In August 2007 a fire ripped through Romanes and Paterson, the Scottish store on Edinburgh’s Princes St and it was nearly 18 months before the shop re-opened in its original location. On the third floor is the Walter Scott tearoom, which is a large traditional space boasting excellent views across Princes St gardens and the Mound. The view will certainly be more picturesque when Princes St doesn’t resemble a bomb site, but observing the myriad of Edinburgh tram workmen was at least entertaining. The Walter Scott tearoom provided a great respite from the hustle, bustle and claustrophobic nature of Princes St - it was quiet, calm and relaxing at our window seat on the third floor.
The choice at the Walter Scott tearoom is great with the lunch menu hosting a good range of sandwiches (£4.50 - £5.50), baked potatoes with many fillings, MacSweens haggis with oatcakes (£5.50), soup and a sandwich (£6.50), paninis (£5.25 - £5.50), salads (£5.95) and macaroni cheese (£5.95). There is also a full breakfast menu, which the Walter Scott tearoom endeavours to serve all day. This includes a full Scottish breakfast for a very reasonable £6.75. The Scottish afternoon tea is £7.95, which includes a choice of sandwich, freshly baked scone, shortbread and a slice of cake. There is also a wide range of “sweet things”, including ice-cream, cakes and gateaux.
My chicken sandwich was served on delightfully fresh bread, although there was too much butter which wasn’t required alongside the mayonnaise. But at £4.50 this proved a pleasant and refreshing sandwich. The mushroom soup was served with more of that great bread and it proved freshly and competently made. The Walter Scott tearoom offers table service, which was well-meaning, pleasant and friendly.
None of the offerings from the Walter Scott tearoom will win any awards, but all were fresh and honestly made. The menu also offers great value and it’s encouraging to see the Walter Scott tearoom is definitely not a tourist trap - the terrific view and quaint setting make this a fine location for local Edinburgh folk, even if you do need to pass through the Scottish music and tins of shortbread inside Romanes and Paterson to reach the Walter Scott tearoom. Recommended for a relaxing city centre lunch.
The Walter Scott tearoom is located inside the Romanes and Paterson store on Princes St - enter the shop and head up the stairs on the right: 62 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2DF. Telephone: 0131-225 4966.
Upon entering Treacle you immediately feel comfortable and content, in trendy yet unpretentious surroundings. The interior design of Treacle is cool and funky without being over the top. Especially likeable are the manga style mural on the upper level and the padded blue and pink doors of the respective male and female toilets. The staff’s informal yet attentive attitude fits with the look and feel of Treacle. As a destination for drinks, perhaps sat on the large tables with comfy seating or as a destination for laid-back dining Treacle proves a real treat.
Treacle’s menu is varied and the excellent range of breakfast dishes mean I’ll be back some morning in the future - the eggs Benedict delivered to a nearby table looked delicious. Treacle offers a good range of sandwiches all served with their hand-cut chips and also a range of small dishes, which include sharing platters. If your appetite demands more then Treacle’s menu has a large dishes section which includes pies, fish and chips, and pasta dishes.
We started with the mushroom soup from the small dishes menu. The soup and its accompanying fresh crisp baguette was a worthy effort for £2.95, although the strong aniseed flavour may raise an eyebrow or two. The steak and ale pie (£8.95) wasn’t the usual puff pastry topped version: it was a ‘proper’ pie. Inside were tender pieces of steak, carrots and a thick sauce which had a pleasingly palpable ale taste. The hand-cut chips were faultless and I liked their presentation in a little metal bucket. The Treacle fishcake (£4.95) didn’t suffer from my usual qualm of too much potato and not enough fish, infact it was packed with delicious flaked fish and served with a fiery sweet chili sauce and leafy salad.
Unfortunately Treacle’s chocolate brownie was unavailable, so on advice from our waiter we tried Treacle’s deep fried jam filled brioche doughnut (£4.95). This was the most unhealthy dessert I’ve eaten in recent memory; a fact not helped by its enormous size. Unhealthiness aside the doughnut was pure sugar-coated indulgence and the accompanying homemade vanilla ice cream was a treat in itself.
