The Edinburgh Blog

With much trepidation I returned to 8b Abercromby Place, the former location of Edinburgh’s Bellini restaurant. The blog visited Bellini in May 2009 and endured one of the most torrid meals in our history. Shortly afterwards Bellini closed. Elsewhere in Edinburgh, Karen’s Unicorn was on the ascendancy; with their Chinese restaurant on Stockbridge’s St Stephen St gaining a healthy customer base and a healthy reputation. It was perhaps inevitable Karen’s Unicorn would attempt to capitalise on their success; hence their second restaurant in the large New Town premises vacated by Bellini.

It’s amazing what a coat of paint, new dining room furniture and opening up the windows to let some light in can bring to a restaurant; though quite what a plasma television showing a slideshow of Chinese food is doing mounted on the wall is anyone’s guess. On the Wednesday we visited the restaurant was, like when we visited it as Bellini, still eerily quiet. However, the warm welcome and friendly service we received were leagues ahead of its predecessor. It has been a while since any service offered such unrelenting politeness.

The complementary prawn crackers were a gentle, but welcome, introduction to eating in these surroundings again. Karen’s Unicorn offer a two course lunch for £8.95, or three for £9.95. For starters we both had a large portion of finely prepared chicken and sweetcorn soup. Mains were equally impressive - all presented attractively on a single plate with a delicious mound of egg fried rice. My main of pork in black bean sauce was high quality ingredients, in a perfect sauce. The kitchen at Karen’s Unicorn absolutely nailed the crispy shredded beef with chilli sauce - sticky, crunchy and a fine choice to brighten a lunchtime away from the office.

Takeaway Chinese food, banquet menus and a wide selection of fish dishes complete the offerings at Karen’s Unicorn. Judging by our lunch visit the good reputation this relative newcomer to Edinburgh’s Chinese dining scene has gained, is well deserved. The unpopularity of the Abercromby premises when trading as Bellini and the sheer size of the dining room suggest success at Abercromby Place may not come as easy as St Stephen St. However, if the high standards of service are maintained and the food we received for lunch is an indication of the grander offerings at Karen’s Unicorn the restaurant has every chance of success.

Karen’s Unicorn ‘number two’ is located at 8b Abercromby Place, Edinburgh.
Telephone: 0131 476 2602

The original Karen’s Unicorn is located at 112 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, EH3 5AD
Telephone: 0131 2206659

Spirit of Thai is a small and cosy restaurant opposite Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre and near the Usher Hall, whose seemingly never-ending refurbishments have caused some disruption to the occupiers of Grindlay St. Our dinner at Spirit of Thai wasn’t planned. Indeed, we were fortuitous for a table to become free, just as we were passing by. The folk behind Edinburgh’s popular Thai Lemongrass and Time 4 Thai restaurants are behind Spirit of Thai. Based on our evidence, it looks like they do a very good job in both quality of food and quality of service.

Before we had taken our seats a complementary bowl of Thai prawn crackers was graciously placed on our table. The staff were amongst the friendliest you could hope for and service of this standard is a fine incentive for a visit to Thailand. Spirit of Thai’s menu has an emphasis on fresh seafood; prawns, seabass, scallops and monkfish all feature. For our starter we shared Thai vegetable spring rolls (Poh Pia Thod - £4.50), which like all creations from Spirit of Thai’s kitchen were presented beautifully and tasted great. Bottles of Singha beer (£2.95 each) and tia maria with diet coca-cola (£3.15 each) provided the liquid refreshment.

For main I chose Ped Rad Prick Thai Dam (£10.50) from the chef’s recommendations section of Spirit of Thai’s menu. This was a superbly cooked duck’s breast, served with shitake mushrooms. The black pepper sauce, entwined with the flavours of the sweet peppers, made this a stand-out dish. It was clearly one of the more enjoyable main courses I’ve eaten so this year. Likewise stir fried king prawns and scallops, served with asparagus and mushrooms (Goong Phad Nor Mai Farang - £13.95) was a lesson in how important well cooked, quality ingredients are. The recipient of this dish was still reciting fond memories of its quality the weekend after. All of this was accompanied by steamed rice (£2.40 per bowl).

Spirit of Thai offer a small number of banquet menus, starting at £20.80. A three course lunch costs £7.95 and I’m told this is a popular offer with folk working in the Lothian Road area. The Edinburgh Blog has always regarded Dusit, on Thistle St, as the de facto choice for Thai in Edinburgh; but the high standards and warmth of service at Spirit of Thai prove there are very good Thai dining experiences elsewhere in the city. Recommended.

