Festival FOOD & DRINK SUPPORTED BY
TOP 5: FESTIVAL FOOD POP-UPS Hannah Ewan recommends the best temporary food hotspots
BURGHER BURGER Last year nearly 3000 people tried to buy tickets for the posh version of this once-regular Edinburgh ‘guerrilla dining’ event. One hundred and thirty succeeded, and were rewarded with a juxtaposition of meat feast and fizz, rock soundtrack and refined Signet Library setting. £55 gets you three courses (obviously one’s a burger), half a bottle of Pommery and a cocktail. ■ The Signet Library, 12 & 13 Aug, 7.45pm, £55, jellyandgin.com/ burgher-burger-but-posh
JITTERBALL Whatever else the Festival is, it’s not always glamorous. Bank a month’s worth of vintage sophistication at a cocktail and afternoon tea-
fuelled swing-dance soirée in the breathtaking Mansfield Traquair. Dress-up is technically optional, but there’s a champagne-shaped prize for the swankiest lady and gent – so it’s not really. ■ Mansfield Traquair, 17 & 18 Aug, 5–8pm, £35 (includes afternoon tea and welcome cocktail), jellyandgin. com/jitterball
HUNT & DARTON Back for a second year of transforming diners into performance artists over a roast dinner sandwich, this pop-up café is actually a non- stop interactive artworld. Guest artist-waiters, activities and themed days make every visit different, and a collaboration with Buzzcut adds leotards, messy props and dance three evenings a week. ■ Pleasance Hunt & Darton Café, 07833 308121, free, until 25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 10am–5pm (café), 6pm– late (bar), huntanddartoncafe.com
DINNER IS SWERVED New theatre collective Food for Thought have brought together a Glasgow-based dining sculptor, a Parisian actor, concert musicians and chefs from a London supper club to explore food perception and eating rituals. Their multi-sensory (meat-free) dining experience has been served up across Glasgow and London, blending experimental cuisine, live
music, theatre, comedy and sculpture. ■ C nova, 0845 260 1234, until 25 Aug (not 12–14, 19–21), 11.30pm, £14.50–£16.50 (£10.50–£12.50). swerveddining.tumblr.com POMMERY CHAMPAGNE CAFÉ BAR
The Signet Library’s annual champagne bar is the second of three undeniably luxe entries. It’s a rare chance to see one of Edinburgh’s hidden architectural jewels, while doing what King George IV couldn’t on his visit: tucking into afternoon tea, or a whole roast lobster. A tutored champagne tasting also takes place on 15 Aug (£50). ■ The Signet Library, until 26 Aug, 11am–late, thesignetlibrary.co.uk
The Beer of the Fringe
caledonianbeer.com 24 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2013