FOOD & DRINK
NEWS & REVIEWS
GLEE COURSE MEAL Newly relocated, on telly and on Twitter, Mark Greenaway is a Scottish chef on the rise. Donald Reid found him doing something yummy for money
I n a fine-dining market as crowded as Edinburgh’s, any arriving chef looking to make a name for him or herself has their work cut out. In 2011, phase one of the Mark Greenaway project, based at what was then Hawke + Hunter, had heads turning and critics purring. Greenaway’s restaurant elbowed its way onto the scene with a combination of eagerly grasped publicity opportunities, dazzling food and – though they tried not to let it show too much – good- old-fashioned effort and commitment.
The arrival of phase two in early 2013, with the restaurant shifting along Queen Street to a new, independent site in the former Librizzi’s on the corner of North Castle Street, wasn’t without its ruffled feathers and raised eyebrows. But, after all, the cheeky-chappy chef with the bed-head hair had a burgeoning reputation to pursue. The name was above the door and a few weeks later it was on TV with a week of coveted exposure in the Comic Relief version of Great British Menu. The breathless arrival is a little evident in the unelaborate, muted decor of the new place. Georgian fan windows and a feature-etched map of Edinburgh in a smaller dining area give the venue a statement of place. And for all that there are foams and fumes and finnicky finishes on the plate, the chef does not shirk
RESTAURANT MARK GREENAWAY
his calling as an ambassador for Scottish produce, serving Loch Fyne crab, Borders lamb, local game and forage. Greenaway’s contemporary style employs modernist cooking techniques and tricks to create some exceptional dishes across all three courses. Sous- vide Goosnargh duck breast and duck leg croquettes, served with a stick of watermelon and tarragon jus, doesn’t need the accompanying balloon of laughing gas it was served with on telly to raise a smile. The imagination and culinary intricacy reaches a climax with desserts – clearly the chef’s playground – such as a peanut caramel cheesecake, a dreamy combination of shortbread, toffee sauce, roasted peanuts and iced parfait, or a home spun ‘jam jar’ of rice pudding with various incarnations of plum.
You can taste your way through the menu for £65, or sample it with a market menu offering three courses for £20. Chances are you’ll remember the chef’s food longer than any of the jokes he cracked on this year’s Comic Relief.
+ Entertaining dishes that deliver trickery with taste - The same slickness isn’t always matched out front
69 North Castle Street New Town, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ, 0131 226 1155, markgreenaway.com
Ave. price two-course meal for one: £32 34 THE LIST 21 Mar–18 Apr 2013
SIDE DISHES News to nibble on
The couple behind Glasgow restaurant Cookie, Melanie McCallum and Domenico Del Priore, have published Cookie Cooks, a cook book for and by the whole family. It launches during Aye Write with a ‘Cookie Cabaret’ at the Mitchell Library on Friday 12 April featuring local bands, DJ sets and live art. Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack’s new ‘public house with dining’ will be called The Scran & Scallie, and should be open in Stockbridge by the first week in April. Meanwhile Darren Blackburn, formerly of the Caley Sample Room, has teamed up with Williams Bros brewers to open The Vintage, serving craft beers and British charcuterie, in the former Café Fish in Leith.
There’s still time to vote for your favourite restaurant in Glasgow and Edinburgh for
our Eating & Drinking Guide Readers’ Award. Nominations can be made through the Food & Drink pages at list.co.uk and you could win a three course meal at the winning restaurant.
COOKING WITH CALEDONIAN BREWERY
Caledonian Brewery has teamed up with The Radical Road’s Masterchef, Martin Mitchell, to bring you a tasty recipe made with one of its distinctive beers. WEST COAST SCALLOPS WITH ROE, BEER & SCOTCH RAREBIT OYSTERS
Per Portion: 1/2 pint Deuchars IPA A 1/8 pint fish stock 3 king scallops 3 oysters 2 tbs double cream Bunch of fresh baby spinach spinach 2 tbs béchamel 1/4 tsp Arran mustard 50g Mull cheddar
• Reduce most of IPA to 4 tbs and add fish stock, double cream and scallop roes. Liquidise. Flavour with sugar, lemon juice, salt & white pepper.
• Half scallops and sear on inside face. Then mount on a pea and chorizo risotto. • Shell oysters and set on wilted baby spinach. Mix 2 tbs of IPA with mustard and béchamel. Coat oysters and grill.
• Enjoy with a glass of Deuchars IPA.