Spirit of Thai is located at 44 Grindlay Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9AP.
Telephone: 0131 228 9333

Edinburgh’s calls for a large, atmospheric and central live music venue were answered in 2008, when the HMV Picture House opened on Lothian Road. The venue dates back to 1923 when up to 1700 people passed through the doors of the Caley Picturehouse. The venue eventually changed its name to the Caley Palais and played host to The Smiths, REM and New Order, to name only a few. The years prior to its reincarnation as the HMV Picture House - tacky, trouble filled nightclubs - should be consigned to the realms of forgotten history. The MAMA Group, the parent company of HMV, have done a terrific job in not only bringing the interior of the venue back to life, but also attracting a regular and appealing line-up. The HMV Picture House is intimate, accessible and thanks to the main balcony with plenty of seating and a further upper balcony it’s interesting too. While the bar prices, like all such venues are steep, at least it’s possible to get served with only a short wait.

Last Friday was the blog’s second outing to the HMV Picture House, with the first to see Bloc Party last year. The support act of fellow London based act Tiffany Page was a nice blend of power pop and catchy choruses. Whether there is enough originality to differentiate Tiffany Page from a lot of other acts remains to be seen, but her performance was enough for most to remember her name.

Some backstage problems delayed the Noisettes entrance by 20 minutes, so by the time the curtain finally opened the assured voice of Shingai Shoniwa, outlandishly dressed against a decadent set, was more than welcome. Soon the shoes were off and Shingai was flying over every inch of the stage - which continued throughout, bar one change of outfit when guitarist Dan Smith entertained the audience by stringing chords with his mouth.

Luckily Shingai’s voice kept up with the physical demands of her stage presence and we were treated to a short discography of the Noisettes, interspersed with renditions of ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Diana Ross’s ‘Chain Reaction’. Of course the biggest crowd pleaser of the night was ‘Don’t upset the rhythm’ - the Noisettes biggest hit so far. The Scots passion for whisky was mentioned to cheers from the sellout crowd, before a regulation set ending of ‘Never Forget You’.

Three songs followed for the encore, including a beautiful rendition of Atticus, with all eyes and spotlights on Shingai, as she lay at the forefront of the balcony while the band played on stage. After an inauspicious start to their music career with the debut album ‘What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?’, the commercial success and often party starting vibes of ‘Wild Young Hearts’, coupled with powerful live performances have put the Noisettes firmly in the limelight. Their third album will show just how much longevity the Noisettes have, but on this performance they have the talent and energy to cope with whatever comes their way.

Here are some excellent photographs from the Noisettes gig at Edinburgh.

Rating: 4/5.

Upcoming gigs at the HMV Picture House can be seen on their website.

The Compass Bar and restaurant has long been a favourite of Leith residents. It’s just 5 minutes away from The Shore and located opposite Leith’s police station. Though such close proximity to the law isn’t needed, as you wouldn’t expect to find any trouble at this friendliest of destinations. Even on the Monday night we visited the bar and restaurant area of The Compass was bustling with trade. Little surprise considering the bar’s welcoming interior, quality ingredients, good cooking and fair choice of drink, all alongside personal table service. Many will intentionally plan or be lured into spending their entire night at The Compass.

The salad and sweet chilli mayo with our fishcake starter (£3.95) was delicious, although more fish and less potato in the cake itself would have been appreciated. £6.95 for high quality haggis, neeps and tatties represented excellent value. The burger backed up The Compass Bar’s solid gastro-pub credentials, with a perfectly flamed pure beef burger topped with bacon and melted cheese (£8.95). Interestingly The Compass offers a choice of battered haddock, sea bass, hake, plaice or a medley of all - each served with chips. Dessert was hardly needed but a chocolate cake with a well executed cranberry centre, alongside vanilla ice-cream (£3.95) rounded off what had been a notably enjoyable night, in one of Leith’s most welcoming pubs.

The menu at Compass offers fine variety and is a wise choice for not only pub grub traditionalists, but those desiring a little more adventure in their nourishment. The Compass is a friendly, welcoming local pub with dependable pub grub. Definitely a place to set your bearings for.

The Compass Bar & Restaurant is located at 44 Queen Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, EH6 7EX.
Telephone: 0131 554 197

Typical drinks price: pint of Tennents (£3.10)

Update 11/03/2010 - I can’t fault The Rutland Hotel for their eagerness to try and resolve the issues this review highlighted. See the comments section for the reply from the Rutland Hotel, including what improvements they have made.

