The Edinburgh Blog

Monteiths is a terrific bar - just what Edinburgh’s Royal Mile needed. The interior design and general ambiance of Monteiths is excellent, it achieves what many George St bars attempt, but fail miserably at. Monteiths is the sister bar to Sygn in Edinburgh’s West End. My first visit to Monteiths was a few months ago when a whole evening passed us by, as we sat on the comfy armchairs and sofa at the back of the bar, drinking copious amounts of waitress delivered alcohol. Monteiths is entered via a narrow close with overhanging vines and fairy lights. At the bottom of this is a small outdoor seating area. As the courtyard is sheltered from the wind and heated, it was still packed to capacity at 10pm last Saturday. Monteiths, as a bar, cannot be faulted.

Some friends of mine have sampled Monteiths’ lunch menu, which is available daily until 5pm. The lunch menu is inventive and I’ve received good reports on their haggis spring rolls (£5.65), Crombies sausage and mash (£6.95) and steak with black pudding mash (£11.95). However we’d booked dinner, when the menu changes and so do the prices. The style conscious consumer will pay what is required to be seen eating at the trendiest, perhaps most enjoyable venue in town. And this is a fact Monteiths’ dinner menu appears to play on. Long gone are the sausages and mash and in comes the fillet of beef wellington (£19.85) and roast halibut (£16.75).

Ignoring the price for a while, I really enjoyed our meal at Monteiths. Three courses were washed down with copious pints of Baltika lager (£3.30) and a fair few Bellinis (£4.95). For starter I tried the scallop ravioli with chilli gazpacho (£6.95). Perhaps the scallops were too large, as they barely made it past the cooked well enough mark. The chilli gazpacho was an interesting accompaniment, but not one I’d choose again.

My main of pan fried duck breast with sweet potato and coriander puree (£14.95) was speedily devoured and prepared well. The puree begged the question: why don’t more dishes make use of sweet potato? The duck was quite fatty, but was certainly wholesome. Overall a good main course. My dining partner’s monkfish tail with mustard beurre blanc (£14.95) was the standout dish: great quality fish cooked to absolute perfection. I despaired somewhat when I saw side dishes on the menu. Surely not needed with these prices?! Our waitress recommended the olive greens (£2.50) which enhanced our meal. Though in fairness the majority wouldn’t be disappointed with the portion size of the mains themselves. I still found something strange about chips (£2.95) on offer with mains of this price though!

Desserts were a mixed bag with my banana tart tatin and outstandingly good ice cream (£4.50) proving a great choice. The apple and bramble crumble, also £4.50, unfortunately suffered from sugar overload. Still at £4.50 the desserts offered decent value.

The staff at Monteiths are very friendly and very accommodating in their service. However it’s clear they’re not trained or experienced to the level expected of staff serving in restaurants charging comparable dinner prices to Monteiths. I also don’t think I’ve ever paid over £15 for a main course and not received complementary bread; bread was available but would set you back £2.95. The food was good, but not good enough to justify the prices. Finally Monteiths were clearly trying to accommodate too many people - it was no surprise when one group refused to sit on padded cubes around a table very close to the door!

So to wrap up. Monteiths is an excellent bar and a venue I love. I’ll be back for drinks and, based on friends’ testimonies, I’d have no hesitation in eating lunch at Monteiths. Dinner I’ll leave to the style conscious, who are more willing than I to absorb the over inflated prices. Based on the overflowing tables last Saturday at Monteiths there will be no shortage of takers.

Monteiths is located at 61 High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR.
Telephone: 0131 557 0330.

The Guru Balti Restaurant’s takeaway has quantity in abundance. The takeaway menu has over 180 items and, as the pictures below demonstrate, the portion sizes are monstrous; the naan bread dwarfs the plate with the curry on. “Good food quality is our business” proclaims The Guru Balti Restaurant’s menu. However, based on my evidence I’d struggle to agree. This definitely wasn’t one of the better Indian takeaways I’ve eaten in Edinburgh, infact it was average at best.