A good cocktail menu, a fair selection of wines and a good range of beers including Tiger on draft (£4 a pint) complete Treacle’s accomplished offerings. Treacle provided The Edinburgh Blog with a hugely enjoyable Halloween lunch and it proved a great bar to relax and enjoy drinks in.
After just one visit Treacle is firmly in the “will return soon” category. Recommended.
Treacle is located at 39 Broughton St, Edinburgh, EH1 3JU
Telephone: 0131 557 0627
Leith Lynx joins a crowded Leith market catering to the bar and bistro scene. With so much choice it’s a struggle for newcomers to stand out and gain a loyal following. This is more difficult, when like Leith Lynx, your bistro is off the beaten track. What finally tempted The Edinburgh Blog to visit was learning one of the proprietors of Leith Lynx is Brian Donkin, whose past ventures include the Cameo Bar. Back in the day the Cameo Bar was a good choice for a good burger. I wanted to see if Leith Lynx would follow suit.
The game pie (£7.30) had two huge positives. First the carrots it was served (Leith Lynx’s “veg of the day” ) with were delicious and secondly the pastry top was really well done. Unfortunately the interior of the pie didn’t match the trimmings. The sauce was thick as if based on a soup and tomato flavoured - not quite the port flavour described by the menu. Perhaps we should have selected one of Leith Lynx’s attractive sounding fish dishes, such as mussels or oysters, instead.
At £6.10 my beef burger was good value (20p extra for Swiss cheese melt). The beef was good quality, the bun it was served in was pretty good and the homemade wedges were great. The burger was from Leith Lynx’s “short orders”, which include pasta, seafood dish of the day and meat dish of the day. All of these are under £7, which on the basis of the burger represent good value. Perhaps the short order menu is the best differentiator Leith Lynx has in its crowded market.
Far too many places these days serve desserts which are clearly not homemade and have been frozen at some point. I’m happy to report the chocolate fudge cake (£3.20) at Leith Lynx displayed none of the tell-tale signs - it was fresh, light and lovely.
We visited Leith Lynx on a cold Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately Leith Lynx did little to warm us - the heating wasn’t on and the interior design does little to suggest this will be a great destination during Winter. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Leith Lynx, bar their solid Belgium beer selection, is the value. Choose wisely and you’ll get change from £20 for a main course and drink each.
Leith Lynx is located at 102 Constitution Street, Edinburgh, Leith, EH6 6ED
Telephone: 0131 538 4796
It’s a bold claim for any Mexican restaurant to advertise its offerings as “revolutionary”. Though this is exactly what Pancho Villa’s, the Mexican restaurant on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, does. The supposed “revolutionary cuisine” now finds itself being cooked in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with their popular Glasgow restaurant located on the city’s Bell St. Regular readers will know that while I’m a fan of Mexican cuisine, I haven’t yet found a Mexican restaurant in Edinburgh I’d regularly return to.
The food was delivered fast. Suspiciously fast. Infact so fast our guacamole and nachos starter order had been ignored in favour of the mains. If you ignore the fact there is no combo dish option for your main course, the menu at Pancho Villa’s is packed with all the usual suspects. You might be surprised to find king prawn fajitas, rustic lamb or enchiladas with crab meat though.
The chicken in my enchiladas suiza (£10.95) had a rubbery texture, the beans looked weary and the whole dish was plain; it lacked taste. With highlights few and far between at least the rice, mixed with vegetables, provided some positive memory. The chicken fajitas (£12.95) were served with a generous amount of chicken, but the meagre selection of accompaniments (guacamole, salsa and sour cream) weren’t enough to distinguish this dish. And paying £2 or more for additional side dishes wasn’t an attractive option. At other restaurants the fajitas sizzle and they’re delivered brimming with energy. At Pancho Villa’s they were delivered without making a murmur.
If there was anything revolutionary on my plate I was blind to it. The food at Pancho Villa’s was hardly lovingly prepared. For the money it should have been.
