Edinburgh Recommendations

[mogsob]

Taste of Scotland Homepage

[Bapi]

I ventured up to Edinburgh last week and taking my life in my hands trusted Gary Marshall's advice and had a meal at Le Cafe St Honore. It had been years since I was last in Edinburgh as my mad ex was at University there, ( I shall pray Rosie doesn't read this post ). I had quite forgotten what a beautiful city it is to walk around as we ventured up behind the back of Princess Street towards Thistle Street. We decided that it was either Le Cafe St Honore or Fishers in the City and on the day we opted for the former. We just managed to get the last postage stamp sized table in the back room of the restaurant, the front room having much more character (and drunk people on this occasion). The back room was frighteningly warm though and had only inadequate fans for a warm July night and, as I said the table was just too small.

I started with a salad of Squid and Crevettes- nicely cooked squid, which was tender and nicely caramelised in places, the crevettes were okay but nothing special. My friend had gnocchi with roasted vegetables and cheese. He said it was pleasant but a bit too rich. Starters were about the £ 6 / 7 mark

Mains, I opted for Rare sirloin steak with a confit of garlic. This was a good dish, the garlic cloves - of which there many- had reduced down to a sweet pungent pulp and worked well with the rich sauce served with the steak. My friend had Roasted Guinea Fowl and I am afraid I can offer no more details, as there was an abundance of shop talk that evening, so I wasn't really paying attention. Both dishes were good but I think a little over priced for what they were, and the level of cooking offered, at about £17/18 each.

We had a decent bottle of Chateau La Bosq ( Medoc) 1999 at £22. Including two aperitifs and a tea and coffee (no desserts) the bill was £80 excluding service. A nice little place with real character, but not a place I would rush back too before trying other places first.

[spanky]

Don't think anyone's mentioned the Atrium yet. One of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, although its 90s decor (and its tiny toilets) could do with a refresh. I haven't heard anyone say a good word about the Tower, apart from its views--but you can get the same, if not better, views munching a Pret a Manger all day breakfast sandwich in Princes St Gardens.

On Dalry Road (a bit out of the way, I know, but during the festival the centre of the town will be hoaching with people) there's a brilliant Neapolitan restaurant called La Partenope--excellent seafood specials and a good blustery trattoria-style ambience. Across the road, there's a very good bistro-style restaurant called First Coast which does magical mussels and a fried jam sandwich dessert. (It is Scotland, after all!!)

For Festival atmosphere, you should get yourself down to the Traverse Theatre Cafe for some pretty good bistro nosh--if you can stand the crush of braying meedja luvvies.

Word of warning: One of the best veggie restaurants, David Bann's on St Mary's Street, isn't taking reservations for the month of August.

[Winot]

Just got back from a long w/e at the Fringe (disappointing standard this year though Dave Gorman was cracking).

Although the missus had booked Martin Wishart by e-mail a month or so back we found out Saturday morning that they weren't open for lunch. Mightlily pissed off though they were very apologetic. So to make up for that we took Jay's advice and opted for Off The Wall which is above Victoria Wine on the High St opposite the Crowne Plaza.

A lovely airy room as Jay says though would be much improved if the heavy duty artex was taken down and the fake tudor windows replaced don't you think? (unless that's what passes for style in Rayner Towers). We were surprised to secure a 1.30 booking at about 12pm and even more surprised when the only other customer was leaving just as we arrived.

Started with a beatifully cooked piece of seabass slightly overwhelmed by an intense lobster sauce. Mrs Winot had nicely done asparagus with mussels and again a vaguely pointless sauce (tarragon I think). Mains were duck supreme for me which was a large portion perfectly cooked resting on a potato rosti with roasted carrots and green beans. Mrs W had peat smoked haddock which was intensely smokey and pronounced very nice indeed. To finish I had cheese and oatcakes -- actually oatcake and some bread -- which was a bit disappointing as it was served too cold and two of the four cheeses were very strong blues and one was a bland scottish brie. However the coconut parfait was deemed sublime and wolfed down before I could get a look-in.