I placed an order for collection at the Guru Balti restaurant, which is close to Edinburgh’s Fountain Park. The waiting time was only 10 minutes. I ordered:

• Mixed kebab starter (£4.50)
• Balti Chicken Bhuna (£6.95)
• Pilau Rice (£2.95)
• Naan bread (£2.75)

At a total cost of £17.15 the Guru Balti doesn’t provide the cheapest curry you’ll ever eat. It would have been an extra £2 to have the Guru Balti home deliver. I found the lack of a free delivery option surprising, as free delivery seems the rule rather than the exception in Edinburgh. Perhaps the Guru Balti concentrate more on their restaurant, although when I arrived to collect my order there was only one couple seated.

What I do find puzzling, and this isn’t criticism solely of the Guru Balti, is the lack of complementary poppadoms. When spending £17 on takeaway I think it’s fair to expect such perks. Anyhow I got home and unpacked Guru Balti’s brimming carrier bag.

The mixed kebab was lamb, chicken and sheek. The amount of meat here was quite frightening and the lamb was quite fatty. I found the chicken to be very bland as was the sheek kebab. The sauces and small salad the kebab was served with were the highlights. The naan bread really was humongous and quite decent. The rice was perfect, infact among the the best I’ve had. Unfortunately I found the curry rather runny and it lacked defining flavour. There was too much sauce and it was way too bland. The chicken, although plentiful, took too long to chew and was rather rubbery. I finished the meal absolutely full to bursting point, but disappointed with the quality and taste of the food.

The Guru Balti’s takeaway menu states “Remember our portions are larger than normal”. Fair comment. It’s just a shame the quality isn’t anything above average though. With so many Indian takeaways/restaurants to choose from in Edinburgh and none serving particularly meagre portions, I don’t think I’ll return to the Guru Balti.

The Guru Balti Restaurant is located at 9 Dundee Terrace, Edinburgh, EH11 1DL.
Telephone: 0131 221 9779 or 0131 221 1281.

My mouth watered when I heard Colin Cromar was to open the Tailend restaurant and fish bar in Edinburgh. Cromar and business partners were behind the amazingly successful and delicious Anstruther Fish Bar, which has won a whole host of awards. I’d always felt Edinburgh lacked a truly great fish and chip shop, so the opening of the Tailend on Albert Place (just off Leith Walk) seemed just what the city needed. After my midweek visit to their sit-in restaurant I am positively glowing in praise for what was an outstanding serving of fish, chips and mushy peas - just the way I like it!

The kitchen, with Cromar applying his trade to both takeaway and sit-in orders is clearly visible from the sit-in section of the Tailend. The interior is modern, yet simple: marbled table tops with numbers, wooden chairs, black and white photographs along the walls and a light bright decor. A specials chalkboard hangs by the kitchen hatch. Specials varied from a starter of king scallops with roast hazelnut and herb butter (£5.50) to a main of swordfish steak and chips (£11.85).

The Tailend’s restaurant prices can’t be described as cheap, though I think good fish and chips everywhere stopped being cheap a long time ago. On our visit we both opted for Tailend’s Traditional Fish Tea (£9.50). The fish tea consisted of haddock served with lemon, tartare sauce, chips (or ‘chipped potatoes’ as the Tailend prefers), bread and butter, and mushy peas.

Thankfully the Tailend has not messed with the simple and winning formula for fish and chips; although the presentation has been well thought out. Our chips arrived in a large bowl, the fish was served on a separate plate and the mushy peas had their own small bowl. It was clear from the drinking glasses that someone had been shopping at Ikea!

The fish was absolutely delicious - lovely flaky white fish encased in a light yet crispy batter. Perfect. The freshness of the haddock demonstrated that the Tailend receives fish daily. The chips were among the best I have tasted - nice and chunky, crispy on the outside and enticingly fluffy inside. The mushy peas, which I think no fish and chips should be without, rounded the fish tea off well. Though on a slightly negative point, the tartare source didn’t taste as homemade as it should.

