BACKLIST
FOOD & DRINK
Edinburgh
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I Gustos On High High Street. 558 3083. The former premises of Stills gallery have been renovated for this incredibly light and airy gourmet cafe. One entire wall of the cafe is taken up with a series of leaded windows which allow the sun to stream into the cafe and diners to gaze out onto one of Edinburgh's main thoroughfares.
Gustos is open from 8am Mon—Sat and I0.30am Sun for breakfast. Early risers can tuck into BLTs. muffins and cereals as well as the full cooked pick- me-up. The adventurous can opt for the scrambled eggs with spinach while the decadent can try out the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.
Their focaccia is practically a full meal in itself. Filled with antipasto. topped with grilled Momrella and stuffed with prosciutto. anchovies. marinated mushrooms and the like. Gustos create some of the most tasty sandwiches around. In the unlikely event ofthis not filling up rumbling tums then they offer starters along the lines of guacamole with vegetable crudites and corn chips with a fine range of cakes and desserts to finish with. Wash it down with freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juices and you‘ve eaten both well and healthily.
Their prices are reasonable with most dishes hovering around the £3 mark. Gustos plans to open later in the evening and hopes to have a drinks hcence.
mamm- Edinburgh
I 1995 Edinburgh Ale Festival lvleadowbank Stadium. With the hangovers from the Glasgow Ale Festival finally forgotten. the Edinburgh branch of CAM RA has summoned the strength of liver to put on their annual bash. Last year‘s shindig attracted over 4500 beer lovers with 6000 expected this year.
Over 80 cask ales will be on offer with four of them going for the bargain price of£l a pint. The organisers are reticent to divulge exactly which beers will be served up since they want to avoid being pipped to the post by the city’s publicans. They are also reluctant to blow their own trumpets too hard in case promised beers don't materialise. One year a particularly fine brew was eagerly anticipated with much smacking of dry lips but it failed to turn up. having mysteriously disappeared without trace. The beer's name? Titanic. Suffice to say that some beers are being made especially for the Festival and there will also be brews which have never been seen before in Edinburgh. as well as a variety of old favourites.
Those who find that their appetites have been stimulated by beer will be drawn to the three different food stalls serving most things from elephantine
burgers to oysters. The music comes ‘ courtesy of a ceilidh on the Thursday night. the Blue l-lyenas on Friday and 3 Saturday evenings and a jazz band for a mellow Saturday afternoon.
Le Sept
7 01d Fishmarket Close Edinburgh
The Iz‘tlt'It/nuje/t Ale festival. 'l'liurs 5. 4—] lpm. Fri 6/511! .7. Hum—l lpm. [2.50 inc/ruling suurenir pint glass.
lunch and dinner Monday to Thursday all day Friday and Saturday Sundays dinner only
telephone
0131;- 8
ROGER PROTZ
I Real Ale Almanac Roger Prot'l. (Neil Wilson Publishing/CAMRA £7.99) This. the fourth edition of the almanac. covers over 750 of the cask ales that are available throughout Britain. Each ale is described in full and loving detail. ‘a good session beer‘ being a particularly down-to-eanh example of the author‘s concerns. While l’rotz is generally full of praise for the diversity of ale styles that are available. he is not adverse to sticking the boot in to bland brews. As well as notes on each brew‘s nose and palate. there are full ingredient lists. original gravity specifications. alcohol content and measurements of bitterness and colour. The detail with which each ale is researched puts this book firmly in the beer buff‘s camp rather than the casual beer drinker's. but both the general introduction and the introductions to each region make for interesting reading for the enthusiast and the amateur alike. (Jonathan Trew)
0/47 552 555’ 7 63 Mate gmgaw
UBidaitoas Cbip
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
This superb Scottish restaurant has been the recipient of many awards for excellence since being, established in 1971. The newest award is a Michelin Red M, an award never before bestowed on a Glasgow restaurant.
MICHELIN RED M, 1995
12 ASHTON LANE Tel 0141-334 5007
The List 22 Sept-5 Oct 1995 95