The bill with two coffees and a bottle of 1996 Gewurztraminer grand Cru (£31) was £73 for two before service, which I thought was good value. Not so much "Off The Wall" as "straight down the line". 7/10.

The next day we went for a boozy lunch (well breakfast actually - this is the fringe) with three friends at La Garrigue, a languedoc inspired place on the road curving round to Market st from St Mary's St (the tables in the front room have a great view overlooking Calton Hill). I don't know why no one's mentioned this on this thread as it was a real find.

The menu is a bit complicated, encompassing alc, a prix fixe with no choice and a more expensive set menu with about 5/6 choices per course. To make things even more complicated you can mix and match between the menus.

To start I had four beautifully cooked & tasty sardine fillets which were served with a nicely judged spicy chick pea salad and various drizzled sauces "modern european" style which added to the experience rather than detracting from it as with Off the Wall. Others had a deconstructed duck rillete which was moist and meaty. Can't remember what else was on offer I'm afraid but these were an excellent start.

My main course was a beef and pasta casserole -- not really a summer choice but I was keen to try it as apparently it's a languedoc speciality that I've never seen in 5 years holidaying there. Again it was quite deconstructed -- not really soupy/stewy but more like a daube without much gravy and with pasta mixed in. Great comfort food and much improved with the judicious addition of some mustard on the beef. Others had a nicely roasted rabbit leg with roasted veg and steak with a roast shallot sauce. The steek was tender and tasty but they did overcook it a bit which is a bit sloppy.

No puds as we were rushing off to a show but the bill came to £29 each including three bottles from the very good value list (a viognier at only £14 and a couple of reds from Domaine D'Auphiliac) plus only 10% service charge (added by them) which was well deserved as (a) we were a tad noisy and (b) we were a bit short of time yet they managed to whisk us in and out without our feeling rushed.

All in all a great lunch which just had the edge on OTW. This place deserves our support, eGulleters.

7.5/10.

[Andy Lynes]

You may have noticed that I have been conspicuous by my absense of late. But don't worry, I have not turned by back on eGullet.com, I have been merely slaving for my real employers in Edinburgh and staying in hotels with no internet access i.e. cheap ones.

So I have given my collegues the slip for one night only and am enduring the unpleasant surroundings of a crappy internet cafe to bring you news of my recent adventures in eating, with only a sandwich and cappucino to sustain me. My credit is running out so maybe I ought ot get into it :

Kalpna - probably the best Indian meal I have had in the UK. A stunning thali of Gujarati vegetarian dishes with great breads, rice and dhal. £40.00 for two with some beers and service.

Cafe St Honore - decent enough grub in romantic surroundings, very pleasant, slightly flirty service. Nicely cooked squid and prawns made a pleasing start to the meal, whilst a cassoulet of pork and veal with mash was very light on beans but flavourful. With a bottle of wine (sorry can't remeber the details) water coffee and service 2 of us paid £70.00. I would return.

Hard Rock Cafe - opposite our hotel, I had never been in one, what the hell. A "pig sandwich" of pulled pork was very heavy on the vinegar and not very pleasant as a result. Spring roll type thingies with black beans and chicken to start were a bit of a mistake. In fact the whole idea mis-fired. Some interesting memorabilia on the walls though.

First Coast - the esrtwhile Mr Balic graced me with his presence at this Haymarket area newcomer. Tightly packed tables, noisy room, upbeat service, the place was rocking. A funny old starter of oxtail mash and gravy was expertly cooked, whilst Adams white bean and salt cod soup was delicious. Ling with some sort of pea and potato casserole was a damn sight better than my special of grey sole with a cheesy topping, new potatos and red onion and tomato salad. Adams roly poly pudding with custard (something he'd never tried before!!) again efforlessly trumped my inedible poopyseed parfait. With way too much wine, we paid £70ish.

More soon.