All the fish is Scottish sourced and filleted/smoked in the supplier’s fish house in Arbroath. There is a choice of having fish served in the Tailend’s tasty batter, breaded (50p extra) or grilled with olive oil. The grilled option means the health conscious diner can, if you exclude the chips, enjoy the Tailend’s menu.

It’s likely most diners will, at least for their first visit, stick to the traditional fish tea. This could be disappointing for Cromar and crew who have created a menu of langoustine tails, salmon and pickled herring starters, Arbroath smokie, sole and a solid selection of enticing specials. Non fish-eaters are catered for with the Tailend burger and griddled chicken fillet.

Eventually the Tailend will have a drinks licence, and serve wine and bottled beer. In the absence of a licence our waitress was happy for us to ‘bring our own booze’, so I had a quick walk to Tesco and bought a few cans. A pot of tea costs £1.80. Service was delightfully friendly and welcoming from the young lady serving us. This was a real plus point.

Our fish tea was substantial in size and there was ample fish and chips for the two of us. However the Tailend have a St Luca ice-cream counter by the door. I couldn’t resist and, with a gun to my tummy, forced down two scoops of delicious mint choc chip and strawberry ice cream (£2.95).

The takeaway section of the Tailend fish bar sells a fish supper (haddock or cod) for £5.50. Many of the more adventurous fish dishes are also available e.g. sole/prawns. Standard chip shop fare e.g. burgers, steak pie, haggis and chicken are also on the menu.

The perfect fish and chip restaurant?! Well it’s certainly very good and definitely a clearer number one choice for fish and chips in Edinburgh.

Definitely try the Tailend restaurant for a sit-in meal or the Tailend fish bar for takeaway. It’s a welcome and quality addition to Edinburgh and put very simply: a fish and chip shop Edinburgh needed.

The Tailend is a great establishment and I’ll certainly be visiting on many more occasions this year.

The Tailend Fish Restaurant & Fish Bar is located at 14-15 Albert Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH7 5HN.

Another year and another excellent publication of The List Eating & Drinking Guide. Get to your newsagent now and pick up the comprehensive guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow restaurants and bars that serve food. The value is, as always, excellent - The List Eating & Drinking Guide is included with this fortnight’s edition of The List - at £3.50.

Slightly disappointingly this year’s edition seems to have slimmed down the awards. For example the newcomer of the year category has halved into:

• Originality & Commitment: The Dogs (on Hanover St)
• Inventive Higher End Dining: Wedgwood The Restaurant (Royal Mile)

And the Edinburgh’s best restaurant category and best budget restaurant category have seemingly disappeared and been replaced with a List Readers’ Award, which through the power of readers’ voting, has gone to Urban Angel on Hanover St.

The disappearance of best restaurant is the biggest disappointment as I’ve always thought of it as the de facto standard for choosing a restaurant you must visit, should you have enough spare cash. Anyhow judging by my experience and the reviewer’s write-up, I think Martin Wishart is a fair supposition for Edinburgh’s Best Restaurant. I think this year’s guide places greater emphasis on hitlisted restaurants, which are a pool of the top restaurants in each category. “The List Also Recommends…” section gives a great summary of restaurants which are among the best in their category e.g. Best for BYOB and Best for wines by the glass.

Some other highlights are:

• The Cambridge Bar and its terrific burgers/venue being hitlisted in Bar & Pub food category
• Roseleaf in Leith also getting hitlisted in Bar & Pub food category
• Rhubarb restaurant at Prestonfield getting a fairly poor view: “rather prosaic dining”

As ever, The List website will be updated to include the 2008/2009 Eating and Drinking Guide content shortly.

Anyone who ever eats out in Edinburgh should have a copy, so make sure you buy yours now!

