TASTE SENSATIONS This year our 80-strong team of restaurant reviewers were kept particularly busy visiting almost 1000 venues for our Eating and Drinking Guide. After the Year of Food and Drink in 2015, Scotland’s two biggest cities turned their focus to the quality and originality of their restaurants, bars and cafés, making the dining scene in Edinburgh and Glasgow a cultural attraction in itself. Here’s a recap on the Newcomer of the Year and New Bar of the Year award winners from the 2016 publication
GLASGOW Eusebi Deli (Newcomer of the Year) Although the Eusebi family have served Italian food to Glasgow for three generations, their newest West End deli continues bringing fresh ideas and innovative cooking styles to the table.
111 by Nico (Newcomer of the Year) This is Nico Simeone’s third stab at a restaurant in Glasgow, having changed name and direction twice before. But 111 by Nico is here to stay with inventive, affordable i ne dining and a training academy for disadvantaged young people. six°north (New Bar of the Year) A Belgian beer bar that manages to bring the taste of Belgique to the heart of Partick. They have around 30 taps showcasing their tipples, as well as other Scottish beers.
EDINBURGH Edinburgh Food Studio (Newcomer of the Year) More of an idea and concept than a restaurant, the Edinburgh Food Studio is a social space for cooking, tasting, researching and enjoying the best of Scotland’s food and drink.
El Cartel Casera Mexicana (Newcomer of the Year) Changing the way we think of Mexican dining entirely, El Cartel is all about energy, enthusiasm and sheer good fun; plus it’s got some of the tastiest tacos in the city. Smith & Gertrude (New Bar of the Year) Wine bars are the thing of Edinburgh this year, popping up in just about every neighbourhood. Stockbridge’s Smith & Gertrude offers a carefully curated wine list and sharing boards that perfectly complement what’s in the glass.
Malcolm Innes (Special Award) Founder of The Outsider, Ting Thai Caravan and WildManWood Pizza, Malcolm Innes has introduced a series of innovative restaurants to Edinburgh through forward thinking and incredible attention to detail.
30 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017
40 KARINE POLWART FORCE OF NATURE
The singer-songwriter and essayist is never one to rest on her laurels. Her EIF show Wind Resistance, with dramaturgy from David Greig, garnered mass acclaim, and she also provided a soothing voiceover for the BBC documentary A Dramatic Decade: Ten Years of The National Theatre of Scotland. (LI)
39 C DUNCAN MERCURIAL
MUSO
Fast-mover Chris Duncan had barely let the heat die down from his
2015 Mercury Prize nomination for debut album Architect when he returned with October’s follow-up The Midnight Sun. If anything, it was more acclaimed than its predecessor. (DP)
38 PITT STREET MARKET PITT STOP
Soft-launched in Christmas 2015, this hipster street food and drink market in an industrial lot off Edinburgh’s Ferry Road has become a beloved weekly destination for families during the day and older diners in the evening. (DP)
37 GIOVANNA EUSEBI FAMILY AFFAIR
Having grown up in the family deli in Shettleston, Giovanna Eusebi was able to fuli l a long-held vision to open a new food and eating space in the West End of Glasgow at the back end of 2015. Eusebi Deli has been gathering prizes and plaudits ever since. (LS)
36 SCOTTISH MENTAL HEALTH ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL CHANGING ATTITUDES
Now in its tenth year, SMHAFF has one main objective: to challenge and change attitudes towards mental health. Throughout October, more than 300 arts events took place across Scotland, including a performance from acclaimed Australian comedian Felicity Ward, a tribute to the late Mischief La-Bas director Ian Smith, and the festival’s i rst commissioned theatre piece, Alan Bissett’s play about Syd Barrett, One Thinks of it All as a Dream. (RM)
35 HIDDEN DOOR
UNDERCOVER ARTISTRY
The guerrilla / squatting multi-arts festival re-inhabited its former King’s Stables Road site this year, with many highlights including music from NZCA Lines and Luke Abbott, theatre from Magnetic North, spoken word from Ron Butlin, and visual art from Ursula Cheng and Sarah Calmus. (NB)