Restaurant Mark Greenaway, Edinburgh

When planning my trip to Edinburgh I headed to Twitter for suggestions of where to dine and I think it was the chef of Losehill House who suggested I try Mark Greenaway's restaurant. He sent me a link to this blog review which kind of sealed the deal for me and I booked us in for lunch on the Tuesday (annoyingly the last day of our holiday, which meant that we would have to set off home very shortly after eating, but it was the only time we were free).

Although I was looking forward to eating at Mark Greenaway's restaurant, Tuesday came round far too quickly, (doesn't the last day of every holiday?) and after being rudely kicked out of our self catering flat at 10am (why so early???) we had three and a half hours to kill before lunch. The rain had returned (after three really good days, it was bound to return at some point) so we decided to hit the shops, after all what better to way to whet the appetite than a tour around the food halls?!

Time for lunch and we find Mark Greenaway located at 12 Picardy Place, opposite the rather soulless Omni (a complex full of chain bars and restaurants, a gym and a cinema). Thankfully where we were headed was just a little more sophisticated. With dark grey walls, high ceilings, smart lighting and a lot of stone, the room felt cool as we were shown to our table (no bad thing; it seems that everyone else in Edinburgh thinks that us tourists can't cope with the cooler Scottish temperature, cranking the heating up to the max and leaving me in a hot pickle).

Our waiter was as equally smart and, dressed in grey, he complemented the room nicely, but under that cool exterior was a warm personality and the service was easy, chatty and comfortable from the off. And although we were sat in a large room with only one table of two joining us, some chilled out and sometimes jazzy, music softly filled the room and with this we felt free to chat rather than whisper.

With two menus on offer; the market menu and the a la carte, I really wanted to stick to the first. It's available from Tuesday to Saturday from 12-3 & 5.30- 6.45 and offers three courses for an amazing £20. There was even a paired wine flight for about the £15 mark. However with only one meat option for main, pork, and the offer of a delicious sounding beef main on the a la carte I ended up with the more expensive option... and on hearing that I was the only one drinking, our waiter suggested that he choose a glass to accompany each course, which was the perfect option for us and a really nice touch.

After a delicious amuse bouche of an espuma (or foam to you and me) my meal kicked off with a pork cheek pave. Pork cheek is a favourite of mine, it's packed with flavour and when cooked long and slow it is surprisingly tender. Here my pork cheeks were served cold, the meat packed into the cobblestone shape and wrapped in a beetroot leather. With some apple jelly on the plate the simple flavours worked nicely and although there was some sea buckthorn on there, it was served in very moderate quantities meaning that I didn't have to have a GBM moment and declare it the most vile of ingredients. As well as tasting good, the dish looked amazing with pretty edible flowers adorning the plate.

Gav was happy enough with the market menu and his starter of duck egg with duck ham (yes, you read that right, prosciutto made from duck!) and a duck croquette looked great and, he reported, tasted good too. The ham was a real revelation for him and with its salty flavours, it was perfect with the rich duck egg. Duck croquette was made up of soft and tender meat and the only complaint I heard from him was that he didn't like the pan it was served in as it made it a bit fiddly to eat (but given that this probably just meant that he couldn't eat it quickly enough, this is in turn, was actually a compliment).

My main was that ever so tempting beef dish. Thick, beautifully tender slices of sirloin were perfectly seasoned making for some really tasty meat. Served with a small piece of short rib which had been cooked away for so long it was sticky with its own juices, this really was a joy for any meat lover. And, as if my carnivorous cravings hadn't been satisfied enough, there was bone marrow 'crumble' too; slow cooked beef stuffed into a bone and topped with a crumb. Simple sides of confit potatoes (or croquettes), a horseradish cream and a rich red wine jus (which was served on the side) ensured that the focus was where it should be; on the meat. I was in heaven!