[Suzi Edwards]

i really should have done this before, but here are my thoughts from august (oops) overall none of the food was as bad as the jerry sadowich late show we saw, but neither was anything as good as dave gorman or adam hills. owing to shows in the evenings we made lunch our main meal of the day and i think the resturants of edinburgh are missing a festival trick by serving fairly boring lunchtime menus. anyway....my thoughts...

nargile, 73 hanover street, 0131 225 5755. really interesting mezze to start followed by some average grilled meat specials but overall spoiled by churlish service from the sean connery lookalike owner.

off the wall, 105 high street, 0131 558 1497. boring, bland and another word beginning with b that i can't think of. probably better outside of the festival when they are not cranking out a safe set lunch menu for the festival hoards. i left surprised that this has a mention in the good food guide.

oloroso, 33 castle street 0131 226 7614. this was my biggest disappointment. we went for sunday lunch and were faced with a preposterously expensive set menu with only two choices per course or eating from the grill menu with steaks at £25. nice view of the castle, service so poor that they eventually got what they deserved, great chips. which they ought to be for £25.

martins, rose street, 0131 225 3106. again let down by a limited festival lunch menu and we were slightly put off as we were two of four people in their, but the cheese is amazing. i *loved* that were shown a picture of bertha the cow, whose cheese we were eating.

general khushi: popped in randomly for some sustinance before a late show. complete revelation. we just had naan and two of their "special" curries. i know very little about indian food but i am guessing that this place might not be especially "authentic" but the minced beef was probably the tastiest thing i ate all holiday. simply a small dish of really spicy mined meat with one potato in it. unlicenced, byo.

valvona and crolla: lots has been said about this place before. i loved it. it made me want to open my own deli. i think it beats any london deli by a long way.

[foodie52]

Does anybody ever eat at Henderson's anymore? It was THE veggie place in the early 70's . I used to splurge on their salads and bread once in a while.

[PS]

There's another excellent Gujarati restaurant about 30 metres away from Kalpna called Ann Purna. I prefer it there as the service is so pleasant.

I really don't like Henderson's at all. I've never seen what the fuss was about and have the feeling that it's one of the many fairly poor restaurants in Edinburgh that has become a local institution simply because it's been here so long, not because it's any good.

Andy, I'm assuming you were staying at the George Hotel. It's not that cheap is it?

[Andy Lynes]

George the first week, The Point the second. BT gets quite hefty discounts on rack rates so it wasn't too bad. I couldn't really recommend either of them however.

[Suzi Edwards]

my fave edinburgh hotel is the bonham. small, sexy and boutiquey. i'd really recommend it.

[Andy Lynes]

The Point would like to be modern, clean, minimalist and boutiquey. In fact its a cheaply made over office block and it really shows. The bar is about the best thing in the whole place. The food is pretty dire, and seems to rely on a lot of bought in stuff.

[Andy Lynes]

My second week in Edinburgh began with a poor meal at the Point Hotel. They were serving only a limited choice Christmas menu, from which I chose a game terrine, which included some smoked goose I think, but tasted of very little and was almost certainly bought in. A main course of beef fillet with fondant potato and red wine sauce was ho-hum in the extreme, with an almost inedible salty sauce. Service was disinterested to the point of indolence. I skipped dessert.

Thankfully, Tuesday evening found my colleagues and I having a cracking time at Marque Central. Housed in the Lyceum theatre off the Lothian Road, the restaurant was originally opened a couple of years ago by Lara Kearney and John Rutter, ex-of Andrew Radford's famous Atrium restaurant, and I believe the pair are still running things.

A group of 4, we dined in the main upstairs dining room. Comfortable enough and with bags of atmosphere, the interior could however really do with smartening up, as could some of the upholstery on the chairs which look water stained (the result of a leak perhaps?). We were each offered a choice of 3 badly photocopied menus fixed to a heavy metal (i.e. it was heavy and made of metal) clipboard: pre and post theatre dinner at £15.00 for 3 courses, table d'hote at £17.00 for 3 courses plus a reasonably priced a la carte.

