FOOD & DRINK SUPPORTED BY
RECENT OPENINGS
HIGHER SOCIETY
The refurbished club rooms for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in central Edinburgh remain a delectably dependable dining destination, reports Will Bain
W ith the glory of its malts and the serenity of its clubs, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is something of a religious experience to its members. Thankfully, just like church, non-members are also welcome at the Dining Room restaurant and Kaleidoscope bar inside the society’s Queen Street townhouse. A major refurb in July 2016 shifted the restaurant upstairs to the capacious grandeur of the first floor, with the stylish Kaleidoscope bar moving in at ground level. The shift upstairs hasn’t phased the kitchen; the Dining Room remains one of the more dependable fine-dining venues in town. Seasonally changing menus have finesse without fussiness, showcasing deep flavours in elegant dishes: a pillowy ravioli of celeriac and chanterelles is both rich and light, while succulent halibut is warmly underpinned with umami Jerusalem artichokes. Quality produce is handled with skill, so you can expect perfectly pink venison and vegetables which retain character and bite. While the cooking is excellent, the menu perhaps lacks a cutting edge, and the food can feel like it’s playing second fiddle to the drink – although there’s no shame in that, as first and foremost this is a place to worship the whisky gods.
THE DINING ROOM
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 28 Queen Street, New Town, Edinburgh, EH2 1JX, 0131 220 2044, thediningroomedinburgh.co.uk
£22 (3 -course set lunch) / £42 (3 -course set dinner)
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one. menu has sushi, ramen and noodle dishes cooked up from an open kitchen; the headlining sushi burritos are super-sized maki: Japanese in concept, North American in portion.
DISHOOM MODERN INDIAN
3a St Andrew Square, New Town, 0131 202 6406, dishoom.com, £19 (lunch/dinner)
Glasgow ALCHEMILLA
MIDDLE EASTERN BISTRO
26 Argyle Street, Finnieston, 0141 337 6060, thisisalchemilla.com, £21 (lunch/dinner) Snuggled into a small shopfront amid the crowned heads of gastronomic Finnieston, this stylish new arrival specialises in thrilling combinations of flavour and texture. The light, wood-filled room hosts a smattering of reclaimed tables and a chic bar dotted with comfy leather dining seats offering a view of the open kitchen, where chef Rosie Healey (an absconder from the London Ottolenghi operation) performs some of the delicious alchemy suggested by the name. Small and medium sized plates arrive looking undramatic but soon reveal some rich Middle Eastern flavours and clever touches.
TEMAKI FAR EAST FUSION
113 Hope Street, City Centre, 0141 248 1869, temakiglasgow.co.uk, £8 (lunch) / £12 (dinner) Occupying a small spot on Hope Street, Temaki is in the first wave of places bringing sushi burritos to Scotland. A large-scale renovation project revealed some original cornicing and wood panelling which blend in with the hip decor. Music comes from a DJ mixing funk and R&B and gives the place a bar-like atmosphere, though at the time of going to press a full drinks licence awaits. Street food inspired, the
SOY DIVISION VEGAN CAFE
51 Kilmarnock Road, Southside, 07702 027676, fb.com/soydivisionglasgow, £13 (lunch) Knowingly kitsch, life-affirming, puntastic and even dog-welcoming, Soy Division – the first vegan café in Glasgow’s Southside – has made the transition from Farmers Market stall to cosy neighbourhood hangout extremely well. From early morning, breakfast rolls are stuffed with ‘bacon’ or a ‘square sausage’, while daily specials such as a ‘mince’ round, chickpea curry with corn couscous or lasagne are generous if not wildly imaginative. Beyond tasty soy lattes and a host of teas, the puds – including brownies and raw cheesecakes – are a standout.
Edinburgh
SIX°NORTH CRAFT BEER BAR
24 Howe Street, New Town, 0131 225 6490, sixdnorth.co.uk, £12 (lunch) / £14 (dinner) The onus here is on Belgian beer, though house brews are actually made in Aberdeenshire, in a spot six degrees of latitude north of Belgium. Leaf through a tome containing detailed information on hundreds of beers (it’s available on your smartphone or one of the bar’s tablets if you’re firmly committed to millennial culture), although beer fearers needn’t stress: there’s also an impressive wine and spirits list, including 20 varieties of gin. In a further break with tradition, there’s no need to hit up the kebab shop after a few pints, as the kitchen serves everything from scallops to steak, with the meat and cheese- filled sharing platter a decent pick for your beer (and reading) adventures.
There hasn’t been this much excitement about a local opening since Krispy Kreme brought the M8 to a standstill in 2013, with Dishoom pulling out all the stops for their first restaurant outside London. The completely gutted
1920s former office feels like something from a more romantic time, with green stained-glass windows and dividers splitting the dining room into cosy sections, belying its bustle and buzz. The food is based around influences brought to Bombay’s café scene by Iranian immigrants, with a tiny bit of colonial Britain thrown in. From a large menu, try cinnamon-seasoned vegetable samosa, coriander-infused lamb sheekh kebab or their creamy, secret-recipe house black dhal.
THE EMPRESS OF BROUGHTON STREET BAR
25 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, 0131 556 6754, fb.com/theempressedinburgh, £12 (lunch) / £17 (dinner) It’s a grand old name for a new Edinburgh bar which sees the team behind Jeramiah’s Taproom on Elm Row taking over the former Mathers, calling time on brown wood and brown beer by exposing some stonework and clearing the bar for a lip-smacking range of craft beers. The main turn from the kitchen are flatbreads topped with combos such as grilled peach and prosciutto or harrisa salmon and squid rings, with burgers, mussels and shareable small plates offering alternates. The impressively inked Empress who inspired the bar’s name is one Maud Wagner, an early 20th-century US tattoo artist.
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
42 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2017