Food&Drink Recent Openings
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh Glasgow
For more food and drink visit list.co.uk/food-and-drink
buffet array of lamb, chicken and veggie curries from back-door premises that have seen a mild cosmetic upgrade. You still have to eat outside – though a rough-and-ready dining room is available for adverse outdoor conditions, portions are belly-busting, prices are pinched, plates are paper and cutlery still plastic.
BON PAPILLON CAFES 15 Howe Street, New Town, EH3 6TE, 0131 538 2505, bonpapillon.com, £7 (lunch) Cafés beside the larger art galleries have long been established in Edinburgh, while quite a few independent cafés bring a bit of colour to their walls by displaying local artists. But something squarely in the middle: proper café, in a proper wee gallery, is uncommon. Bon Papillon takes up the challenge, with Ingrid Nilsson looking after (and painting some of) the art and partner Stuart Allan clearly revelling in the creativity demanded by a tiny kitchen as he prepares daily soups, herb scones, a selection of cakes sufficient to merit endorsement from Edinburgh Cake Ladies and simple lunch bites such as goats’ cheese on garlic toast.
ASTI ITALIAN 73 Broughton Street, New Town, EH1 3RJ, 0131 558 9156, The successor to Polish restaurant Pani Solinska, this café-restaurant is named after the north-west Italian region famous for its white spumante wine and truffles. While it shares owners with Rapido next door, the new venue has its own easy- going style and a menu that’s smart without being too upmarket. It’s open from 8am for breakfasts including bruschetta with goats’ cheese or eggs benedict, but you can also call in for an evening glass of wine with crostini, decent coffee, or a takeaway from the prominent deli counter. More formal dining is available too with antipasti plates, risottos, pasta with meatballs and lamb shank on the à la carte menu.
Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at list.co.uk/food-and-drink Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.
CARLUCCIO’S ITALIAN 7 West Nile Street, City Centre, G1 2PR, 0141 248 1166, carluccios.com, £17 (lunch/dinner) Essentially just a figurehead and occasional consultant nowadays, Antonio Carluccio has left a lucrative legacy in the heavily branded chain of caffè-shops specialising in Italian foodstuffs and authentic, carefully devised dishes. Branch number 56 has perked up a drab, congested corner of town with its bright, modern restaurant that attracts diners all day long to the mix of tables, booths and stool-bars, whether they be suits, families, shoppers or students. Brand consistency demands some centralised production but much is made in house by well-drilled chefs, from a tasty bruschetta squeezing maximum flavour from often drab tomatoes, to the rich venison-filled tortelloni in a simple yet seductive buttery sauce.
KUTA BARS & PUBS
104 Bath Street, City Centre, G2 2EN, 0141 332 6678, kutabathstreet.co.uk, £4.95 (one- course set lunch) / £11.50 (dinner) Coming from the experienced stable of Alan Tomkins, Kuta immediately feels comfortable in its sophisticated pre- club identity, with a focus on nicely priced drinks and a concise pan-Asian menu. Starters of full-flavoured chicken satay skewers are nicely charred, while the carefully cooked shellfish tempura blend sweetness and a taste of the sea. A main of salmon ramen comes in a clean, crisp stock lightly flavoured by the fish, and best of all, pork belly skilfully balances tenderness, fattiness and a sharp marinade of soy and Chinese spices. Pre-club it may be, but the kitchen makes a strong impression – as do the expertly prepared cocktails.
THE NEW PAKISTANI CAFÉ INDIAN 607 Pollokshaws Road, Southside, G41 2QG, 0141 237 7690, £10 (lunch ) / £12 (dinner) The original Pakistani Café had won the hearts of many Southsiders, despite its
32 THE LIST 5 Jan–2 Feb 2012
Still glowing
Three years ago one of Edinburgh’s favourite curry houses went up in flames on Victoria Street. Khushi’s is now back, with some significant changes, as Donald Reid found out
W hen Khushi’s was engulfed in fire just before Christmas 2008, you might have been forgiven for speculating if it had flown just a bit too close to the sun. In a few years the restaurant had shifted from being an old-fashioned curry café on Drummond Street to opulent glamour in three-storey Victoria Street. Yet they filled the place, serving well-constructed, appealing curries at low prices. The three-year hiatus following the fire was resolved last year when the sons of founder Khushi Mohammed opened Mithas as the city’s only avowedly fine-dining Indian restaurant, then relaunched Khushi’s in December. It’s in a new location, close to the Playhouse, and markedly less ostentatious than Victoria Street, with less space, lots of upbeat colours, funky styling and a familiar menu. Much of it is very well judged, from the mix’n’match brass globes overhead to food that includes charred tandoori lamb chops marinated in honey and fresh chilli, creamy and soft Goan-style fish curry, and very respectable veggie dishes including delicate tawa paneer. There are also some intriguing fresh juices and lassis if you don’t BYOB, though, as before, this is free.˚
KHUSHI’S
10 Antigua Street, Edinburgh 0131 558 1947, khushis.com
Ave. price two-course meal: £5.95 (one-course lunch) / £17 (dinner)
unorthodox approach. Now the former owner’s nephew, Qasim, has taken over and made some changes – including large screen showing Bollywood movies, free wifi and no booze – but retained the easy-going, welcoming vibe. Grilled meats now feature, such as kobedah, Persian style kebabs, and gone are some favourites such as the veggie specials. Yet, everything is made to order and the results, particularly the chicken dishes, are meltingly tender. With low prices, and delicious mango lassis, this could be a great neighbourhood restaurant. The take-away option means you can enjoy the experience at home – with a cold lager.
Edinburgh ORIGINAL MOSQUE KITCHEN AND CAFÉ INDIAN Edinburgh Central Mosque, 50 Potterrow, Southside, EH8 9BT, £3.99 (one-course lunch) Without delving too deeply into some slightly murky internecine politics, we can report that once again there’s curry being served in the courtyard beside Edinburgh’s Central Mosque. Previous occupants ‘Mosque Kitchen’ established a new restaurant under that name earlier in 2012 in nearby Nicolson Square; now the ‘Original Mosque Kitchen’ – a separate enterprise – is serving a familiar