GetStuffed FoodDrinkRestaurants
A likely story After neighbourhood bistros and local pubs is it time for Edinburgh’s first suburban cocktail bar? David Pollock headed to Stockbridge to hear the Raconteur’s tale
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Glasgow
NUR 22 Bridge Street, City Centre, 0141 418 0990, www.nur-restaurant.co.uk, £7.95 (set lunch) / £16 (dinner) An Egyptian restaurant may be a first for Glasgow, though with kebabs, flatbread, feta salad, hummus and stuffed vine leaves, Nur shares common ground with other Middle Eastern cuisines. However, ‘felafel’ here is a distinctive Egyptian variant made with broad beans and ‘tagines’ are rather soupy Egyptian casseroles only distantly related to the Moroccan stew. For something genuinely different, there’s basterma, delicious, spicy preserved beef, served with scrambled eggs as a starter. Belly dancing (weekends only) and shisha pipes (outside only) are available, though alcohol is not: you can BYOB for a £4.45 corkage charge.
THE FLAVOUR CO 517a Great Western Road, West End, 0141 339 5967, www.flavourshop.co.uk Settled in the student hub of Great Western Road, The Flavour Co is a daytime sandwich bar-café doing its best to make a mark. And it isn’t doing a bad job. The décor lacks charm, but the ingredients are fresher even than the new white paint inside. Sandwiches can be served on a variety of breads while brightly coloured fruit salads come in generous portions, and the fresh smoothies are bursting with strong, full fruit flavours. With imaginative combinations (the chocolate pudding is made using avocado and coconut milk), this place has flair as well as flavour.
B illed as Stockbridge’s first cocktail bar, the recently opened Raconteur certainly isn’t playing upon a half- baked gimmick. The three men behind it (Jamie MacDonald, Teddy Joseph and Nick Reed) have worked as cocktail makers and consultants in upmarket Edinburgh venues such as Tigerlily, Rick’s and Harvey Nichols, and the impression is that they want to run a bar for people who know what they like to drink. The cocktail list features such unique delights as the Trailblazer (tequila, vanilla, orange and chocolate, set aflame) and the fierce Death Flip (tequila, Jagermeister, chartreuse and a whole egg), suggesting that they can also be relied upon to create almost any drink you want off-menu. Hidden away anonymously behind a black frontage on a side street, the predominance of old-time
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music on the stereo suggests that a prohibition-style word of mouth hit is what’s being aimed for, although a friendly welcome and a range of tempting bar snacks (toasted sourdough sandwiches; vegetarian and meat- based mezze plates; popcorn flavours including Cajun and garlic & parmesan) also make for a unique and charming local. + The atmosphere of friendly elegance – Are you George Street in disguise?
THE RACONTEUR
50 Dean Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, 0131 343 3221, www.theraconteuredinburgh.com,
Mon–Sat 5pm–1am; Sun 5pm–midnight
WUDON 535 Great Western Road, West End, 0141 357 3033, www.wudon-noodlebar.co.uk, £6.50 (set lunch) / £13 (dinner) A slick makeover has kitted this new noodle bar on busy Great Western Road with white walls, blonde wood and wide windows, helping to lift the mood and give a fresh openness to the diminutive interior, making the most of its nooks and crannies. The menu is also small, homing in on simple descriptions of broth, noodle and rice dishes, most offering choices of meats and fish including a ‘wee dishes’ section that proposes a tapas style course. Only one bento box is available but a new sushi menu is being prepared.