The last home match of the season for Edinburgh Rugby saw them edge a close encounter with top of the Magners League and near championship bound Leinster. The final score saw Edinburgh deservedly edge the match 15-13, although Leinster missed the opportunity to snatch victory in the last minute when the Argentine international, Conteponi, saw his penalty rebound off the post. Brian O’Driscoll was also playing for Leinster. A full match report is available. Hopefully Edinburgh can finish the season in fourth place and stay ahead of their Glasgow Warrior rivals!

I’ve only made it to a handful of Edinburgh rugby games this season, but have been impressed. Sitting in a largely empty Murrayfield stadium in the West Stand is somewhat eerie at first, but you soon get used to it. I’ve found the Friday night rugby at Murrayfield to be hugely entertaining and a great way to spend Friday nights, somewhat helped by the Heineken available from the bar. Edinburgh’s rugby team have improved and some of the results, like this match and the previous Heineken Cup victory over Leinster, have been impressive. There’s a feeling of progression. Andy Robinson has, in my opinion, done a decent job - although it’s been announced he will join the Scotland training set-up, so it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out.

Murrayfield will remain Edinburgh Rugby’s home next season, a decision which has been driven by rising attendances. Attendances have improved from an average of 1300 for Edinburgh’s first three matches of The Magners League to an average of 5300 for the later Munster, Leinster and Glasgow Warriors games. Of course you’d expect the crowd numbers to increase due to top teams visiting and the importance of later in the season matches, however I’m sure Edinburgh rugby is attracting new fans to Murrayfield, so it’s fair for the matches to stay at Murrayfield.

Season tickets are now available for £150 adult, £80 concession and Junior £30. The gives access to 13 games (including the away match at Glasgow) and some other benefits. Another positive of Edinburgh rugby is the good community feeling they encourage and excellent, regularly updated website where you can find further details of Edinburgh Rugby’s season tickets.

Personally I won’t be buying a season ticket, but will definitely make it to as many of the home games as I can. It would be great to drum up some further support for the local Edinburgh Rugby team, so give it your consideration too!

When choosing the best Chinese Takeaway in Edinburgh The Edinburgh Blog was looking for a takeaway which did all the usual favourites, including prawn crackers, to an extremely high standard in addition to offering excellent value. I’ve been a frequent takeaway customer of China Palace restaurant. China Palace is based on St Bernard St in Leith but they offer delivery across Edinburgh, which costs between 85p and £1.50. If you visit the restaurant in person to collect a takeaway order China Palace have a seated area, where you can enjoy complementary prawn crackers and read the day’s newspapers. The computer monitor displays a list of pending takeaway orders and China Palace’s popularity is evident from the list’s size.

The food at China Palace is consistently very good, staff are extremely friendly and service is prompt. The menu is extensive and offers a good mix of well-known dishes, like lemon chicken (£4.30), and more adventurous ones, like squid with green pepper and spring onion (£5.10). In addition to the usual banquet meals, they offer several promotions and ‘meal deals’ which are particularly good value. If you spend over £8 you receive free prawn crackers, over £13 you can additionally choose a free dish, over £20 adds free delivery and over £30 gets you one free half of crispy duck or bottle of house wine plus the prawn crackers and free delivery. Usually I reach the free dish tier and choose free spring rolls - the free dish must be one of spring rolls, fried rice, lemon chicken, sweet and sour chicken, beef curry or apple fritters.

On my latest visit I ordered duck with pineapple (£5.70) and king prawn with cashew nuts (£5.00) plus 2 portions of boiled rice totalling (£1.70 each). This meant I qualified for the ’spend more than £13′ promotion and I certainly enjoyed my customary free spring rolls. This is excellent value. However it can lead to overeating as it is difficult (impossible!) to turn down a free dish. China Palace’s prawn crackers are, for some reason, spectacularly nice and way too moreish.

My fondness for pineapple is growing by the week, so duck with pineapple is an ideal dish for me. The pineapple tasted fresh but it was the superb duck which stole the show. China Palace really don’t cut back on the meat content of their dishes - the quantity of duck can only be described as generous. The king prawns were stir fried with a selection of vegetables and cashew nuts. The portion size was pleasing, with a large number of fresh and juicy king prawns. They were well cooked with a tender meaty texture and thankfully didn’t exhibit the tough chewiness of overcooked prawns.

