Food: Mid Range
| 04 August 2009
26 William Street, 0131 226 1036
NEAR Two minutes to St George West
| 04 August 2009
1c Dock Place, 0131 554 7427
NEAR 10-minute taxi ride to city centre
These casual but cosy bistros have a distinct Scottish feel. This is borne out on the menus, where the chargrilled guinea fowl supreme comes with a smoked Tombuie cheddar, a spinach and almond stuffed Portobello mushroom and Glayva gravy. All three establishments are licensed but also do BYOB with a small corkage charge. Handily, the William Street branch is in a basement under the amiable Teuchter’s bar so you can nip upstairs for any liquid refreshments you might have forgotten to bring yourself. The Leith branch, the latest addition to the group, offers the same service in the adjacent Teuchters’ Landing bar.
| 04 August 2009
7-11 East London Street, 0131 558 9581
NEAR 10 minutes from The Stand
A breath of fresh air on Edinburgh’s Italian scene, this neighbourhood restaurant at the bottom of Broughton Street has cemented a great reputation for earthy, honest Neapolitan food that is light years ahead of the High Street’s pizza and pasta joints. The menu changes depending on what looks best when the chefs go shopping but seafood is a speciality as are their freshly made pastas. If it is on the menu then try the mixed shellfish in a white wine broth.
| 04 August 2009
10 Cambridge Street, 0131 221 1222
NEAR One minute to Traverse
An airy, modern bistro bar, Blue is the little brother to the considerably more plush Atrium downstairs. Seasonal, local produce is to the fore on the menu with some ingredients coming from the farmer’s market, which is held across the street. A typical main course at dinner might be the wild Perthshire venison, mash, bourguignon sauce and greens. A couple of the more popular dishes are available in two sizes, which is useful given the way normal meal times tend not to apply during the Festival. It’s a handy place if you fancy something more substantial than a snack but don’t want a full-blown formal four-courser. Alternatively, just have a well made drink at the bar.
| 04 August 2009
46 West Richmond Street, 0131 668 3847
http://www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk
NEAR 5 minutes from Festival Theatre
Living up to its name, this Japanese restaurant is a petit, homely affair that serves sushi, sashimi and yakatori dishes at surprisingly reasonable prices. If the fish doesn’t appeal then try the enoki mushrooms in garlic butter or the beef teriyaki. For those whose tastes don’t adventure much beyond meat and two veg, Bonsai does do French fries, but they come with Japanese brown sauce.
| 04 August 2009
150 Commercial Street, 0131 555 2255
http://www.britanniaspice.co.uk
NEAR ten minute taxi ride from city centre
Named after the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is berthed less than a nautical mile away, Britannia Spice has a seafaring bearing to its interior. The menus are also well travelled with options from North India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Without getting your passport out, you can skip between Thai tom yum soup, Himalayan spicy trout, and king prawns cooked in Bangladeshi style with mustard paste, green chillies and yoghurt. A little under ten years old, Britannia Spice has scooped multiple awards for its curry.
| 04 August 2009
34 North West Thistle Street Lane, 0131 226 2211
NEAR Five minutes to Assembly Rooms
Hidden off Thistle Street, this long established little restaurant is worth looking out. The classic Parisian brasserie style décor remains but the menu has moved away from France towards modern British over the last couple of years. Organic where possible, seasonal and locally produced, the menu at Café St Honore makes sure to name check it suppliers. A typical dish at dinner might be the Borders Roe Deer, braised barley, Jerusalem artichokes and organic spinach.
| 04 August 2009
93 St Leonards Street, 0131 668 4207
NEAR Five minutes from Pleasance
70 Rose Street Lane North, 0131 225 1233
NEAR Five minutes from Assembly George Street
Californian cooking is the flavour of the day at both the original restaurant on St Leonards and the newer city centre branch. The menu changes regularly but a typical starter might be the pasta shell & prawn pea salsa with lemon mayo while chorizo poached chicken with braised leeks and sweet potato fries is the sort of dish that appears among the main courses. The owner is mad for Cali wines (he owns Sideways wine shop next door to the Southside Calistoga) and sells them in the restaurant at just £5 above cost price. Dinner is a very reasonable £22 for three courses.
| 04 August 2009
103 George Street, 0131 225 1550
NEAR Five minutes to Assembly Rooms
Just turned five years-old, this snappy Italian sits in an imposing converted bank. The quality of the ingredients shines through here in simple dishes such as a taster plate of speck di Prosciutto, mozzarella di bufala, Italian tomato and basil. Their pizzas are critically acclaimed, the pastas are prepared fresh on the premises and the carne dishes, such as the pan-fried corn-fed chicken fillet with garlic, rosemary and white wine, are made with care. Some enthusiastic festival fans even make it in for breakfast, but we would rather sip a Sophia Loren at the bar later on in the day.
| 04 August 2009
3 Atholl Place, Edinburgh, 0131 228 3333
http://www.chinatownedinburgh.co.uk
NEAR 6 minutes from EICC
An extensive menu features all the typical Chinese favourites as well as more innovative fare. Look out for lobster with fresh ginger and spring onion from £25, while aubergine in chilli and yellow bean sauce is an inexpensive veggie option at £7.50. Set menus are priced at £20.50 per head.