All contained attractive sounding dishes, mostly drawn, or adapted from the a la carte which was the optioned we plumped for. "Tuscan sausage, bacon and shallot beignet, tomato and haricot blanc" was a delicious and sophisticated variation on bangers and baked beans with a meaty, spicy sausage (actually made locally for the restaurant rather than imported), nicely cooked beans and a crispy, cheesy fritter. What could be better?

A "broth of smoked haddock, new potatoes, spring onion and gruyere crumble" looked stunning, presented in a bowl that could easily double as a small child's paddling pool. Parfait of chicken livers appeared to be of high quality, but oddly presented as a slice sat on a tart flambe.

Main courses of "beef fillet with shallot confit crust, smoked haggis fritter and roast parsnips" and "chicken, prosciutto, champ, creamed wild mushroom and savoy (cabbage)" were better received than my "baked seabass, baba ganoush, prawn wontons, roast potatoes, tomato and fine beans" which was fine, but entirely wrong for the time of the year. But maybe I should have guessed that from reading the menu.

Desserts of crème brulee, chocolate fondant, bread and butter pudding and a chocolate and praline parfait were much enjoyed, as was some excellent coffee. The meal had begun well began with some powerfully flavoured vegetable mini-soups (exact details escape me) and very good home made breads. Wine was reasonably priced with much under £20.00 (alas my memory fails me as to what was actually drunk) and service was pretty much spot on the whole evening. Bill including service came to around the £40.00 a head mark.

This turned out to be the best meal of my entire stay, although fishcakes, green curry and several beers at the Thai Orchid in Grindlay Street was not in the least unpleasant.

[hannnah]

Is Jackson's any good anymore? I haven't been in a good few years, but I have fond memories of dinners there - although it doesn't look like they have the lamb poached in birch wine on the menu anymore. It's just down the High Street from the Witchery and Dubh Prais.

[howardlong]

For me, it has to be Number One underneath the Balmoral Hotel. Classical French style with one of the best (if not the best) fresh bread selection in any restaurant I've tried.

Don't whatever you do mistake this for Hadrians in the Balmoral itself! Number One has a separate entrance about twenty yards to the right of the main Balmoral entrance going down some steps.

Number One rightly deserves its Michelin star and is undoubtedly on a par with any similar London establishment.

The menu is not toned down at all, so for the more adventurous it is a delight. For example, the pan fried foie gras is excellent as is the sweetbread.

There's also an excellent tasting menu, which can be taken with the sommelier's selction of wines by the glass.

The wine list is pretty extensive too.

I go there every time I am in Edinburgh.

Cheers, Howard

[Andy Lynes]

Howard, how does Number One compare to Martin Wishart, if you have been there?

[howardlong]

Howard, how does Number One compare to Martin Wishart, if you have been there?

Hello Andy

Sorry I have never had the opportunity to try Martin Wishart's, although it's on my list.

Number One is pretty classic French style with an accent on the use of Scottish ingredients such as venison. I can certainly recommend it.

Cheers, Howard

[spanky]

Thankfully, Tuesday evening found my colleagues and I having a cracking time at Marque Central. Housed in the Lyceum theatre off the Lothian Road, the restaurant was originally opened a couple of years ago by Lara Kearney and John Rutter, ex-of Andrew Radford's famous Atrium restaurant, and I believe the pair are still running things.

Let me make a quick but heartfelt plug for the original Marque Restaurant in Causewayside. Intimate (where Marque Central is a bit barn-like for my liking), with great food, excellent service and--I believe--a BYOB policy on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Oh well since I'm here I might as well add that, over Christmas, I had a great time at Nargile Turkish restaurant in Hanover Street (meze-tastic, but no Buzbag unfortunately); a pretty patchy and, for what it was, horrendously expensive New Year's Eve meal at Merchants Restaurant; and I plan to take the Beyonce for a birthday meal at Rogue Restaurant this Saturday. I haven't had anything less than a good time there and now it's reopened its cocktail bar I expect my pleasure to be redoubled. No doubt more anon.