Many years ago I remember eating the worst burger imaginable in The Rutland Hotel’s barely functioning ‘restaurant’. Back in those days The Rutland Hotel was a downtrodden stalwart of Princes Street’s West End; a favourite of rugby fans on their way to and from Murrayfield. A multi-million pound refurbishment and a grand re-opening in mid-2008 changed all of that. The Rutland Hotel, its bar and The One Below late bar underneath are all unrecognisable when compared to their former incarnations. Thankfully the change has been overwhelmingly for the better and The Rutland Hotel in Edinburgh has become a destination worthy of the short walk from the mass of bars on George St.

January is a notoriously slow month for restaurants, with many closing their doors for a week or two. The Rutland Hotel’s response to this quiet period is their ‘Mystery Dining Offer’ promotion throughout January: pick a sealed envelope from a large bowl and have the discount taken off your food bill. Our waitress had been assured at least one 60% discount voucher was in the bowl, but we, like the majority of diners, picked the minimum 25% discount. By 9pm last Saturday the restaurant was full, so The Rutland’s strategy certainly seemed to be working.

Interior wise the restaurant has a dark and moody feel. There are two dining areas, the most opulent of which is arranged around spiralling glass baubles. Excellent views of Edinburgh Castle are on offer here, which are preferential to the views over Shandwick Place in the second, more traditionally laid out, dining area. Originally we were seated within touching distance of the glass baubles, but the supposed maître d’ failed to notice he’d directed us to a table with barely enough room to breathe. We asked to move and subsequently found ourselves seated as far away from civilisation as possible. Especially disappointing was the sight of people arriving without a booking being directed to better tables.

For a restaurant where starters can run to £10 and mains to £26, it’s inappropriate to charge £3.95 for bread. Though with a 30 minute wait between our quick to arrive starters and slowly prepared mains it might have been have been worth the outlay. Our Muscat and Viognier bottle of wine (Le Canon du Maréchal Muscat Viognier 2008, £24) also took an age to arrive and should have been better chilled. Overall the service we received at the Rutland was well-meaning and friendly, it just didn’t always have the air of utmost professionalism about it.

Food wise The Rutland Hotel was about what you’d expect. The haggis fritters (£5.50) were attractively served and very well prepared. The home cured salmon (£5.95) was good, although the quantity was hardly generous. I’ve often seen the warning of potential shot in pheasant, but this is the first time it materialised - ouch! Despite this the ballotine of pheasant (£16.50) was worth the risk and, the mix of bread sauce and straw potatoes gave it good variety, even if it did look messy on the plate. A hearty and honestly prepared dish for a cold Edinburgh night.

The passion fruit cheesecake (£6) for dessert was a complete disappointment, the top of which had become stickier than a spider could ever hope its web to be. My chocolate marquise (also £6) was pleasant, but hardly startling.

In all honesty I wouldn’t rush back to The Rutland Hotel for a three course dinner, but I’d be content to eat a burger or single dish in their restaurant at some point in the future. The Rutland Hotel is not beyond criticism, but it’s leagues ahead of what it used to be. If you’re looking for a pleasant evening meal, with steady food, good surroundings and an integrated restaurant, bar and late bar underneath The Rutland Hotel is a good choice.

A separate review of the Rutland’s impressive bar and The One Below to follow soon.

The Rutland Hotel and its restaurant is located at 1-3 Rutland St, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Telephone: 0131 229 3402

Italian fashion label Missoni chose, perhaps surprisingly, Edinburgh as the location for their first interior designed hotel. Edinburgh’s Missoni hotel will form part of a collection of 5 star hotels, with further openings planned for Kuwait, Cape Town, Brazil and Oman. The modern look of the exterior is in stark contrast to the surrounding Old Town architecture of the Royal Mile. Through the automatic glass doors is Missoni’s lobby bar. And, as expected, the interior is expertly styled.

Missoni’s interior will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s bold, fun and vibrant - mainly monochrome, with the familiar Missoni zig-zag patterned fabric and contrasting splashes of colour. The lobby is dominated by the sleek white bar in the middle, with oversized lights above. Presumably the ’style’ bars of Edinburgh’s George St aspire to this effortless Italian style, but fall short.

Another area where Missoni outshines the competition is the service. Again, the frosty staff and over zealous bouncers of George St are distant memories - Missoni’s staff and the service they provide is excellent. They are attentive, friendly and chatty; even on a busy Saturday night the bar staff were eagerly patrolling the floor ensuring all tables were recieving great personal service. And best of all the staff have no problem making eye contact with customers… is this a first for an Edinburgh ’style’ bar?!