| 04 August 2009
24 Deanhaugh Street, 0131 332 0414
http://www.laconcharestaurant.co.uk
NEAR Five minutes from Workshop theatre
Recently extended, this basement restaurant does simple but satisfying Italian dishes. Rather than offering dozens of different dishes, chef patron Richard Morana keeps the menu select and the attention to detail shows on the plate. A recent menu included Scottish free-range veal in white wine, lemon and butter, garnished with capers and caramelized lemon and linguine with East Coast lobster and king prawns with garlic, cherry tomatoes, garden peas and fresh herbs. It is off the main Festival drag which may make it all the more appealing for a visit in August.
| 04 August 2009
3 Hunter Square, 0131 220 4447
NEAR Five minutes to Festival Theatre
There are few dedicated fish restaurants in the centre of town and Tim and Fran James’ venture has been here the longest. The couple have roots in and extensive contacts with the fishing industry on the West Coast, and the fruits of those relationships end up on the plate in dishes such as the trio of Creeler’s own smoked and cured salmon. More exotic influences are at work in dishes like the tuna carpaccio with wasabi mayo. The seafood platters are a huge favourite but if the fruits of the sea don’t float your boat then venison or beef options will take up the slack. Al fresco dining may be available depending on the ever-unreliable elements.
| 04 August 2009
14 George Street, 0131 624 8624
http://www.thedomeedinburgh.com
NEAR Five minutes to Assembly Rooms and Book Festival
Former headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland, it’s no surprise that the Dome looks suitably grand. The most striking feature of the Grill Room is the eponymous glass dome which soars above the island bar. Wicker chairs and myriad plants give it a colonial feel and it attracts a thirty to fortysomething, smartly heeled crowd. The indoor dining options include the Club Room, which serves burgers, club sandwiches and steaks, and the Grill Room for dishes such as carved rack of lamb with roast butternut squash, bubble and squeak and a red wine jus. If the weather is unusually clement, the garden out back is worth a visit. In a word: swish.
| 04 August 2009
56 Broughton Street, 0131 557 1600
http://www.lescargotbleu.co.uk
NEAR Five minutes to The Stand
Pichers of wine, Pernod ads on the wall and the smell of bouillabaisse fish stew drifting in from the kitchen make this new joint a welcome addition to Edinburgh’s French brasseries. Scottish produce is used extensively here to make dishes such as moules marinieres, pigeon breast served with roast figs and rose veal steaks served with a mixed peppercorn sauce.
| 04 August 2009
97-101 Dalry Road, 0131 313 4404
NEAR: five minutes from EICC
This buzzy, family-run neighborhood bistro is a little off the more well-beaten Festival rat runs, but is worth seeking out. Starters might feature chicken wontons with a spicy cucumber and cashew salad, while coley fillet, peas, bacon lentils and a mustard vinaigrette is the sort of dish that crops up on the regularly-changing menu. Three courses from the dinner à la carte menu should scrape in at a credit crunch-beating £20.
| 04 August 2009
54-58 Thistle Street, 0131 225 5109
http://www.fishersbistros.co.uk
NEAR Five minutes to Assembly Rooms
The Leith branch at the Shore and its city centre offspring make full use of the teeming waters of Scotland’s West Coast. As well as local salmon, langoustines and oysters, there are fish from further afield such as mackerel from the Med, Cornish sea bass and tuna, and Indian Ocean prawns. There are always daily specials but there are also old favourites such as the fish cakes. The chilled seafood platter of smoked salmon, smoked trout, poached salmon, Norway prawns, peppered smoked mackerel, anchovies, roll mop herring, a crevette, green lip mussels, smoked mussels and an oyster would feed an army.
| 04 August 2009
31 Jeffrey Street, 0131 557 3032
NEAR Ten minutes to the Pleasance
Named after his place of birth in the Languedoc, La Garrigue is the award-winning baby of Jean-Michel Gauffre. The restaurant is comfortable without being grand and features chunky Tim Stead furniture. Specific dishes will vary according to season but French provincial cuisine is the general order of the day so look out for hearty, rustic dishes like the slowly braised lamb shank with honey, lentils with smoked lardons and parsley mash. The house speciality is the cassoulet made with pork, lamb, duck confit, Toulouse Sausage and lingot beans. Two dishes at dinner are a set £25.
| 04 August 2009
39A Albany Street, 0131 556 8407
http://www.haldanesrestaurant.com
NEAR Five minutes to The Stand
Recently relocated from Dundas Street to its original home under the Albany Hotel, Haldanes is all about top Scottish produce cooked by chef owner George Kelso. A typical dinner dish might be the baked fillet of halibut with a pork cheek ravioli served with a tomato butter sauce. Lunch is less involved with a selection of Scotch beef burgers and beer battered fish served with celeriac remoulade. Dinner is £27.75 for three courses while lunch is a tenner for two. If you want to drop names then Justin Timberlake and Mick Jagger have eaten here.
