New Bell (233 Causewayside, 0131 668 2868, www.thenewbell.com) is something of a well-kept neighbourhood secret. The vibe is mellow, the pub cosy and the lager well-pulled. The upstairs restaurant goes above and beyond even the best pub standard. Equally charming is the Old Chain Pier (32 Trinity Crescent, 0131 552 1233), a century’s-old inn near to Edinburgh’s grand waterway, the Firth of Forth. Locals are chatty and the devilled whitebait beats peanuts as a great beer snack. Another old-dame of the city pub-scape is The Guildford Arms (1-5 Register Street, 0131 556 4312, www.guildfordarms.com), where the choice of real ales is possibly the best in the capital and the setting is 100 per cent Hitchcock-esque. Similarly lauded for its interior is the Café Royal Circle Bar (19 West Register Street, 0131 556 1884), where visitors seek a peek of the Victorian-tiled murals dating back to 1862. The offering of cask ales is diverse and the kitchen – shared with the Café Royal Oyster Bar – turns out very good seafood. For a complete change of pace, a visit to Oloroso (33 Castle Street, 0131 226 7614, www.oloroso.co.uk) is in order. Its location high above chic George Street attracts hip thirty-something’s for elegant cocktails with a city view.
NEW SCOTTISH
Forget the clichés – there’s nothing tired about Scottish cuisine today. Just take a peek at Amber (354 Castlehill, 0131 477 8477, www.whisky-heritage.co.uk), the light-filled restaurant tucked within The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre. Whisky-themed but not whisky-dominated, the focus is on super fresh local ingredients handled with a light touch: start with a whisky cocktail before sitting down to a succulent wedge of organic Scottish salmon flavoured with an Islay malt. But the real temptation lies in following the suggestions of the in-house whisky sommelier in a malt-by-course tasting. Slightly more rustic is The Grain Store (30 Victoria Street, 0131 225 7635, www.grainstore-restaurant.co.uk). In the heart of the cobbled Old Town, the candle-lit restaurant boasts low-beamed ceilings, rough-stoned walls – and some of the best Scottish beef you will encounter in the city. House made breads are stellar, so too the Loch Fyne oysters. The ideal mix of elegant dining and boho charm. Slightly more jaw-dropping – in regards to both location and price – is Tower Restaurant (Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0131 225 3003, www.tower-restaurant.com), a fine-dining find resting a top the Museum of Scotland. The striking view of the castle by night is a perfect accompaniment to the restaurant’s beautifully executed fare. It’s a med-influenced Scottish menu, featuring such treats as langoustine, fennel and crayfish salad, or Scottish venison with Stornoway black pudding. Though firmly crystal stemware and white linen territory, service is relaxed and engaging.
DYNASTIC ITALIAN
There is scarcely a single Edinburgh diner who has not had the good fortune to eat with the city’s First Family of Italian cuisine, the Contini’s. Since opening the outstanding Continental deli-come-café, Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar (19 Elm Street, 0131 556 6066, www.valvonacrolla.com) in 1934, three generations of successive family members have gradually branched out to open a series of stellar eateries. And happily for Italio-philes, no two are the same. In New Town, Centotre (103 George Street, 0131 225 1550, www.centotre.com) is a cavernous wine bar hidden within the elaborately pillared interior of an 18th Century Georgian townhouse. Both the chicly sparse interior and mod-Italian menu is on par with the best of Milan’s fashion eateries. But the real pleasure is in the huge number of Italian wines by the glass. Around the corner, Valvona & Crolla VinCaffè (11 Multrees Walk, 0131 557 0088, www.valvonacrolla.com) has snared a captive audience with its first-class interpretation of Italian classics. Skip the downstairs coffee bar for the elegantly cool restaurant where unfussy, authentic cuisine shines: think exquisitely fresh produce, rustic bread and delish pastas and secondo. For a quick bite just off the Royal Mile, Café Marina (61 Cockburn Street, 0131 622 7447) is the only choice. Marina Crolla’s devastating home cooking and brusquely affectionate charm keeps the crowds coming back for more. Lasagne with sheets of fresh pasta, the day’s creamy risotto, and her ever-popular meatballs (best sandwiched in a crunchy panini). Now that’s what one would call an impressive family tree.
BEST OF THE REST
Who needs Paris? Right on the Royal Mile, Plaisir du Chocolat (251-253 Canongate and 270 Canongate, 0131 556 9524) brings the best of the French capital to Edinburgh in the form of gorgeous hand-made chocolates, authentic pastries and their signature range of indulgent hot chocolates (try the hot chocolate espresso using 90 per cent cocoa solids). And, no, you are not seeing double. There are two Plaisir outlets: the Salon du Thé for something sweet and the smaller café across the way for soups, quiche and sandwiches. Skipping to Asia, Thai Me Up (4 Picardy Place, 0131 558 9234, www.tmeup.com) offers tasty Thai in a pleasantly pared-down space. Curries are great but it’s the seafood that really deserves some extra attention, like the freshly piquant ginger and coriander-steamed sea bass. Alternatively, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will find something to love at David Bann (56-58 St Mary’s Street, 0131 556 5888, www.davidbann.com) a strictly vegetarian restaurant that brings lentils in to the 21st Century. The Zen-like interior is, fittingly, all shades of aubergine and pomegranate, and the food is superb: an Asian mushroom medley infused with white wine and tarragon rests over a creamy mash, while the vegetable curry dosa and sweet banana chutney is transcendent. A place to convert the most committed carnivore.
DETAILS:
Advanced restaurant bookings are advised and all phone numbers are local. For more information on the best of Edinburgh eating consult local guide, The List, available for purchase in newsagent’s throughout the city.