Since Missoni’s bar opened it has become a firm favourite of The Edinburgh Blog. Any complaints such as the incosistency in receiving nibbles with a round of drinks, or the lack of variety when they are offered are minor. Missoni’s cocktails are excellent, with the Biennale (Missoni’s nod to a ‘Bellini’ made with homemade fig and vanilla conserve, and Prosecco) a firm favourite (£6.95). Prosecco freely flows from the tap at Missoni as does Peroni lager (£4 per pint). The formal Cucina restaurant is upstairs from the bar, but a small selection of bar meals are available in the lobby which include burger and chips. Finally the Vespri hot chocolate on offer (£3.95) is a sure fire hit during the Scottish Winter.

A great bar, which proves style can exist without pretentiousness. Hotel Missoni and its Missoni Bar are fantastic additions to Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Missoni hotel and bar is located at 1 George IV Bridge,Edinburgh, EH1 1AD, United Kingdom
Telephone: 0131 220 6666

It may be January and the Christmas season is fast becoming a distant memory, but Scottish Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker was able to revive everything that’s great about the festive period. The opening night at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre brought some genuine fun and joy into a New Year which, given the current weather, is short on points to celebrate. The masses who had ventured out in the freezing temperatures to see The Nutcracker certainly were not disappointed.

The Nutcracker originally premiered at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre in 2003 and was Ashley Page’s first full-length narrative ballet. The days where the ballet’s leading role was filled by dancers outside the Scottish Ballet company are now long gone. And the ascension of Scottish Ballet under Page’s directorship is irrefutable. Five articulated lorries are needed to transport the set for The Nutcracker, making it the largest of any of Scottish Ballet’s productions; the Nutcracker is without doubt a fine advert for what a huge impact inspired design, courtesy of Antony McDonald in this case, can make to a ballet.

A few audience murmurings regarding the lack of the Sugar Plum Fairy weren’t enough to distract from Page’s bold and often surreal interpretation of The Nutcracker. Poppy flowers, maids with chamber pots on their heads and a blue velvet clad clockmaker are just some of the beautiful and quirky touches this interpretation of The Nutcracker offers. The fantastic Grand Pas de Deux, performed wonderfully by principals Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari, brings The Nutcracker’s final scene to an elevating close. Though there’s still opportunity with the epilogue as the medium for Page and McDonald to create one final picture-perfect moment.

Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker is as fresh and uplifting now, as it was just over 5 years ago. A fine production and a fitting way to end a milestone season for Scottish Ballet.

Tickets are still available for Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker:

• Edinburgh Festival Theatre until Saturday 9th January 2010. Evenings 7.30pm. Matinee on the 9th at 2.30pm. Telephone: 0131 529 6000 or book on the Internet
• Eden Court Theatre Inverness Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd January 2010
• His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen Wednesday 27th - Saturday 30th January 2010

In my experience no-one who has ever visited the Grain Store for a meal has had a bad word to say about the restaurant. The Grain Store is something of an Edinburgh institution, having been in business on Edinburgh’s Victoria St since the beginning of the 1990s. So on the back of positive reviews and a thoroughly Scottish sounding menu The Edinburgh Blog chose the Grain Store for its traditional Christmas lunch. We weren’t alone in choosing the Grain Store for a fine lunch, as a wedding party in another room of the restaurant demonstrated.

The Grain Store is on the first floor and its windows overlook the beautiful Victoria St; especially beautiful with the flurry of snow outside. Inside you will find a traditional multi-room layout, with atmospheric lighting, wooden floors, stone walls - a rather warm and cosy restaurant. On the Grain Store’s website a 2 course Christmas Lunch was advertised for £19.99; we soon changed this to the Grain Store’s normal lunch menu which appeared far better value at £15 for three courses.

The starters of wild winter mushroom risotto and Stornoway black pudding with apple were both faultless. When black pudding tastes this good, it seems a shame that more restaurants don’t offer it. The roasted pork belly for main was huge and alongside the red cabbage I couldn’t think of a better dish for a Winter’s day. The fillet of coley was cooked just right and I’d have no hesitation in trusting the Grain Store’s kitchen to cook any meat or fish fare. Our initial disappointment at the lack of chocolate and espresso torte was replaced with joy when we tasted the Grain Store’s melting chocolate biscuit dessert. Crisp on the outside, gooey like a chocolate fondant on the inside and utterly delicious - we’re still discussing the merits of this dish.

The Grain Store’s £15 lunch was excellent value; distinguished by fine ingredients, cooking of a very high standard and a great ambiance. The dinner menu is significantly more expensive, but I have no doubt it will rival the quality of the lunch albeit on a grander scale. I just hope the staff smarten themselves up for the evening sittings, preferably by removing the trainers! Overall the Grain Store is a restaurant whose reputation is well deserved. A must visit, for lunch especially.

