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Street food, by Bolly
On the corner of Bruntsfield Links, Archie McDiarmid finds a culinary adventure that begins the same way as Dr Who episodes — with a blue police box
I nspired by the street food culture she grew up with in India, Nutan Bala left her job as a support worker and opened the hatches on Edinburgh’s first curry and coffee stand. Except for a mixed vegetable dhal, which has proven so popular that it has become a fixture, the short simple menu varies each day. Chicken curry with pilau rice is seasoned to order and so the heat is tailored to your taste, though with the chicken served on the bone, it is a slightly awkward dish to eat on the hoof. Spice-studded parathas, or fried
flat breads, are ideal for dipping in the hearty lentil and vegetable dhal. Chatting to the star of this one- woman show as she prepares your dish is one of the highlights of the experience. It might ensure you don’t miss the pakoras, for example, which showcase seasonal Scottish veg: spicy slightly sweet savoy cabbage pakora proving a seriously tasty winter treat. With plans to set up some seating on the pavement alongside when the weather improves you feel that this Bollywood dream may well have a happy ending.
BOLLYWOOD: THE COFFEE BOX 99a Bruntsfield Place, Southside, Edinburgh EH10 4HG, 07910 453121
Ave. price two-course lunch: £6
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Glasgow CAFÉ SOURCE TOO SCOTTISH
Hillhead Sports Club, 32 Hughenden Road, West End, G12 9XP, 0141 357 6437, cafesourcetoo.co.uk, £12 (set lunch) / £18 (dinner) You might expect isotonic drinks and granola bars from a sports club café, but the arrival of Café Source signals a rather more indulgent and ambitious offering at the recently upgraded Hillhead Sports Club near Gartnavel Hospital. The hearty traditional theme, including stovies and haggis in various incarnations, is loose enough to allow caesar salad, moules marinière and various sandwiches and 34 THE LIST 1–29 Mar 2012
burgers. A la carte prices are on a par with other West End restaurants and special deals – such as two courses and a glass of wine for £12 on the lunch and pre-theatre menu – represent good value. Spaces are usually available in the club car park, down this quiet, leafy street – or access it on foot behind Devonshire Gardens.
BAR SOBA FUSION 116–122 Byres Road, West End, G12 8TB, 0141 357 5482, barsoba.co.uk, £9.95 (set lunch) / £17 (dinner) Occupying the space formerly taken up by the Blind Pig – a West End version of Bar Soba is the latest venture from the St Judes group. On the menu is the same mix of Japanese, Malay and Thai dishes offered by its Mitchell Lane sister with rice bowls, noodles and sushi listed
alongside spiced-up burgers – the chicken katsu curry and pad thai already proving popular as part of a Monday to Thursday ‘two for one’ student deal. An extensive cocktail list promises classics with a twist such as an apple mojito, and the relaxed vibe makes this as much a drinking as an eating destination.
BARS & PUBS 14 Drury Street, City Centre, G2 5AA, 0141 204 0060, vespbar.com, £10 (lunch / dinner) Vespbar has created a happy little buzz for itself – thanks in part to the unique approach of offering pizzas, not by the trite two-for-one method, but by the metre, or half metre. It makes for enjoyable theatre, gazing from the mezzanine onto the steady stream of gigantic oval, thin and crispy slabs whisked out the kitchen. Toppings can be mixed, and all the classics are available – smoky Italian meatballs or ham and pineapple stand out. Vespbar’s other party trick is its prosecco on tap – a refreshing accompaniment, or try the various other wines and good selection of beers if the bubbles go to your head.
Edinburgh TEA AT 94 CAFES 94 Buccleuch Street, Southside, EH8 9NH This newcomer to the Southside café scene is a cheerful and unpretentious place to pass an hour or two. While elements of the food offered here are still finding their feet, tea lovers will find plenty to delight their palates here, with a broad spectrum of brews on offer ranging from fresh gunpowder green tea to an earthy lapsang souchong providing the perfect foil to the appetising range of homemade cakes and biscuits cleverly displayed in the window to tempt passers-by. The space is child friendly, while the walls are enlivened with artworks by students from the Edinburgh College of Art, with a fortnightly change of exhibition.
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.