Cheers all

Spanks

[oakapple]

Edinburgh has two Michelin star restaurants: Number One and Martin Wishart. I tried the tasting menu at Wishart’s a couple of months ago, and this week I decided to see what Number One could do. While both restaurants have their strengths, I would have to give the slight edge to Number One.

Located in the basement of the Edinburgh’s marquis hotel, the Balmoral, Number One exudes a sense of luxury. There is an ample and comfortably appointed lounge area to enjoy a drink before sitting down for your meal. The walls have a dark, highly polished sheen. They’re covered with small modern artworks that don’t distract you, but in fact are witty and eclectic if you take the time to study them. The tables and banquettes are plush and generously spaced.

The service at Number One is impeccable. As I watched them operate over two and a half hours, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the teamwork and precision. A team of five servers covered the whole restaurant (it is not that large, and not all the tables were taken), and while they had their individual duties, they operated as a coordinated unit. Now the sommelier serves you a glass of wine, and the next moment he’s serving appetizers at the next table. Now the lovely French woman is serving your soufflé, and the next moment she’s refilling wine glasses at the opposite corner of the restaurant.

I ordered the chef’s tasting menu with paired wines, which clocks in at £85 before tip. There were five courses plus two amuses and six glasses of wine in this degustation. Although most of the portions were small, as you’d expect on a tasting menu, I walked out quite full, and in fact skipped breakfast the next morning. All of the dishes were plated beautifully, in designs clearly intended to delight the eye as well as the stomach.

I had never ordered a full wine pairing before. It adds a significant premium to the meal, but I have to say it’s worth it. You get a selection of diverse wines that is expertly chosen to suit the menu, quite a few of which you probably would never order on your own. They are smaller pours than wine ordered by the glass, but with six of them included it’s about as much as most people care to drink. I did have trouble pacing myself, though: you were never sure how much time you had before the next course was to arrive.

The amuse-bouche was a tiny cup of tomato consommé, which I found a bit disappointing. The more successful amuses-bouches display some culinary wit, which this uninspired dish lacked. The champagne paired with it was similarly unexciting.

A wonderful foie gras came next, served with oatcakes and mushroom chutney. It was paired with an intense New Zealand fruit wine that complemented the liver taste perfectly. The fish course was a scallop in a light curry sauce, accompanied by braised oxtail. This was the hit of the evening, and unfortunately that lonely scallop was gone all too quickly. This is the drawback of a tasting menu.

The meat course was less successful. Six slender lamb medallions were sufficiently tender and tasty, but I’ve had far better lamb elsewhere. Sauces are Number One’s strength, but this lamb was served in its own juices. Nothing was done to raise it above the ordinary. The grilled sweetbreads that came on the plate were far more memorable. Some writers have suggested that meat courses are not as well suited to a tasting menu, because they require larger portions to make a culinary statement. I can certainly see the point, although I’ll have to try the format a few more times before deciding whether that’s true.

The cheese course was generous to a fault. The server wheeled over a cart with a wide range of selections. I told him I preferred the exotic and offbeat, and he cut six thick slices. It’s easy to order a $15 cheese course in New York and get three skimpy pieces, so this was refreshing indeed. He asked if I wanted any more, so there didn’t seem to be a hard limit. Anyhow, at six pieces this was a more substantial course than the entrées had been, so I thought it best to stop there (with dessert still to come). I can’t describe cheeses, but the six I sampled were wonderful. They were paired with a sweet port wine.

There was a small pre-dessert of apricots and cream, followed by the main dessert, a raspberry and white chocolate soufflé. This is a specialty dish at Number One, which I’ve had on previous visits. It came with a white dessert wine, which the sommelier described as a palate-cleanser. I’m still trying to guess what that means.

It was an expensive evening, but well worth it. This could turn into an expensive hobby.

[howardlong]

Located in the basement of the Edinburgh’s marquis hotel, the Balmoral, Number One...

Thanks for the great report, but I must also add that the bread served at Number One is worth a special mention.