And although Gav had the slightly lighter option of the pork belly, it was perfectly satisfactory. There was a surprising amount of meat (opposed to fat) to his portion and the skin was good and crispy with a thin crackling consistency. Again, simple sides of mash and apple kept the focus on the porky star of the show and he enjoyed the comforting feel to the dish (remember, the weather was pretty vile outside).

Looking at the dessert menu, I spotted a true favourite of mine; lemon tart. In my opinion there's nothing better than a zingy, refreshing end to a meal and I tend to go for it whenever I see it. However the inclusion of ingredients such as watermelon, coconut jelly and pistachio purée in the description did concern me. Why mess around with such perfection?! My plate arrived and I was glad to see that although these ingredients were present, they didn't actually interfere with the tart itself (which came in sections scattered around the plate). It was good to see extra dollops of the citrusy yuzu sauce dotted around along with a tube of something which I can only describe as a thick and creamy lemon curd. Whatever it was, it packed a punch and really satisfied my requirement for something refreshing. Coconut jelly was pleasant enough, but not required, the watermelon added extra freshness to the plate, but I didn't 'get' the pistachio purée as it didn't seem to work with anything for me. Having said this, there was enough lemon on the plate to meet the requirement of any lemon tart and I was happy.

Gav went for peanut and caramel cheesecake. Served as a mille-feuille, with a strip of dark chocolate, salt caramel and a white chocolate tuille it was like no other cheesecake I have seen and it was stunning. First appearances would suggest that this was a dainty dish, one to be enjoyed on a hot summers day, but once the hot caramel sauce was poured, the dish transformed into one more suiting to the weather outside and one that, surprisingly, satisfied Gav's cravings for sticky toffee pudding (that's the trouble with too much fine dining; the lack of a proper pud). It's something that Gav will remember for some time; a real feat for a dessert from a lunch time offer menu.

We declined coffee, as we really did need to head back home, and left feeling perfectly satisfied. The food had been absolutely spot on (and it had been good to see that the market menu was as interesting as the a la carte), our waiter had been professional but personable and he'd shown off his skills as sommelier in every wine pairing he made. And with the bill coming in at less than £90, the wallet was happy too.

One to return to... and one for you to try...

Angels with Bagpipes, Edinburgh

Angels with Bagpipes is in the Good Food Guide. The Good Food Guide is my second port of call for restaurant recommendations (following Twitter). Angles with Bagpipes has a lunch deal consisting of three courses for £15.95. So... today we ate at Angels with Bagpipes.

Situated on the Royal Mile (say a 10 minute walk from the flat we're staying in), AwB was ideally located as the bad weather (which had plagued us on Thursday) was threatening to return. It's a smart restaurant located on a strip saturated with bland chains and traditional pubs serving up cheap grub. To find somewhere serving up decent freshly prepared food here is pretty good going.

We'd drooled over the menu before setting off and although the a la carte looked tempting, the lunch deal had enough to hold our interest and meant that we could save a fair few pennies.

Remembering an amazing cauliflower soup with blue cheese Gav had a year or so ago at Devonshire Arms, I had to have it here for my starter here and I was glad that I did. Creamy and salty (with the cheese) it was exactly what I needed given the weather (and my hangover). It was a decent portion too with my bowl being a lot deeper than I'd expected.

Gav had the croque madame which was served with a fried egg (the menu says quail, but that yolk looks pretty big for a quails egg) and some wild mushrooms. It was simple and tasty, although I think Gav would have liked a slightly bigger madame!

For mains it was going to be the mackerel or the lamb for me and in the end I opted for the lamb. It was a decent serving and the meat was well cooked; it literally fell apart at the touch of my fork, but was still pink. However, it was a bit bland tasting, which was a shame, but didn't kill the dish for me. On the plus side the gravy was flavoursome and the mash was perfectly creamy.

Gav had gone for the mackerel and he regretted it. It was a 'light' portion as one fillet was served on some beetroot and fennel. Essentially, he needed some potato on the side and he was envious of my mash. Having said that, there was nothing wrong with anything on the plate and the fish was beautifully cooked with soft flesh and crispy barbecued skin.

