Blueberry muffin £1.65 Tinderbox, 14 Ingram Street and 189 Byres Road, Glasgow
Platters a bit to deceive this one. with its generOus Sl/C and nicely shaped top. as well as the purpley blue interior. When tasted. however. the actual fruit is pretty scarce and the texture is heavy and detighy. Pricey too: combined With a Tinderbox cappuccmo you‘re heading towards a 5:11 bill. C.
Lemon muffin £1.35
AMT (Queen Street and Waverley stations, and elsewhere)
Sugar crystals generOusly sprinkled on the top are the first warning. The sweet. too~soft dough is the next. Finally. the pocket of gratuitous lemon goo injected into the middle like a jam doughnut just confirms the all- reund excess. Was the goo to reproduce the sticky. just-cooked centre of a classic muffin? If so. it misses by a mile 0
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Bran muffin £1.20
The Bakehouse, 32c Broughton Street, Edinburgh
A bit like carrots and teeth. perfect looks in a muffin are suspicious. The lopsided CIUIff on the top of this one reasswes us it's freshly baked. as promised by this Edinburgh newcomer. Smells a bit of gingerbread. and the texture is nutty as well as nicely crumbly. Not too doughy. not too sweet. 0...
Lemon poppy seed muffin £1.30 Cafe Wander, 110a West George Street and 229 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
This is a proper muffin; it looks. smells and feels the part. with a sufficiently robust texture that 's also just crumbly enough to give as you eat it. The sweetness isn‘t overpowering and the flavours are delicate yet distinctive. Best in this test. 0000.
Blueberry muffin 69p
RS McColI, various locations
This is the muffin equivalent of a hamburger bun. dissolving in the mouth before you‘re really aware there should be something there. Sickly sweet with a jammy flavour from the dried blueberries. and leaves an oily film on your fingertips. Best before date is over ten weeks away: in the nuclear winter these are what the cockroaches will be nibbling. 0
Banana and coffee muffin £1.30 BHS, various branches including 64 Princes Street, Edinburgh and 67—81 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
The square shape is novel. but the insertion of a fondant icing smear seems to be taking things a bit far. Muffins have to decide if they're cakes in disguise or not. Coffee seems a curious flavour choice for something deSigned to compliment coffee. but that said it has a decent texture and density. .0.
FOODs: Chris crass
Contortionist and escapoloqist
Because of my job. I need to keep fit and flexible. If I ate too many crisps, I wouldn't fit into my straitjacket anymore. Breakfast is Weetabix Minis and a cup of green tea. I never eat fruit; I'm allergic to bananas. melons and strawberries. If I eat them my mouth gets all itchy and I get a bad throat, so I snack on yoghurts. or maybe a bar of Kinder Bueno chocolate.
Lunch is something healthy like Japanese noodles and beansprouts and if I'm feeling naughty. some lrn Bru afterwards. I absolutely love the stuff and have eight big plastic bottles in my garage in Newcastle right now. When I come to Scotland. I'm going to treat myself to a glass bottle.
I often eat out for dinner. The best baked potato shop in the world is in Edinburgh on Cockburn Street: they serve the biggest jacket potatoes around. and I love plain cheese on top. I don't drink before a show as I'd feel all bloated and not in the mood for jumping around. But I'll have a few pints and maybe some Jack Daniels on the rocks aften/vards.
(Interview by Claire Sawersl I Chris is performing at Bur/escapades! Springtime in Paris. Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sat 70 May. www.bur/escapades.com www.chris-cross.co.uk
News to nibble on
, j 4} v U. ' I I'll! HARLEOIIIII GROUP of restaurants, best known for their curry houses, now have a second Spanish-themed tapas restaurant in their portfolio after Las Ramblas in Bearsden with the opening of Torres at 327 Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Tapas dishes are mostly in the £3.50—£4.50 range, with paella dishes available for two or more sharing. It’s open daily from noon until 11pm. Book on 0141 332 6789 or go to www. harlequinrestaurants.com.
& "CLEISII BIOS. the deli- convenience store with bold expansion plans across Scotland. has emerged from its north-east base with its first opening in Edinburgh on South Bridge in the former Flip clothing store. Pitching itself as the local version of a supermarket metro-style unit, it has a branded Thorntons confectionery area and in-store cafe operated by Coffee Republic. the London- based chain.
a IF vou MISSED YOUR COPY of this year’s Eating & Drinking Guide in the previous issue of The List, you can now find it on sale at newsagents and bookshops. It costs just £5.95, probably less than the price of a plate of fish and chips at your local neighbourhood bistro. You can also order a copy from our website, www.list.co.uk. We will be putting the full guide up on the Eating 8. Drinking section of the website, but the new version won’t be available until later this month.
8-22 May 2008 THE LIST 13