• Added: 26th of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Edinburgh EH2 4EL
0131 225 9717

christianjw said
Dark cellar wine bar hits it off with an airy seafood bistro.
Whighams used to be the best place to take a first date in Edinburgh, hands down. The basement bar was based around a series of alcoves, each a cosy bare-stone candle-lit nook, intimate but not overbearingly so. Plus, you could show your immense sophistication by knowledgeably opining on the many wines offered. This was first and foremost a wine bar and its great forte was the immense number of vintages available by the glass. Allowing you to really chop and change, do a little global tour of Old and New World tipples.

Much of all this still stands, but what's changed these days is that the bar has been quadrupled in size and underground excavations have added a sizeable restaurant. This has opened up things quite a bit, so alongside the Eastern European vault feel, you now have a bright and breezy chrome-and-beech extension changing the whole feel of the thing.

The place is definitely worth a stop on any West End bar crawl, but if you're looking for food, you won't be disappointed either. For the most part this is a a medley of reasonably priced seafood dishes among the freshest in town. The plump Loch Fyne oysters make a tempting starter and the seafood platter (with phenomenal steamed langoustines) a great main. Some of the seafood ends up in salads which are also excellent; but if none of that tempts, there are also some tender lamb dishes and a pretty good mushroom stroganoff.

Expect two courses to cost about 13. MonSat noon-10pm; Sun 12.30pm-10pm.

• Added: 26th of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Restaurants

Edinburgh EH2 4PA

christianjw said
Wannaburgers for Edinburghers (and others too)
With more-or-less only one thing on the menu of this upscale burger bar, you'd hope they'd get it right and thankfully they do. Here prime local patties get the homecooked treatment before gracing premium sesame buns to deliver Edinburgh's best burgers.

There are two Wannaburger outlets in Edinburgh, one on the Royal Mile, the other tucked away in the West End. Both share a similar decor: exposed wood millennial minimalism fused with 1970s browns and oranges. The West End one has a few cosy booths too.

The burgers come briskly and are huge taking a bite is a bit of a challenge and range from classic renditions to surprisingly complex concoctions: take the Aussie, a beetroot, a fried egg, pineapple, cheddar, salad, mayo and relish combo. The prices however match the sophistication, with the price of a burger running from 6 all the way up to 8.50 and that doesn't even include fries or a portion of the excellent onion rings (both 2). Veggies can find a good selection of burgers too, with bean burger versions offered for many of the combos, and some portabella mushroom choices too.

To complete the American dining experience, wash the whole lot down with a shake. It's done to perfection here in all sorts of flavours: strawberry and banana is rich, creamy and delicious, the peanut butter and banana almost heavy to make it a dessert.

All very enjoyable, until you realise the two of you just cracked out 20 on two burgers and drinks. But with the quality is right up there, its easy to take a little overcharging with good grace... Open Sun-Thu 11am9pm, Fri & Sat 11am10pm.

• Added: 26th of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Restaurants

Edinburgh EH1 1NB
0131 557 6136

christianjw said
Culinary mayhem, veggie style
Sophistication and bohemia meet at Black Bo's beneath a name and a neon sign that you'd expect to announce a speakeasy or jazz den. Instead this bare-wood candle-lit place on an Old Town backstreet has been a stalwart of the Edinburgh's sedate vegetarian dining scene for years. Tried and tested, its creative flair luring veggies and omnivores back time and again (... and in recent years a few meat dishes that have crept onto the menu to broaden the appeal...).

Apart from the intimate and unpretentious setting, the main draw is the food which blows away any ideas you might have of vegetarian food being necessarily bland and stodgy. Instead the regularly changing menu is a highly inventive one.

Starters include smoked tofu with sun-ride tomatoes and the spicy artichoke with apples, grapes and almonds or the satisfyingly rich mushrooms with blue cheese baked in port.

But the most ambitious concoctions are reserved for the main courses, where flavours thrown together with a healthy disregard for convention, even though the result is that flavours sometimes clash, not just challenge one another: the sweet-potato souffle and goat's cheese with baked banana should in truth be kept well away from that peppery sauce; but I suppose sometimes you have to overstep the mark to find it....

Whatever crazy departure you might have embraced for your main course, you can ground yourself again with a trusted and excellent dessert: the frangipani tart is almond heaven, the ginger and lime cheesecake wonderfully sharp and creamy... or continue the gastronomic revolution with a chilli brownie.....

Two courses run 15; Mon-Thurs 69.30pm, Fri & Sat 610.30pm.

ps, there's a rather cool and tiny pub of the same name next door. Sort of rustic but with urbane cool on hand thanks to a turntable and regular DJ's spinning ambient tracks.