I had been craving cheese for some time and with the savoury option only adding an extra £1.25 to the cost of lunch and Gav craving a bit of stodge, we both went for it. Three decent chunks of cheese (I forget the names of them) were served with an ample supply of crackers and some rather tasty pear chutney.

Three courses and a bottle of Scottish cider for me and a beer for him along with a bottle of still water left us happy and the bill of around £47 left us even happier! With friendly and efficient service, a pleasant atmosphere, good food and an amazing lunch deal this is certainly one to try...

The Bon Vivant, Edinburgh

I have had the pleasure of eating at some pretty amazing places this weekend. Kitchin and Martin Wishart are probably well considered to be 'the best', but you won't see me blogging about either of them. After all, what could I possibly say about either of them that hasn't been said before? Yes, the food was excellent, yes I'm glad we dined at both of them, but aside from churning out the usual gushing crap, what else could I say? The whole thought of trying to be clever and trying to tell you about the complex food combinations and balancing acts simply scares and bores me!

And, if I'm honest, it's partly because neither restaurant blew me away. Maybe it's because the sommelier at Sat Bains was the best I've ever come across, because the service at Dinner was super slick and because the food at St John was amazing... Of course, some of the dishes at both Kitchin and MW were fantastic; razor clams at Kitchin were perfection in a clamshell and a beetroot macaroon with horseradish cream at MW was a culinary masterpiece, but my experiences, on a whole, did not blow me away.

And, as I sat at The Bon Vivant (a recommendation from one of our favourite barmen; someone who knows how to mix the perfect drink for me and therefore understands my taste), I pondered on the fact that my experience had far surpassed those of Kitchin and MW. Yes, ok, the food was not as complex and the decor wasn't as pristine but the atmosphere (and waiter) ensured that I was totally comfortable and the food was exactly what we were after (good quality, well presented dishes for a fraction of the price at both Kitchin and MW).

Impressed to find a number (10?) of champagnes served by the glass we decided to splurge a little and went for an aperitif of our favourite Veuve Cliquot. At a tenner a glass, this was some treat, but with reasonably priced bottles of wine (including another favourite of ours - Nero D'Avola for £18), we felt that the budget could be stretched a little.

Starters are served as 'bites' or full starter portions and although the bites would have made for easy sharing food, we decided to order full starters each. My brie was breaded in panko breadcrumbs and deep fried  making the cheese perfectly gooey. It's not a starter I would usually go for, as it's all a bit safe, but I wanted to try the panzanella salad it was served with (mainly because it was the freshest sounding aspect of a very rich menu). And, it was pretty safe, but it was, well, you know, nice! The freshness of the salad balanced out the richness of the cheese and it was an ample (but not daunting) serving.

Gav went for haggis pakora; a real fusion dish (although this time there were only two cuisines, not the three I had in my dish with Japanese breadcrumbs, French brie and Tuscan salad). There were three decent chunks of haggis which was well spiced and suited the pakora coating well. They came with a raita which had a bit of a kick to it, but as haggis is hardly the hottest dish in the world, the heat of the chilli in the raita wasn't overkill.

Onto mains and I had to go with another of my favourites; the venison. One big fat lump of tasty, juicy, pink meat came with a crust of pistachios and hazelnuts. Served on a bed of kale (I think) and one fondant potato, it was a perfectly satisfying serving.

Gav had duck which, again, was pink and tasty. The menu had said that it would come with macaroni, which it did; a bizarre but Scottish addition to the dish and a good alternative to the standard potato! There was plenty of veg on the dish too, including a cute little bundle of green beans wrapped up in some pancetta.

I have no idea how Gav fitted in dessert, but I guess the chocolate torte with pistachio ice cream was too much for him to resist... and rightly so. Not only did it look good (have you spotted the beautiful flowers on there?), it tasted good, and was another rich dish. We rounded things off with an Americano and an espresso which came with dinkie petite fours; a nice touch.

