St le and su stance
Susan Smith ducks down a close in Edinburgh's Old Town and is pleasantly surprised by what she finds
here have always been bars with ideas aboye their station when it comes to food. and there haye always been restaurants with the notion that their bar area can be both a bit on the side and the hippest hangout in town. It's not often that both are right. Yet. the middle ground is inching ever closer as
continental attitudes regarding the affinity of
drinking and eating take root.
At first sight. Monteiths isn't sure if it's a bar or a restaurant. Approaching it from the Royal Mile. you might think it‘s a fine dining restaurant. There‘s a menu board and an alleyway bedecked with arching vines and twinkling fairy lights. but few other clues.
Down the alley then down some steps you'll find an unexpectedly chic basement space with olive green and dark purple walls. High. uncomfortable stools crowd around the bar. but as your eyes become accustomed to the dimly lit. windowless interior you realise that the larger division is given over to dining tables. beside which are gathered an eclectic mix of furniture and fittings including two traditional armchairs by a gas fire. Philippe Starck dining chairs. an enormous gilt-framed mirror and a moose-head made out of cardboard.
lt‘s clearly a place more geared towards the ll)- something professional than tourists. That it's run by the guys behind Sygn. one of the cily"s more discerning style bars. says much about its intended clientele though perhaps makes the choice of location. behind a kiltshop a few doors tip from John Knox's House. surprising.
The menu is as sophisticated as the decor. with prices reflecting the ambition. Chef Philip Lynch comes from a stint as sous chef at the Grain Store on Victoria Street. and the influences are discernible. If you‘re on a budget it‘s worth trying out the lunch menu. which includes haggis spring rolls with chilli jam for £5.65. a lamb burger with hummus. raita and fries for £8.95 or mushroom Wellington for around fill).
The dinner menu kicks in at 5pm and that's
The Butterfly and the Fig
153 Bath Street, Glasgow
0141 221 7711, www.thebutterflyandthepig.com Unique and a little zany. this flighty butterfly and dashing pig have made a rather refreshing splash aCross the Glasgow pub food scene. The retro decor is typified by wingback chairs and art deco Crockery. and even the menu gets in on the act with Quirky dishes such as ‘Lamby the Lamb cutlets“.
14 THE LIST ‘J—QS Feb 2003
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‘THE MENU IS AS SOPHISTICATED AS THE DECOR WITH PRICES REFLECTING THE AMBITION'
when the real treats begin; try a scallop ratioli brilliantly set off in a not too spicy chilli ga/pacho or conlit duck with rice paper rolls. which comes with a great bang bang sauce that's tangy but not too hot. Mains include an impressiyely tender pan-seared \enisoii accompanied by butternut squash and pine kernel barley. a hint of what modern Scottish cooking really ought to be. ()therwise. smoked haddock comes with Stornoway black pudding. a poached egg and pancetta ~ you know it's not a
GOOD PUB GRUB
The Left Bank 33-35 Gibson Street, Glasgow 0141 339 5969, www.theleftbank.co.uk
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MONTEITH'S
57—61 High Street, Edinburgh 0131 557 0330 www.monteithsbarcouk Bar—bistro serVing modern Scottish food
Average two—c0urse evening meal 22.?
menu for \egetai'ians when etch the fish comes with a smattering of meal. Desserts include a satisfying banana tart tatin that's worth waiting its I5-minute cooking time for.
Monteiths may be confused as to whether it‘s a bar or restaurant. but perhaps it doesn’t need to come to a concltision. It works. by and large. ()yerall. though. it‘s somewhere with much to offer. paiticularly in this part of tow n. and seems well worth clearing otit the back storeroom of the High Street kiltmaker to accommodate.
The Basement 108-128 Broughton Street, Edinburgh 0131 557 0097, www.thebasement.org.uk
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