No Expert …but I know what I like – Food Blog, Restaurant reviews
Reviews, Guides & Maps
Joseph Pearce’s is a great find for Brunch, it is a quirky and relaxing venue just a short walk from Princes Street, far enough away to avoid the usual tourist traps. The menu has a strong Swedish influence that is just right for the Scottish weather.
Locals tell me that this is a lively bar in the evenings, especially in the Summer.
If you are doing the tourist bit in Scotland you may well make a trip to see the Mega-structure that is the Falkirk Wheel (It is used to lift and lower barges from the lower to the upper canal). The purpose build Wheelhouse restaurant is located nearby to attract the passing visitors, and based on our recent visit, it is streets ahead of the type of venue you normally find in Tourist locations. The Restaurant has an eclectic menu, and provides good quality, well cooked food.
The Wheelhouse is a bit more expensive than other local restaurants, but worth it for what it delivers. The menu is split into large and small plates, we shared several small plates as starters and went for the large plates as main courses and finished with dessert.
The small plates included a light goats cheese tart with sun blushed tomatoes, a delicious seafood tempura and a selection of Pakoras.
The large plates included lamb chops with mint pesto – 4 small nicely cooked chops. Chicken Balmoral – Chicken breast served on a bed of Haggis with a choice of Whiskey or Caramalised Onion gravy.
They also have a reasonable wine list with a small selection of wines by the glass and serve the award winning Speyside Glenlivit sparkling mineral water, which I had not had before and will now look out for, as it makes a pleasant change from the more common Highland Spring or Perrier water.
The conclusion was that the Wheelhouse was worth a visit even without the attraction of the nearby “Wheel”, which to quote the locals “Disnae look like a Wheel!”.
Chino Latino is the restaurant at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel and as hotel restaurants go this is a winner, especially if you are into Pan Asian cuisine.
The name does not really fit, I believe the Latino part is meant to apply to the bar which does have a reasonable range of “latin” cocktails. The bar is comfortable, but too big to be cosy and the service is rather slow. It’s fine if you’re not in a rush.
The food here used to be stunning, it’s not as good now, but the kitchen can still deliver some excellent dishes. The food is designed for sharing. We had a really good duck dish with kumquats, absolutely yummy. The grilled scallops were also excellent, and the sashimi served with homemade wasabi was a treat. They were a bit heavy handed with the salt though on a couple of other dishes, the ribs in particular were a problem.
The prices here are pretty steep, but if you can get a Top Table deal on the food (we got 40% off on our visit), they are more manageable. It is hard though not to overindulge on the cocktails – I would recommend the watermelon martini for dessert!
I would also recommend bringing a torch to read the menu as the lighting can be a problem at some of the tables.
UPDATE : September 2011 – Back again, one of the highlights of this meal was a Thai Curry (for sharing – as all the food here is), the presentation was very different and the dish itself was lovely. Seriously good Pan Asian food. My only real complaint is the room, which although atmospheric, fails on one of the most important aspects of restaurant dining – You must be able to read the menu. The font is too small and the lighting design is totally impractical
UPDATE : January 2023
Hotel & Restaurant closed, now a Hyatt hotel, click here to see article for details.
What’s coming in December
Heading north for Christmas.
Scotland is well known for great ingredients. Venison, Scallops, Langoustine etc, but how do the chefs north of the border compare with say London? We have chosen two of Edinburghs top restaurants for comparison.
One an established classic, the other cutting edge. They are:-
We would also like to wish all our readers a Merry Xmas & Happy New Year.
Oh and on January 1st 2010 we shall be awarding our Best and Worst restaurant of 2009.
This gastropub has only been open a few months. It is certainly going to be my place of choice next time I am trying to escape the crowds on Oxford Street. It’s refreshing to visit somewhere modern that does not feel like part of some huge souless “All Bar One” style chain.
The Adam & Eve is part of a chain though (Geronimo Inns), however it somehow managed to feel like a one off.
Admittedly it was a quiet Sunday evening when I visited, so I can not judge how good it will be at busier times, but the staff were friendly and efficient. They had a good selection of wine, beer and spirits. The Food menu was inviting. I had a very tasty Pumpkin and Onion Tart with some fresh salad leaves. The burger also looked really good.
A friend who is emigrating to Australia and is loath to pay the 50% tax on importing some of her fine wine collection, had an informal wine tasting. We started with a glass of Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal 2002. The price of this puts it outside most peoples range (mine included), it is a champagne you tend to associate with footballers wife’s and rappers – money no object, all about the bling!. So it was a great experience to try a glass. Wow – it was absolutely stunning, a dry beautifully balanced wine, with a lovely biscuit bouquet. I do not know why but I rather expected this to be over hyped, instead it was undoubtedly the best champagne I have ever had or probably likely to have.
This was followed by a glass of Bollinger Grand Année vintage 1992, another lovely champagne with a distinct nutty flavour. We also had a selection of Penfolds Grange wines. These and the other wines at the tasting are listed above, and I would struggle to find superlatives to describe them. Suffice to say I now feel utterly spoiled. Thank you Rita.