To date I’ve not eaten in the restaurant. Sometimes I have seen it busy, sometimes not. The restaurant does have a lot of floor space. However, it would appear an awful lot of China Palace’s trade is gained through their well run and very well executed Chinese takeaway operation.

Over the years I have tried various Chinese takeaways in Edinburgh, but none have impressed me as much as China Palace. Their cooking is simplistic, but done consistently well. Basically China Palace is as close to the perfect stereotypical Chinese takeaway I have found in Edinburgh. Therefore it seems fair to state China Palace as being Edinburgh’s Best Chinese takeaway.

China Palace is located at 27 Bernard St, Edinburgh, EH6 6SH. They have a freephone number 0800 389 0489. Additionally the Edinburgh number is 0131 554 5292.

Heavily recommended.

It has taken just over a year, but on Saturday evening the Edinburgh Blog completed its hat trick in visiting all of Edinburgh’s Michelin starred restaurants – Number One (at the Balmoral), Martin Wisharts and the Kitchin. Unfortunately at the time we never officially reviewed Martin Wisharts or the Kitchin. Good excuse to return?!

Our evening started with a drink at the newly refurbished Balmoral bar. Unrecognisable from the boring décor of the NB bar. It has been transformed, with a stylish contemporary feel – luxurious purple velvet, moss green leather, even tweed cushions and antlers on the wall to remind patrons they are in Scotland. This is effortless style done well - George Street take note. The drinks menu offers an excellent selection of cocktails, wines, champagnes and whiskies. However as expected from a 5 star hotel bar, it is expensive - £11.50 for a strawberry champagne cocktail and £7.50 for a small Sauvignon Blanc. Service was very good. We were even greeted at the door and directed to a vacant table. So perhaps with the level service, great interior and free nibbles, the price doesn’t seem so bad. Or at least that’s what I tell myself…

Restaurant Number One is in the basement of the Balmoral Hotel. It can be entered from the hotel lobby or directly from Princes Street. Perhaps if we had entered from the street we would not have noticed the large badly smeared mirror at the foot of the stairs! The dining room typifies 1950s sophistication with opulent wood panelling, rich red lacquer, plush gold crushed velvet upholstery, crisp white linen and, sparkling cutlery and crystal. Although all tables are well spaced, the best tables are certainly the semi circular booths - perfect for a romantic dinner.

There is a small bar area to the front of the dining room. Ideal for enjoying Number One’s canapés and a pre-dinner drink. Five miniature canapés were served on a long narrow plate amongst them a haddock fishcake and goats cheese sandwiched between 2 wafer thin biscuits. The effort involved in the production of these tiny delicacies was obvious. We perused the menu while enjoying our canapés with a Kir Royal (£12.50) and a small Sauvignon Blanc (£8).

Chef Jeff Bland has retained his Michelin star since 2003 and he promotes the use of the finest Scottish ingredients. This is borne out by the menu - rabbit, guinea fowl, veal, scallops. There was a selection of 6 starters, mains and desserts on the à la carte menu. There is also a tasting menu available for £60 with wine pairings for £55. As an amuse bouche we were served cold broccoli soup with a floating circular item wrapped in parma ham. The waiter started to elaborately describe the dish however he forgot what was wrapped in parma ham. Even on his second attempt after consulting a colleague, it still wasn’t clear what the mysterious white contents were. So we just smiled politely and ate it.

For starter I selected Isle of Skye scallops, braised chicken wing, pancetta, savoy purée and perigold truffle (£16). The scallops were well cooked although I felt the taste of the pancetta slightly overpowered the rest of the dish. My dining partner enjoyed celeriac soup, rabbit tortellini, étuvée of leeks and roasted pine nuts (£13.50). The perfectly creamy soup was poured over the excellent rabbit tortellini at the table.