With a bill of around £84 this is exceptionally good food for the price; you'd be hard pushed to find something of the same value in Sheffield, never mind about a capital city. It was brilliant and my experience both here and at The Dogs is making me question why I would spend £70 a head ever again...

The Dogs, Edinburgh

I had hoped to finish blogging Rome before heading off to Edinburgh, but sadly that was not to be. Despite having a few days off I just haven't found the time to get any blogging done (although I did manage to get a rather exciting audio tour of Castle Market done for Exposed... look out for it... it'll help anyone wanting to shop down there).

Anyway, we are where we are, and I'm in Edinburgh.

We got here for about 3pm but spent the first few hours getting the lock on our car fixed (as some gits had broken into it the night before). By the time that was sorted we were starving. We hadn't stopped on the way up and, although we had nibbled on a couple of cheese sarnies in the car, we were in need of a decent feed.

As with any holiday, I'd planned our main meals ahead and last night we were due to dine at The Dogs. The Dogs was a Twitter recommendation (thanks @EwanMitchell) and it's also in the Good Food Guide so I reckoned we were onto a winner. Sadly, despite this, I hadn't realised how popular it would be and I hadn't reckoned we'd need to book. And although we were there at 6.20pm on a Thursday night we had to be  squeezed in and we could only have the table for an hour and ten minutes.

This was a shame; it meant that we couldn't enjoy a full 3 course dinner and, once finished, we couldn't sit and chat over our wine. But the waiter had been upfront with us from the start, we didn't have to stay and nobody rushed us, so I didn't and don't hold this against them.

The menu is relatively short with stuff like liver, steak & mackerel on there. It's all good homely stuff and the most of the mains are under £14. I was tempted by the mackerel (I love the stuff) but went for rabbit with chorizo and vegetables.

Two decent sized joints of rabbit were served in a tasty broth with a few bits of chorizo, large chunks of carrots and a few whole mushrooms. It was simple, incredibly so, but tasty. And, given the rain outside (it was pissing it down!), it was the perfect meal. Stupidly I hadn't ordered bread (despite the waiter's recommendation to do so), and with all that tasty broth, it was certainly needed (and some quickly appeared when requested).

Gav went for the flat iron steak which was served with chips and a big fat beef tomato. Again simple, but tasty. The steak was cooked to his liking (rare) & served with a garlic butter. Chips were crispy and well seasoned. Perfect.

By this point I was full, but Gav fancied dessert and he managed to squeeze in a raspberry and rhubarb crumble. It wasn't crumble as we know it as the topping was very light and mostly made up of flaked almonds; this did, however, mean that there was more fruit than usual which was no bad thing.

We shared a bottle of Primitivo which was nice enough; nothing amazing, but easily drinkable and reasonably priced. And with the bill coming in at about £48 I thought it was all pretty good value given the standard of the cooking.

The food wasn't the only thing to impress... the waiters were friendly and helpful. Atmosphere was great; strangely there wasn't any music but this seemed to encourage diners to chat freely. Decor is simple, like the food and the whole experience reminded me of eating in a rustic Italian enoteca where the focus is on simple, well cooked food.

If you're in Edinburgh, give it a go.

Olympic Food Challenge - Montenegro - Pljeskavica & Ajvar

Ah... Montenegro. The last of my Olympic Food Challenge countries... and somewhere that I now reckon I'd like to go on holiday one day.



Along with some beautiful scenary and stunning coast lines, Montenegro has done alright on the Olypmpic medal front achieving quite a few (too many for me to count at 10.30pm) despite it attending for the first time in 2008.

Researching dishes from Montenegro left me dazed and confused. I'd heard that the cuisine is heavily influence by Italy, but try as I might, I could not find a truly Italian style dish which was native to Montenegro. and most of the dishes I found were Serbian. Yeah I found a few sites talking about antipasto; a selection of meats and cheeses but that just felt like a bit of a cop out, so I kept on looking.