The interior of Pancho Villa’s is colourful and fun. When the restaurants busy and the tequila is flowing I can imagine this is a lively and atmospheric space. Also the waiting staff were friendly throughout. So that’s two positives. Though the beer choices of Sol (£2.70 a bottle), Corona or San Miguel were hardly leading a revolution.
The hunt for a great or even very good Mexican restaurant in Edinburgh continues…
Pancho Villa’s is located at 40 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8AB
Telephone: 0131 557 4416
Scottish Ballet have had an eventful 2009, with the pinnacle being their long planned moved to the Tramway arts centre - Scottish Ballet’s new purpose built headquarters. The year has also included a tour to China, the launch of a retrospective book and a partnership to launch a degree in modern ballet. All of this coincides with the 40th anniversary of Scottish Ballet. What better way to celebrate than with an Autumn tour across Scotland, which revisits three of Scottish Ballet’s earlier productions.
It was fitting Ashley Page, Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director, should say a few words before the start. Page can take great credit for the respect Scottish Ballet now earn in Scotland and beyond. It was also a further illustration of the forward thinking approach Scottish Ballet have adopted, with the opportunity taken to promote a key sponsor and present a jewelled prize to a lucky audience member.
Rubies, taken from George Balanchine’s full-length ballet Jewels opened Scottish Ballet’s 40th Anniversary tour at The Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Here gorgeous “ruby” encrusted outfits are brought to life by fun, fast-paced and at times cheeky moves, all set to Stravinsky’s upbeat and engaging score.
The second performance is Scottish Ballet’s interpretation of William Forsythe’s Workwithinwork, which will be familiar to Edinburgh International Festival goers as it was shown only last month. With just a couple of violinists, a bare set, minimal lighting, basic costumes and precise choreography Workwithinwork demonstrates the skill of those on stage.
The fitting finale is the Krzysztof Pastor choreographed In Light and Shadow. This remains one of Pastor’s most popular works and rightly so. The tone is celebratory, the imagery is often vibrant and the choreography enchants and enthralls. It would be a struggle to name a piece which suits the music as well as In Light and Shadow does.
The rapturous applause at the end of Scottish Ballet’s 40th Anniversary Autumn Tour said so much about the warmth felt for Scotland’s national dance company. The three selections for Scottish Ballet’s 40th anniversary were a great choice to showcase the company’s talent and were of the high standard we’ve come to expect from Scottish Ballet.
Tickets are still available for Scottish Ballet’s 40th Anniversary Tour at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre . Prices start from just £10. The remaining tour dates are:
Harvey Nichols, overlooking Edinburgh’s St Andrews Square, offers much more than designer shopping. On their “Forth Floor” you have the choice of drinks in their stylish bar, where the back window has excellent views across the Firth of Forth. The bar is a genuinely stylish spot to enjoy some of the renowned Harvey Nichols cocktails. Many weary shoppers seek solace in the brasserie and this is always a popular spot. Rounding up the Forth Floor options, is the more accomplished menu of the Forth Floor restaurant.
The Forth Floor Restaurant menu offers two courses for £28 or three for £34. I enjoyed all three courses starting with an excellent Aberdeen Angus beef salad, complete with Scotch quail egg and a perfect mustard foam. My fillet of seabass for main was simplicity itself, but a good testimony to quality ingredients. However, I was grateful for the earlier bread as this dish really was quite small. There was nothing overly fancy about my dining partner’s pot roast corn fed chicken with wild sorrel risotto either, but it was an accomplished offering. The dark chocolate mousse cake with apricot sorbet was very good indeed - definitely make sure you leave room for dessert as the Forth Floor restaurant seem to excel here.
The service at Harvey Nichols was okay, but nothing more than that; infact it was a struggle to attract anyone’s attention at times. Regular readers of the blog will note my dislike of waiting staff who can stand and scan the whole dining room, but fail to make eye contact or acknowledge their customers. The staff had largely perfected this technique when we visited for our Saturday lunch. For a restaurant charging comparable prices to the Michelin starred establishments in Edinburgh (e.g. lunch is less than £25 at The Kitchin), this is disappointing and unacceptable. Perhaps they are relying on customers to be too distracted by the view!