The Grain Store is located at 30 Victoria St (1st Floor), Edinburgh.
Telephone: 0131 225 7635

Lazeez Tandoori’s unassuming small premises on Dalry Road, coupled with their no frills approach to decor and advertising won’t make it an obvious choice for a good curry. Confidence also fails to be inspired by a menu which offers burgers, pizzas and kebabs alongside their Punjabi cuisine. In its favour though are the hordes of locals who flock to Lazeez Tandoori for takeaway or an early evening sit-in meal. I have now joined the locals in white-listing Lazeez Tandoori, which is a small eatery I firmly associate with very good value and very honestly cooked good food.

The Edinburgh Blog’s de facto dish is Lazeez Tandoori’s “set meal for one”. For £8.95 you receive a popadom, spiced onions, vegetable pakora, a curry and either pilau rice or a huge authentic nan. The “set meal for two” at £18.95 offers similarly good value. The pakoras are always good and the range of sauces and side salad offered alongside them is always impressive. The nan breads (£1.50 each) are great and could easily hold their own against many established restaurants in Edinburgh. I’ve tried Lazeez Tandoori’s chicken bhuna and chicken dansak dishes as part of the “meal deal” (£4.95 if bought separately). There is always a copious amount of meat included, whose quality doesn’t compete with higher end offerings. But the taste and consistency of their curry sauces does.

Lazeez Tandoori is a fine example of how first impressions can be wrong. The service is family orientated and friendly, although their estimates on how long a dish will take to prepare can sometimes be wayward. There are a range of dishes on offer including biryanis, speciality karahis (definitely on the blog’s todo list) and a range of other offerings. I’ve no idea what burgers and pizzas are like from Lazeez Tandoori and I have no interest in finding out, but for their curries and other Tandoori dishes I’m happy to recommend giving Lazeez Tandoori a try.

Lazeez Tandoori is located at 191 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2EB.
Telephone: 0131 337 7977.
Home delivery is available.

A year ago Nardini’s re-opened its refurbished doors at the Scottish seaside resort of Largs. The re-opening after an absence of 5 years was made possible by the acquisition of the Nardini’s premises and trademarks by the Italgelat Consortium. David Equi, a member of the consortium, is no stranger to the ice-cream business as his own family firm has won many awards for their ice-cream. The original art deco design of Nardini’s has been retained; infact the building, which somewhat resembles a brash and bold American diner, is Category B Listed.

Nardini’s has a formal restaurant, with a range of reasonably priced pizzas, pastas, seafoods and steak. However, for The Edinburgh Blog a trip to the seaside is about two things: fish and chips, and, ice-cream. Thankfully these are the two areas where Nardini’s cafe, which boasts 220 seats, truly excels. On busy days, which for Nardini’s is most days, you’ll be hard pressed to find any of those 220 seats free. And the queue for their adjacent ice cream parlour, with dozens of flavours and visuals to rival any graphical representation of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, often stretches outside the distinctive building and towards the amusement arcades of Largs.

The fish and chips isn’t great, but it is good - there’s something about sea views and the sea air which elevates this dish into the food of dreams. The regular fish and chips is £6.95, while the large fish and chips (basically two of the regular size fish with more chips) is £10.95. If for some strange reason you don’t want to order the fish and chips Nardini’s cafe also offer a range of cakes, pastries and sandwiches. There’s also various forms of live music and entertainment at Nardini’s cafe, which all fit the traditional seaside theme.

The chocolate honeycomb Vesuvius ice-cream sundae (£6.45) is my absolute favourite. Layers of honeycomb and marshmallows combine with the fantastically creamy vanilla and chocolate ice-cream to produce a tremendously tasty treat for the tastebuds. Wow! On one visit I managed to steal a taste of the “chunky toffee fudge” sundae, which is almost as amazing as the honeycomb Vesuvius. A recreation of the “Ziggy, Ziggy Pig” scene from the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure movie, when Napoleon receives a badge for eating an outrageously large ice-cream, is possible via “The Clyde Coast Extravaganza”. Though there’s no reward for completing this £12.95 sundae with a big bit of everything in it, except the satisfaction of knowing you did.

Largs is an approximate 2 hours drive from Edinburgh or about the same travel time via trains (Edinburgh to Queen St followed by Central to Largs). Nardini’s alone makes it well worth the trip - it’s probably the blog’s favourite destination in Scotland!

Nardini’s is located at The Esplanade Cafe, 2 Greenock Road, Largs, KA30 8NF. Telephone 01475 675000 for bookings.