Next came my breast of Gressingham duck, plum and beetroot compote, parmentier potatoes and chichory (£25). The duck was perfectly cooked, pink and melted in the mouth. I was surprised by the generosity of the portion size. The other main course was fillet of halibut with lemon pomme mousseline, brown shrimps and asparagus (£27.50). This was a simple dish, perfectly cooked, immaculately presented with wonderfully complementing tastes.

Our waitress wheeled over the cheese trolley. With a selection of a dozen or more English, French and Scottish cheeses in front of me, it was too difficult to say “no”. For £10.50 I sampled 5 cheeses with home baked oatcakes, grapes and quince jelly. The cheese on offer at Number One was clearly chosen for the strong tastes; one cheese in particular was so smoky I thought I had charcoal in my mouth.

Unusually before the dessert course, a pre-dessert of a small panna cotta in rhubarb soup was delivered to our table. It was delicious. For dessert I chose banana parfait with salted caramel, peanuts and, sherry and maple reduction (£9.75). The sommelier recommended I try a half glass of sherry and a half glass of dessert wine (£8 for both) to complement the 2 distinct tastes of the dessert. She was spot on and the combination of the wine with dessert elevated this dish to a higher level. My dining partner ordered apple tarte tatin with spiced apple jelly and vanilla ice cream (£9.75). As specified on the menu, the tarte takes 25 minutes to prepare. This delay came as a welcome respite to allow my dinner to digest slightly; the wonderful home baked bread, the larger than anticipated main course and the unexpected cheese course was starting to take its toll. The tarte tatin was again beautifully presented and tasted equally good. The spicy apple was well matched with a glass of Hungarian Tokaj (£8.50). Disappointingly our desserts were served while my dining partner was not at the table, which was surprising for a restaurant of this class. After this we retired to a comfy sofa in the bar area for our tea and excellent petit fours.

The service throughout the evening was attentive without being overbearing. In particular the sommelier was fantastic; helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Even with the grand surroundings Number One has a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The majority of the other diners were couples or small parties of family or friends. However there were 2 larger groups in the restaurant whose presence detracted from the ’specialness’ of dining in a restaurant like Number One. Perhaps this is the risk of dining in a hotel restaurant, but it definitely is a drawback of Number One at the Balmoral.

Each of Edinburgh’s Michelin starred restaurants offers a wonderful dining experience. However my order of preference would be: 1. Martin Wisharts 2. The Kitchin 3. Number One.

The Balmoral bar and Number One are located at 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EQ. Telephone: 0131 556 2414.

Today saw Lothian Buses increase their adult single fare to £1.10, up from a £1. This is the first increase since March 2006. Welcomely the pricing of child fares, daysaver tickets and Ridacards is unaffected.

However I had some sympathy for commuters who were today asked to find an extra 10p - not always an easy task if someone has only prepared £1. Seemingly the only notification of the 10p hike was a sticker in the front window of all Lothian buses (see image above) and the bus drivers verbal communication.

The literature at each bus stop has not, at the time of writing, been updated. As the image on the above right shows, it still states £1 for an adult single. Also the automated ticket machines, a precursor to Edinburgh tram, are still charging £1 for an adult single. Until Lothian Buses correct this you can still pre-purchase your ticket for £1 before boarding the bus. And to round it off the Lothian Buses website hardly makes the price increase clear (it’s not displayed on the front page).

All in all a confusing Sunday for bus passengers, which could have been helped by better communication and some notification of the price rise at bus stops in Edinburgh. It’s not the fact the price has gone up, it’s more the inconvenience of many passengers only being told about the fare increase as they’re boarding the bus.

Ivory Lounge replaced Bar 38 at the West end of Edinburgh’s George Street. It’s still operated by the same group as Bar 38 but, in my opinion, its interior has changed for the better. “Style and comfort” are the words Ivory Lounge use to describe their venue, and they are words I would agree with. We visited on a Monday after work for a few drinks. While not busy there were, like most haunts on George St, a reasonable number of people in the Ivory Lounge.