• Added: 26th of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Restaurants

Edinburgh EH1 1PE

christianjw said
Never mind the Edinburghers, here're come the Wannaburgers...
With more-or-less only one thing on the menu of this upscale burger bar, you'd hope they'd get it right and thankfully they do. Here prime local patties get the homecooked treatment before gracing premium sesame buns to deliver Edinburgh's best burgers.

There are two Wannaburger outlets in Edinburgh, one on the Royal Mile, the other tucked away in the West End. Both share a similar decor: exposed wood millennial minimalism fused with 1970s browns and oranges. The West End one has a few cosy booths too.

The burgers come briskly and are huge taking a bite is a bit of a challenge and range from classic renditions to surprisingly complex concoctions: take the Aussie, a beetroot, a fried egg, pineapple, cheddar, salad, mayo and relish combo. The prices however match the sophistication, with the price of a burger running from 6 all the way up to 8.50 and that doesn't even include fries or a portion of the excellent onion rings (both 2). Veggies can find a good selection of burgers too, with bean burger versions offered for many of the combos, and some portabella mushroom choices too.

To complete the American dining experience, wash the whole lot down with a shake. It's done to perfection here in all sorts of flavours: strawberry and banana is rich, creamy and delicious, the peanut butter and banana almost heavy to make it a dessert.

All very enjoyable, until you realise the two of you just cracked out 20 on two burgers and drinks. But with the quality is right up there, its easy to take a little overcharging with good grace... Open Sun-Thu 11am9pm, Fri & Sat 11am10pm.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Edinburgh EH14 1AL
0131 444 1911

christianjw said
Urbane sports bar with good breakfast.
The clean lines of its airy beech and crome pub decor won't win any prizes for originality, but the Park Bar is a solid choice to watch big screen sporting action southwest of the centre of town.

Normally you'd only drop in if it was handy, but on Sat and Sun before noon the breakfasts, which include haggis and black pudding in the cooked Scots version are 2-for-1. This makes it a big draw when two people can have a breakfast in pleasant surroundings, browse the weekend papers (supplied) for around 4 per head including tea.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Edinburgh EH1 3SB
0131 556 2788

christianjw said
Gay pub grub
Though it's been a major landmark in Edinburgh's tiny gay district for over twenty years, it's not that obvious until you're inside amid the overwhelmingly gay clientele, cheerfully camp servers and the never-ending stream of Kylie hits (with literally nothing else played for the hour or so that I was there). But don't let that worry you if you're straight since you'll certainly not be made to feel uneasy.

There's nothing particularly exciting on the menu, which is based mostly around comfort pub food, but seems nonetheless to be a big hit among patrons who savour piles of nachos, chilli and pasta dishes (which include macaroni cheese in a kitschy nod to all things loveably un-hip). Even so the food could do with some more zest and fresher ingredients, although the salmon salad I had grilled and served on a bed of organic lettuce (I could tell because it's grittiness suggested it hadn't been washed as well as it might) was simple, really quite good and very filling for only 7.

The Cafe opens at 10am on Saturdays and Sundays and is probably a reliable spot for a good hangover-curing cooked breakfast.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: Aberdeen
• Category: Restaurants

Aberdeen AB10 1SN
01224 639500

christianjw said
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Don't be put off by the fact that Howies is a chain. Neither does it serve fast food, nor is it overly formulaic. Instead it's success is based on local restaurants that have proved themselves among discerning local diners for a long time, allowing it to add branches throughout Edinburgh and more widely in Scotland. All serve contemporary food, sometimes with a bit of a Scottish flavour, using locally bought produce and at set meal prices which help avoid runaway costs: two courses go for 18 (14 MonThurs before 7.30pm; three for 20).

The one I ate in was in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield where the sleek minimalist wood and a high-ceilinged whitewashed walls with traditional cornices had much the same flavour as the. There's nothing mind-blowingly experimental here, rather the food concentrates on executing traditional dishes with flair. Presentation is spot on with every dish.

The menu changes monthly and according to season, so perhaps its of limited use to pick on any particular dishes. Suffice to say though that the sweet potato soup or the balls of goats cheese drizzled with raspberry compote both formed an excellent way to start a meal. Mains included a good tangy nutloaf and an excellent roast chicken with creamy mash and accompanied with a strange but surprisingly delicious large tomato stuffed with olives and capsicum. Both came with tasty salads.

Howies describes its banoffee pie as infamous, so clearly that was one dessert that had to be tried. In the event it was great, a lightly whipped topping, burying some real bananery zing, but thankfully not the treacly base that so often weighs the dessert down.