They have several different loaves wheeled about on a trolley. They're always very fresh, and worth a trip just for them.

Can't think of any restaurant that has better bread.

Cheers, Howard

[Suzi Edwards]

looks like i'll be going back to the fringe this year....anything new up in edinburgh that might be worth a look?

[spanky]

Centotre in George Street opened a wee while ago. It's run by several members of the Contini family (who run Valvona and Crolla's). It's been getting very good write-ups in the Sunday Herald and the Independent, but when I went one Saturday afternoon it was mobbed, so we didn't stay. Might try it before the Festival strikes.

An "official" Valvona and Crolla vin caffe is being opened near Harvey Nicks, but it doesn't look anywhere near completion yet.

Cheers

Spanky

[Suzi Edwards]

ah, sweet, sweet valvona & crolla. i can't wait to go back there. i've been trying ot order stuff off their website but the e-commerce doesn't seem to be working for me.

[howardlong]

I've been working four days per week in Edinburgh for the past month, and had some opportunities for eats. If you're going up there for the festival, you might find these notes interesting...

Here's some quick comments - I did have enough material for individual reviews, but right now I'm way too busy.

---- Number One

Situated in the basement level of the Balmoral Hotel, this centrally located restaurant has a Michelin star and presents itself in a traditional manner, both regarding the food and general atmosphere.

Crab starter, good, but the pheasant & fois gras starter is my favourite

Booking is surprisingly easy, but usually it was always on a Monday night.

Last time I'd been in was in February, and previous to that I'd only been in twice. So it was rather impressive when the Maitre d' welcomed me by name without prompting.

Langoustines and angel hair pasta with curry sauce - sorry, not my favourite

I've dined there four times in the past month, and each time it has been a pleasure. The fresh bread selection is always addictive, with a selection of seven breads (for example, white, brown, garlic, bacon, cheese, olive, rosemary) cut from fresh loaves.

Lamb is OK, but I was slightly disappointed - too much like my mum makes!

My favourites on the menu at the moment -

o The pheasant and pan fried spiced fois gras starter

o The curried scallop from the tasting menu (ask for it even if going a la carte)

o Assiette of pork - with truly the most delicious crackling and pea risotto, needs a solid red like a Burgundy or other pinot noir as sauce is strong

o Cheese trolley

o Mango fruit dessert (dare I say my favourite of the lot, even if it is a bit too healthy?)

Cheese, we like cheese.

Roquefort and 1989 Yquem - did I just die and go to heaven?

FWIW, my main no-goers on the menu at the moment are:

o I found that the current lamb on the menu is rather too meat and two veg traditional English, although the sweetbreads take it up a good few notches.

o There is a langoustine starter wrapped in angel hair pasta that wasn't really my cup of tea.

Pre-desert

That mango fruit dessert - not to be missed

Attention to detail in Number One is good: wine and water was regularly replenished, occasionally the bread went short, but there was never a time when I felt that I couldn't easily gain the attention of service. I would also say that the service is always friendly, not at all surly, and certainly not over formal.

---- Martin Wishart

This is situated in Leith, about a ten minute cab ride from Central Edinburgh. I had dinner there one Thursday night about three weeks ago. Check their opening days - for example they're shut on Mondays. It proved difficult to get in without booking up a few days in advance. I had three punts before I finally made it.

Firstly, I was very impressed when, having never stepped foot in the restaurant before, I arrived and was greeted by name without even an introduction. Very clever, if a little spooky. I somehow wonder if there is an Edinburgh restaurant mafia grapevine out there - certainly I know that the maitre d' of Number One is pretty friendly with the folks at Martin Wishart.

I went for dinner and after about ten seconds was convinced that I should take the six course tasting menu (there is also a five course) with sommelier's selections. Turned out to be just devine. Chef picks at random some selections and they arrive pristinely and well timed. You can say in advance if you don't like something, and chef will figure something out.