The food at The Forth Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols is good, but for the price I would expect amazing food and excellent service. However the hefty price tag is compensated by the superb views from the floor to ceiling glass windows. Although the Brasserie offers the same great views of the city centre and Firth of Forth at a fraction of the price. If the weather is good it’s definitely worth enquiring about a table on their outside terrace.
Forth Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols is located at 30-34 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2AD.
Telephone: 0131 524 8388
A few years ago I had a brilliant night at Mother India in Glasgow, an Indian restaurant in Glasgow’s West End which dates back over 40 years. The Mother India brand has a solid reputation for great Indian cooking and friendly service, so it’s inevitable they would look to grow their nest. The Mother India expansion started with Mother India’s Cafe on Glasgow’s Argyll Street and, much to my happiness, has now spread to Edinburgh’s Infirmary Street. Whereas the Glasgow restaurant is still the destination for the traditional curry experience, the ‘twist on tapas’ approach to food at Mother India’s Cafe ensures you can order a range of inexpensive dishes and enjoy a varied Indian feast.
For someone like myself who nearly always orders the same food at an Indian restaurant (chicken balti, or bhuna if that’s not on the menu) the Indian tapas of Mother India’s Cafe provides a welcome opportunity to try something new. And that’s exactly what we did as we devoured the chicken tikka chasni (£4.30) and the coriander lime trout (£4.50) from Mother India’s specials menu. The trout was lovely and a reminder that I should try more Indian infused fish dishes. The chicken tikka chasni was a disappointment, just a few pieces of mildly flavoured chicken with some chopped peppers as an accompaniment.
Four or five dishes is enough for two people at Mother India’s Cafe, so we completed our selection with Aloo Saag Dosa (£3.75) and Channa Dall (£3.80). The former was a quite delicious rice and lentil pancake stuffed with potato and spinach, while the latter was the delicious Indian beans in an equally delicious sauce - I could easily become addicted to this.
Deliciously crisp poppadoms at £1.20 were a treat, especially as we ended up with four for this amount. However, I much prefer a mixed tray of accompaniments to be served and preferably for them to be provided at no extra cost to the poppadoms. But Mother India Cafe charge for each individual accompaniment so while spiced onions and mango chutney are only 95p each, the per item pricing structure does restrict the variety I ultimately chose.
We also ordered a pitta bread (£1.65) which was lovely - although they bore more of a resemblance to naan breads than the pitiful pittas I’ve often received with a late night kebab. Boiled rice was £1.75 a portion. As we visited Mother India’s cafe during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe reservations were not being taken and there was a little queue forming at Mother India’s entrance by the time we left. Some waiting mistakes were being made elsewhere, but our service was very good. Thankfully the waiters kept their composure and friendly manner. Even though Mother India’s Cafe in Edinburgh is fairly large, it still has a nice feel to it.
And crucially Mother India’s Cafe serve my favourite Kingfisher lager (£2.70 a pint) on draft. I’ll definitely be back - recommended.
Mother India’s Cafe is located at 3-5 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LT
Telephone: 0131 524 9801
Camille O’Sullivan is a firm Edinburgh Festival Fringe favourite. Before last night’s performance of her The Dark Angel show, I was unitiated and slightly ignorant of this French-Irish singer and entertainer. After five minutes of Camille’s show last night I was a convert and after the full 75 minutes I was a fan. Niggles about paying £16 a ticket and queueing for what seemed like an eternity were easily forgotten.
Camillie O’Sullivan walks through the audience in full funeral attire before launching into a haunting rendition of David Bowie’s ‘My Death’, backed perfectly by her five piece band. But soon the hair was down, the robes discarded for a corset and fishnets, unveiling a more playful Camille. There continued to be a mischievousness and randomness to Camille throughout ‘The Dark Angel’ - sprawling over (male) members of the audience, swigging red wine from the bottle and flashing her sequined pants.