Any one of the restaurants can get busy with groups, so it's as well to call ahead: 01224 639500.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: St Andrews
• Category: Restaurants

St Andrews KY16 9AD

christianjw said
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Don't be put off by the fact that Howies is a chain. Neither does it serve fast food, nor is it overly formulaic. Instead it's success is based on local restaurants that have proved themselves among discerning local diners for a long time, allowing it to add branches throughout Edinburgh and more widely in Scotland. All serve contemporary food, sometimes with a bit of a Scottish flavour, using locally bought produce and at set meal prices which help avoid runaway costs: two courses go for 18 (14 MonThurs before 7.30pm; three for 20).

The one I ate in was in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield where the sleek minimalist wood and a high-ceilinged whitewashed walls with traditional cornices had much the same flavour as the. There's nothing mind-blowingly experimental here, rather the food concentrates on executing traditional dishes with flair. Presentation is spot on with every dish.

The menu changes monthly and according to season, so perhaps its of limited use to pick on any particular dishes. Suffice to say though that the sweet potato soup or the balls of goats cheese drizzled with raspberry compote both formed an excellent way to start a meal. Mains included a good tangy nutloaf and an excellent roast chicken with creamy mash and accompanied with a strange but surprisingly delicious large tomato stuffed with olives and capsicum. Both came with tasty salads.

Howies describes its banoffee pie as infamous, so clearly that was one dessert that had to be tried. In the event it was great, a lightly whipped topping, burying some real bananery zing, but thankfully not the treacly base that so often weighs the dessert down.

Any one of the restaurants can get busy with groups, so it's as well to call ahead: 01334 478 479.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Restaurants

Edinburgh EH1 2HG
0131 225 1721

christianjw said
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Don't be put off by the fact that Howies is a chain. Neither does it serve fast food, nor is it overly formulaic. Instead it's success is based on local restaurants that have proved themselves among discerning local diners for a long time, allowing it to add branches throughout Edinburgh and more widely in Scotland. All serve contemporary food, sometimes with a bit of a Scottish flavour, using locally bought produce and at set meal prices which help avoid runaway costs: two courses go for 18 (14 MonThurs before 7.30pm; three for 20).

The one I ate in was in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield where the sleek minimalist wood and a high-ceilinged whitewashed walls with traditional cornices had much the same flavour as the. There's nothing mind-blowingly experimental here, rather the food concentrates on executing traditional dishes with flair. Presentation is spot on with every dish.

The menu changes monthly and according to season, so perhaps its of limited use to pick on any particular dishes. Suffice to say though that the sweet potato soup or the balls of goats cheese drizzled with raspberry compote both formed an excellent way to start a meal. Mains included a good tangy nutloaf and an excellent roast chicken with creamy mash and accompanied with a strange but surprisingly delicious large tomato stuffed with olives and capsicum. Both came with tasty salads.

Howies describes its banoffee pie as infamous, so clearly that was one dessert that had to be tried. In the event it was great, a lightly whipped topping, burying some real bananery zing, but thankfully not the treacly base that so often weighs the dessert down.

Any one of the restaurants can get busy with groups, so it's as well to call ahead: 0131 225 1721.

Open daily noon-2.30pm & 610.30pm.

• Added: 2nd of June 2007
• Area: Edinburgh
• Category: Restaurants

Edinburgh EH2 4PH
0131 225 5553

christianjw said
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Sleek, dependable, contemporary and a wee bit Scottish.
Don't be put off by the fact that Howies is a chain. Neither does it serve fast food, nor is it overly formulaic. Instead it's success is based on local restaurants that have proved themselves among discerning local diners for a long time, allowing it to add branches throughout Edinburgh and more widely in Scotland. All serve contemporary food, sometimes with a bit of a Scottish flavour, using locally bought produce and at set meal prices which help avoid runaway costs: two courses go for 18 (14 MonThurs before 7.30pm; three for 20).

The one I ate in was in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield where the sleek minimalist wood and a high-ceilinged whitewashed walls with traditional cornices had much the same flavour as the. There's nothing mind-blowingly experimental here, rather the food concentrates on executing traditional dishes with flair. Presentation is spot on with every dish.

The menu changes monthly and according to season, so perhaps its of limited use to pick on any particular dishes. Suffice to say though that the sweet potato soup or the balls of goats cheese drizzled with raspberry compote both formed an excellent way to start a meal. Mains included a good tangy nutloaf and an excellent roast chicken with creamy mash and accompanied with a strange but surprisingly delicious large tomato stuffed with olives and capsicum. Both came with tasty salads.

Howies describes its banoffee pie as infamous, so clearly that was one dessert that had to be tried. In the event it was great, a lightly whipped topping, burying some real bananery zing, but thankfully not the treacly base that so often weighs the dessert down.

Any one of the restaurants can get busy with groups, so it's as well to call ahead: 0131 225 5553.