The sommelier was especially good fun and a joy to chat with. His selections were nothing short of perfect - clearly he knew his stuff. You can choose either half glasses or full glasses. Several of these wines were not from the 'by the glass' section of the wine list.

If you go a la carte on the wine, I thought that although the selection is excellent, the prices were on the exhorbitant side. Another great reason to do the tasting menus with wine selections.

The food is not what you might call traditional, but then neither is it a pot pourri of flavours: it is usually clear what the centre of each dish is, although the lamb course I had was distintly lacking in, well, lamb. A piece the size of a large marble was my ration.

In addition to the six courses were a four piece amuse bouche, plus a cheese course from the trolley.

Service was excellent, not too formal, nor too informal, and always attentive. The maitre d' on at the time was rather pushy about trying to eek out of me what I thought - he need not have worried.

I'd say that the atmosphere is slightly less staid than Number One.

I stayed at the Malmaison that night, walking (crawling?) distance from Martin Wishart to save me getting a taxi, although service were more than happy to order one for me.

When I can get a table again, I will go without a second thought. Sadly, it was always difficult for me to make plans more than a couple of days in advance, seemingly too short notice for them.

---- Oloroso

This is situated on top of a new office building in the New Town at the Charlotte Square end of George Street not far from the Caledonian. It consists of an inside bar, an inside dining area, and a gorgeous looking outside balcony with about fifteen tables overlooking the New Town.

Having walked past the bouncer (never a good start, reminded me of Hakkasan in that respect) and I'd figured out how to get to the restaurant itself via a lift and stairs, then following the noise, I was shown by the maitre d' to a table on its own inside between some service doors (cloakroom?) and the open glass door to the balcony. Mmm. I looked around. Despite the inside dining area being only 5% full at the time, there could not have been a worse table. I felt like I was the centre of attention as the hustle and bustle wondered past into and out of the balcony area. However, I'm not one to complain so I lived with it.

The menu consists of a short a la carte menu (five starters, five mains) of an indistinct genre. There is also a grill menu which has steak, steak and more steak. You get to choose your sauce (eg, bearnaise, au poivre etc). I took a pea risotto with battered (?) smoked haddock and a t-bone au poivre with fries.

In about three minutes, the pea risotto with battered smoked haddock turned up.

But I had not ordered any wine yet! After beckoning, the sommelier turns up and we have a short chat. Although French sounding, I didn't get a warm feeling. I suggested a riesling for the smoked fish, but I took his recommendation of a 'full' chardonnay (apparently, a "connoisseur's wine") for the smoked fish (?) and a Zinfandel for the steak. I should have kept on the Zinfandel all the way through. The chardonnay offered was not what I'd call 'full'.

This is sad: the wine list is excellent. Not too over the top on the gouge either.

Battered smoked haddock. My mind immediately turns to thinking about the Scottish and their fetish for deep fried mars bars, pies and seemingly everything else. It was OK, although they need to (a) forget the batter and (b) learn how to cook risotto - it was a bit too watery. The speed of delivery, perfect looking batter, and watery risotto led me to believe that there's a microwave in that kitchen.

Steak was very good, although not the best cut. Cooked just how I wanted it (rare).

It was a very shaky service indeed. Lots of waiting staff spending all their time preening themselves. Obviously this is the place to be and be seen, but not the place to expect a good service.

Prices are up with the best of them but without a service to match.

Not recommended, although if you can brown nose the maitre d' enough you might get a table outside on a nice day. Then, go to the bar and order the wine yourself. Don't bother with the waiting staff or you'll die of dehydration.

Cheers, Howard

Edited August 12, 2004 by howardlong (log)

[Suzi Edwards]

what a wonderful post howard. thank you!

makes me very annoyed that my holiday has been cancelled.

[Gary Marshall]

olorosso was the place where some colleagues booked a large table for lunch, shortly after opening i think.

They took drinks orders etc, settled everyone in and then told them they had no electricity and could only offer cold meats, not quite the fat boy blow out they'd expected.

they left and by the sounds of it didn't miss out!

gary