FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
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DRAMATIC GRAMMATICS Jo Laidlaw finds the new tenant at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre putting the eat into theatre
I f you’re going to set up in one of Edinburgh’s grandest theatres, then you’re going to need a little bit of razzle-dazzle on the side. Thankfully new venture Th’eatery on the ground floor of the Festival Theatre comes from an experienced local team (they run the café at Jupiter Artland and were previously behind Circle Café). The space has been stripped back, making the most of the atrium’s elevated space and structure, giving the dining area a palpable sense of warmth and energy. Menus will change every month or so and are resolutely Scottish and seasonal: a surprisingly welcome addition to a part of town where you can source everything from a Thai curry to a 3am kebab. Winter salads like sweet potato, beetroot and goats’ cheese are filling and bright. A bonkers- sounding combination of black pudding, parsnip, blue cheese and leaves is surprisingly scene-stealing, though the dressing could do with a touch more oomph. Three daily specials – a soup, quiche and main – keep the programme current and help Th’eatery (correct pronunciation available on request) steal a share of the limelight.
TH’EATERY
Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh Ave price two-course meal: £10 (lunch / pre-theatre)
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow, Edinburgh and around. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.
Glasgow
TWO FAT LADIES AT THE MARINE HOTEL FISH
8 Crosbie Road, Troon, KA10 6HE, 01292 676 220, twofatladiesrestaurant.com, £16.50 (set lunch) / £29 (dinner) Each progression of Ryan James’ popular Glasgow brand has been an upscaling, from the first diner to the smart city centre spot, then the venerable Buttery. And now the Two Fat Ladies have ascended again, heading to the seaside and settling in at the Marine Hotel in Troon. Impeccable sourcing and preparation characterise all that the Two Fats do, and no less here where ultra-fresh ingredients are simply and skilfully cooked. From creamy Cullen skink and buttery scallops to Thai-inspired prawns, simple sole and earthy, velvety pigeon breast, each dish is accompanied by four-star surrounds (with decorative nods to the Buttery) and an inspiring view across the famous links out to those all-important waters.
TEMPO TEA BAR BUBBLE TEA CAFE
83 Queen Street, City Centre, G1 3DA, tempoteabar.com, £2.95 / £3.95 (regular/large) The first taste of bubble tea can be revelatory, a manifestation of childhood fantasies where drinks are full of magical ingredients that burst and pop and delight. Glasgow’s first dedicated outlet for the Taiwanese tea-based,
tapioca-filled drink, Tempo is small, colourful and fun, full of clean lines and smiley faces. Creative concocting is to the fore: start with a basic tempo of milk or fruit tea, add a melody of flavours from vanilla to various fruits, then round off your composition with a final harmony of chewy tapioca – aka boba, fruity jelly pieces or popping pearls that burst in the mouth and disgorge their juicy filling.
STEAMPUNK CAFE BARS & PUBS
18 Renfield Street, City Centre, G2 5AP, 0141 204 2929, steampunkcafe.co.uk, £11 (lunch/dinner) Steampunk, the sci-fi and art genre inspired by alternative Victorian visionaries (think HG Wells and aviator goggles), is an emerging trend, and this cocktail bar and diner is a bold embodiment – a gigantic, stretching space of burgundy chesterfields and chandeliers with local artworks and steampunk sculptures. The styling may smack of quirky niche, but it’s still a comfy enough venue for daytime shoppers and workers. The main food focus is on burgers, with delicately arranged mini-versions on wood with ickle condiments being a typically stylish touch.
Edinburgh GRAN CAFFE
CAFES
The Signet Library, Parliament Square, High Street, Old Town, EH1 1RF, 0131 226 1064, thesignetlibrary.co.uk/gran-caffe, £8 (set lunch) Initially set up during the Fringe as a pop-up champagne bar, the Gran Caffe is now a permanent weekday fixture right in the heart of the stunning Signet Library. Nibbling cake surrounded by thousands of legal books and documents takes a little getting used to, though the impressive range of homebaking on display in the centre of the room makes afternoon tea a compelling prospect. The lunch menu is short but sophisticated, with chargrilled
courgette, red pepper, feta and pesto in ciabatta or a delicate leek, pancetta and parmesan tartlet.
JUNIPER COCKTAIL BAR
20 Princes Street, New Town, EH2 2AN, 0131 556 4901, juniperedinburgh.co.uk, £17 (lunch/dinner) In this companion bar to the restaurant at 20 Princes Street within the Royal British hotel, new owners Cairn have taken aim at the top destination venues in the city centre. Although the highly styled decor will divide the sipping classes, the south-facing windows provide a rare opportunity to take a detached view of the hustle and bustle of the city centre. A vast selection of cocktails indicates some impressively eccentric minds and mixers at work, and a menu of Scottish-style tapas has a few misses but various tasty and surprisingly well-priced hits including bone marrow with caramelised onions and some native oysters.
WAGAMAMA JAPANESE / FUSION NOODLE BAR
Ocean Terminal, Leith, EH6 6JJ, 0131 553 7036, wagamama.com, £16 (lunch/dinner) From the signature wooden bench seating to the broad ranging menu, functionality mixes with a laidback and welcoming atmosphere at Wagamama’s second Edinburgh branch on the top floor of Ocean Terminal. For delicately flavoured, veg-packed and virtuous, opt for tongue-tantalising itame, or for comfort food, you can’t go wrong with the deep-fried, Panko breadcrumb-coated chicken katsu curry. The lack of branch individuality – even the background music is the same in every branch – may stop it feeling like a fine dining experience, but it’s a very pleasant one nonetheless.
Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at food.list.co.uk 34 THE LIST 14 Nov–12 Dec 2013