This is not straight forward cabaret - Camille assumes a unique personality for each of her songs. So while performing Tom Waits’ ‘Misery is the river of the world’ she appears possessed while acting out the rowing motions and changing her vocal; Dillie Keane’s ‘Look Mummy, no Hands’ is beautiful and sad at the same time; Trent Raznor’s ‘Hurt’ (later covered by Jonny Cash) was a harrowing performance, with Camille in white make-up and smudged lipstick.
Camille’s vocals were pitch perfect and hugely emotive all night. A rawness and vulnerability in many of the performances was balanced by the joy and delight in others. This is one of the most enjoyable, different and talent filled shows in Edinburgh this August. Must see.
Camille O’Sullivan ‘The Dark Angel’ is showing at Assembly Hall until 31st August 2009 at 2200.
Lewis Schaffer, as he mentions on numerous occasions, got four stars in The List magazine last year. This year the American has turned his back on the normal Fringe and is performing at the Free Fringe. Schaffer cites two reasons for this. Firstly he’s had enough of performing in poor venues, like last year’s “leaky cave”. And secondly he’s had enough of losing money. At least by performing in the Free Fringe he’ll not finish August owing money!
Lewis Schaffer is American and Jewish. He now resides in London and he’s very keen to inform us how much moaning we Brits do! His animated delivery, as he swans around the stage with his microphone and stand, is backed by a likeable accent and very good audience interaction. The main theme of his “Bigger and Blacker” show is Lewis Schaffer punching a couple of guys at the Gilded Balloon, when one of them threw his Nokia phone to the ground. This was the first time Schaffer had ever punched someone in the face and as he later proclaims “it felt great”.
Occasionally Schaffer began to head somewhere darker and more controversial, as if he was desperate for an audience reaction. But he kept the show together, to produce a thoroughly laugh filled 45 minutes. While some of the material borrows heavily from last year’s show - for example the fact that the English won’t do anything the Germans do - there’s still plenty to keep you entertained.
At the end of the show, as for any show in the Free Fringe, a bucket for contributions is presented. Schaffer asks the audience to compare his show to similar paid events and give an appropriate amount; I wasn’t the only visitor to leave a note - this was quality comedy in a neat venue. Just past the bucket was Lewis Schaffer - handing out a badge proclaiming “Lewis Schaffer decked me”. Recommended.
Lewis Schaffer’s “Bigger and Blacker” show is on at The Counting Horse (above the Pear Tree pub) until the 30th August at 6.40pm. You don’t need tickets - just turn up 10 minutes before.
The Overcoat is Gecko Theatre’s fourth show to appear at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In between the opening and closing notes of a lone figure playing a xylophone, we are delivered an adaptation of Gogol’s short story ‘The Overcoat’. This tells the tale of Akakki, an impoverished draughtsman who can’t even afford his rent never mind the status symbols needed to win his dream girl. We follow the path of Akkaki; the lengths he will go to win his sweetheart and the brittleness of such actions.
Technically The Overcoat is brilliant - the costumes and make-up are immediately praiseworthy, but it’s the inspired lighting effects, innovative direction and imaginative set design which really captures the senses. This is no better demonstrated than the introduction to Akkaki’s work-place, which is stunning - made all the more so by the live music and accompanying choreography. And a wonderful dreamy scene at the end firmly cements the achievements of designers Ti Green and James Farncombe.
Under director Amit Lahav’s control the accompanying story is told through dance, dialogue and song. Sometimes the storytelling is uncomplicated and easy to follow, like The Overcoat hanging high and out of Akkaki’s reach or the mundaneness of office life. Sometimes to follow The Overcoat you need to listen and watch intently, and at other times it becomes completely ambiguous. One thing is for sure: The Overcoat is never short of offering opportunities for your own interpretation.
The Overcoat is an inventive spectacle, which vividly weaves through its 80 minute run time. A good show to watch this August.
The Overcoat is showing at The Pleasance Courtyard’s Grand venue until 29th August 2009 (not 18th, 25th) at 1720.