We sat in the enclave towards the back of Ivory Lounge. This has a long leather seat and five or six individual tables; it’s atmospherically lit and the music is audible but not intrusive. I think this area, like others in the Ivory Lounge, is available for private hire and it would make a great area for a work celebration or birthday party.

The whole interior layout is more effective as Ivory Lounge with a good mixture of booths, tables adjacent to the bar and well spread out tables toward the front of Ivory Lounge. Within a few minutes our waitress had taken our drinks order. I had a pint of Kronenberg (£3.35) and my dining partner a small glass of Pinot Grigio (£3.65), which received an okay rating from its consumer.

The Ivory Lounge’s menu was already on our table, which is a clear indication the bar is targeting the casual diner. This is further demonstrated by ‘The Ivory Lounge twist on traditional Tapas’. There are 22 dishes to choose from including chicken tempura, potato wedges, lamb cutlets, beer battered cod, meat balls, sausage bites and calamari. This is a great idea and perfect for the groups of friends and work colleagues bars on George St attract. We ordered 3 dishes for £10.45 as our starter: king prawns with an Italian cheese and garlic crust, chicken quesadilla and patatas bravas. One Ivory Lounge tapas dish costs £3.95, 5 for £15.95 and £20.95 will buy you 7 dishes.

The patatas bravas was the tastiest dish, although the Spanish authenticity had been lost somewhat. The Ivory Lounge menu contradicts itself with the headline stating king prawns while the description underneath states black tiger prawns. Anyhow, this was the weakest of all dishes as the prawns (which definitely weren’t king prawns) were very overcooked. The parmesan topping and garlic crust was quite tasty. The chicken quesidilla was the largest tapas dish, but had a fairly meagre filling. However I enjoyed it. Our three dish selection didn’t set my tastebuds on fire, nor raise my enthusiasm to the point I’d rush back. That said if I’d had a few more beers a few good choices from the Ivory Lounge tapas menu would have been more welcome.

Disappointingly the Ivory Lounge had no fajita topping left for their burgers. I ordered their chicken burger at £6.95. This proved very good value: the substantial chicken breast was cooked perfectly. The burger was packed with lettuce and tomato and was served in a wholemeal roll, which was quite unusual, but nice enough. A plethora of fries were served with the burger along with a serving of coleslaw and a small tub of mayonnaise. Overall the burger was the best all round dish of the evening.

My dining partner’s tiger prawn and basil linguini suffered the same problem as our tapas dish: the prawns were overcooked. The linguini was adequate, while the tomato and basil sauce the prawns came in was steady, but not spectacular. At £8.25 I would have expected more. But it was definitely no reason to complain.

The Ivory Lounge serve breakfast until midday, with a full traditional breakfast costing £5.65. Sandwiches, paninis and salads complement a wide range of main courses. Traditional desserts including apple pie, sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownie cup are available for £3.45. There are special offers on cocktails (2 for £7.50) and shooters (3 for £5.95). I’ve never visited the Ivory Lounge on a Friday or Saturday but, like Bar 38 before, I’d imagine it gets very busy and very lively.

Overall the Ivory Lounge provided a filling and varied meal. It tries to distinguish itself from other George St style bars with the tapas offerings. It’s not a venue I would choose specifically for dining out, but if planning a ‘night on the town’ or looking for a nice venue for drinks, which also serves decent food, then it would be hard to fault the Ivory Lounge.

One thing for sure: it’s definitely worth a visit for drinks. If you like what you see then I’d happily recommend giving their food a try.

Ivory Lounge is located 126 - 128 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4JN.
Telephone: 0131 220 6180

Saturday 8th March was a day full of sporting surprises, not least Scotland’s victory over England in the 6 Nations and lower league teams progressing in the English FA Cup. The evening’s ad hoc choice for dinner, Bar Diesel in Leith, provided a further pleasant surprise and rounded the day off very nicely.