Eventually I set my sights on lamb cooked in milk, but when the time came to buy the ingredients and start cooking, I realised that I had no interest what-so-ever in cooking the dish, so the research re-commenced.

And that's when I landed on a couple of recipes for pljeskavica and ajvar. Pljeskavica are basically burgers made with THREE different meats (beef, pork and lamb), paprika and onion and ajvar is a a hot and smoky sauce made with roasted peppers, aubergine, chillies and paprika.

It was all pretty easy to make, and although the roasting and peeling of the peppers and aubergines was a tad annoying, it was worth it as the ajvar was absolutely gorgeous and I would like to think that I'd make the effort to make it again. The burgers were also very tasty; I think the three meats helped and I know the paprika certainly did.

The burgers can be served in pittas or on their own with a bit of salad. As I've been out for lunch today, I wanted to keep it light, so I just served the burger with rocket and tomatoes and some of that lovely avjar.

Another one to repeat.

Olympic Food Challenge - Laos - Laab Pet

When the Olympics ended I wondered what I was going to do with myself. I'd enjoyed watching the sport and I'd greatly enjoyed taking part in the Olympic Food Challenge.

Time, however, moves on and although I was originally glad to have the opportunity to pick up some more dishes to be cooked throughout the Paralympics, I have slacked off a little and I've left them to the very last minute. Now both of my dishes must be completed this weekend.... And with this being one of the sunniest weekends of the year, I am not impressed with the fact that I'm in the kitchen rather than the beer garden!

Having said that I did manage to squeeze in a fabulous 'wig and tonic' at the Wig and Pen yesterday afternoon. A combination of grapefruit infused gin, lychee liquor and tonic, it was beautiful, and perfect for sipping on one of the last few (and probably one of the first few) days of summer.

Delicious as it was, I managed to pull myself away from the cocktails and the stunning Paradise Square and headed back to the kitchen to get on with my next dish which hailed from Laos. 



Laos sent three athletes to the Olympics this year and one to the Paralympics, but they are yet to win a medal in either competition. But, of course, that's of no real consequence to me as I'm all about the food! Now Laos is situated next to both Thailand and Vietnam so I figured I was on for a good meal, especially when Twitter friend @JoolsCyprien offered a recipe for a ground duck salad (or laab pet) and even posted me some of his special 'fire-powder' to make the dish really special.

The dish was pretty simple and easy to make, which is a god send when it comes to these 'ere Olympic Food Challenges.

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts, skin removed and diced 
3 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1tbs roasted rice powder ( toast rice in dry pan until golden brown, left to cool and and ground to a fine powder in a coffee grinder)
3 shallots, finely sliced
2 lemon grass stalks, finely sliced
5 spring onions, finely sliced
1/2-1 tsp roasted chilli powder (or fire-powder)
5 Kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
Pinch of sugar
Handful of fresh mint leaves, torn
Shredded iceberg lettuce leaves
strips of cucumber

I prepared all the ingredients first, starting off with the duck which I set about marinading in the fish sauce and lime juice. Next up was the rice powder, which smells gorgeous once all ground up.

I then made the spicy salad mix by mixing the rice powder, shallots, lemon grass, spring onions, fire powder (I only used 1/2 tsp - thank god!), Kaffir lime leaves (I could only find dried, but I'm guessing fresh would have been better), sugar and mint leaves.

The duck was cooked in all its juices over a high heat, until the liquid had evaporated and then mixed with the spicy salad mix and served on the lettuce and cucumber.

Wow! This was good. I've got a thing for spicy salads (remember the Vietnamese rare beef salad I made recently?) and this really hit the spot. It was fresh, incredibly tasty and hot. Oh my, it was HOT (in a good way). That fire-powder is amazing stuff and I have a feeling that it will take us a lifetime to work our way through the bag that Jools very kindly sent to us!

This is something that I am definitely going to do again. It was quick and easy and I think it'll work well with most meats. In fact, I'm going to have half a pound of lamb mince spare after my Olympic Food Challenge tonight so I might just make some for our lunch tomorrow...!