Last year Bar Diesel replaced The Smoke Stack restaurant and bar. The Smoke Stack continues to operate on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street. Bar Diesel is located on the ground level of an old warehouse, which is obvious once you see the spacious interior. However the ex-warehouse features are used to good effect inside Bar Diesel, even if it means the floor is quite uneven: my original position had such an angle that the plate kept sliding off the table!

The formal restaurant area of Bar Diesel is located at the back. However we were after informal dining and the lighting looked too bright in the restaurant area. Bar Diesel were happy to serve from the a la carte menu in the bar area though, so we took our seats and began to peruse the A4 menu while our waiter reeled off the list of specials. It’s worth noting now that Bar Diesel’s staff were all exceptionally friendly and helpful. It’s an obvious statement, but it really does make such a difference when you feel comfortable and happy in your dining surroundings. For this Bar Diesel could not be faulted, despite a few people who were clearly worse for wear after watching the day’s rugby.

I was expecting Bar Diesel’s menu to be standard bar-fare, but I was wrong. Most of the dishes sounded interesting, if not delicious. For starter I ordered haggis in oatmeal (£3.50) and my dining partner the smoked salmon fish cakes (£3.75) from the bar menu (Bar Diesel were happy for us to mix and match from the a la carte, specials and bar menu). We ordered main courses of seared breast of pheasant (£9.50) and chicken breast (£9.75), the latter coming from the specials menu.

Bar Diesel is better inside than it looks from the outside. The bar has a laid-back, very informal and completely chilled atmosphere with many high tables and chairs spaced well apart from sofas. It’s more like a cafe or arts venue, than a Leith bar. That being said it does show major sports matches on the plasma TV, which doesn’t seem to fit with the bar’s image, but no doubt helps to get numbers through the door. Bar Diesel, as could be implied by the name, has a motorbike theme running through it. This is demonstrated by art on the walls and a motorbike by the bar.

It wasn’t long before I was enjoying the outstanding value of the haggis in oatmeal. Three haggis balls, which were delicious, were served around a salad. I found the combination a little odd, but had no problem in eating every last bit. The smoked salmon fishcakes were really quite tasty, with the right mix of potato and fish. Crucially they were quite light and did not taste overly fatty or fried, like some fishcakes. All in all, perfect for a starter portion.

My dining partner described her chicken breast as the best she had ever eaten. That’s no easily earned compliment. I also tried some of the chicken breast and it was indeed fantastic. I’d really like to know where Bar Diesel sourced their chicken. Part of this dish was a chicken confit which again was done well and melted in the mouth. The mash potato and vegetables the chicken was served with were impressive; the mash potato especially smooth and creamy. Maybe a little strange to serve chicken breast and chicken confit, but when it tastes this good I’m not going to argue.

My seared breast of pheasant, wrapped in bacon, was served on a bed of black pudding mash. The mash potato was faultless. I’m unsure whether the strong salty taste which accompanied this meal was solely due to the bacon or whether too much salt had been added to the accompanying sauce. Either way there was too much salt. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the meal - the pheasant was still very good and plentiful - but it did distract somewhat.

The real star of the show was the bread and butter pudding we shared for dessert (£3.50). We ordered this from the Diesel Delights portable chalkboard menu which our waiter left on our table. It was a close choice between this and the passion fruit cheesecake, but the outstanding bread and butter pudding fully justified the choice. Presentation was impressive with a slice of bread and butter accompanied with cream, sliced strawberries and spun sugar basket. This really was an exceptional dessert, the actual bread and butter pudding was perfectly moist, had the perfect texture and tasted great. At £3.50 it’s by far the best value dessert I’ve ever tasted. Truly exceptional.

Anyone who knows Leith’s dining scene will know how competitive and varied it is. Bar Diesel is a venue which could easily be overlooked. Based on the evidence of my visit that would be unfair. Definitely worth a try and definitely worthy of mention alongside the more familiar names. Also exceptional value for such fine quality and finely prepared food.

Bar Diesel is located at 19 Shore Place, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6SQ. Contact Bar Diesel on 0131 476 6776.