Favourite Restaurant

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 12 Aug 2004, 23:34

What is your favourite restaurant?

I love eating out, just don't do it enough.

Last time I was out and spending too much money was at my friend's birthday at end of July, we had lunch on the balcony at Harvey Nics in the sun (and it was a Monday). The food and service was fab, expensive but WORTH it!

Also like Omar Khayam, Thai Lemongrass, Blue at the Traverse, First Coast on Dalry Road, David Bann, Le Sept, Pancho Villas, Giuliannos etc. etc. Just love eating out. Have also had lunch at Old Pier - new chef apparently - nice pubby food.

Also Restaurant at Lodge on the Loch, Onich, near Fort William (amazing romantic rooms) http://www.freedomglen.co.uk/lodge/fg_ll_001.asp - one of the best places I have ever stayed.

What are your favourites??

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 12 Aug 2004, 23:54

LOVE Thai Lemongrass too, Thai is probably my favourite 'meal of choice' (at the moment!)

Valvona & Crolla deserves all the praise it gets too, had the antipasto plate there for lunch one day - couldn't believe the price! - but then couldn't believe how good it tasted, never tasted buffalo mozzarella that good, almost (think I did actually

) moan with pleasure!

Not a restaurant, but best Inidan takeaway ever is from India Today in Morningside, used to be a regular when living in Newington

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 13 Aug 2004, 00:00

Also had lunch at the Old Pier recently too, much improved - complimented the chef on his chips which were hand-made......barmaid replied that at last it was good that someone liked them but most people to date had complained that they weren't normal (ie. frozen!) chips?!?!

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 13 Aug 2004, 09:13

I had a lovely meal in 'The Starbank' at Newhaven at the weekend - with the advantage of superb views across the Firth, and, for me, excellent real ale before and after (good wine, with, too!). Another one which sticks in my memory was a meal I had in the Eden Court theatre in Inverness, but that WAS eleven years ago, so it may not be so good now. It's also quite a hike along the riverbank from the centre of town, if like me, you have no car.

Hm. Now I've started thinking, I could go on .......

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 13 Aug 2004, 09:57

I had some nice coffee and stickies at Eden Court a few months back, but have never had a meal there. For a special meal, The Three Chimneys, on Skye, takes some beating... Funniest thing was the tourists who popped their heads round the door, hoping to get a table without a reservation.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 13 Aug 2004, 10:37

Alex wrote:For a special meal, The Three Chimneys, on Skye, takes some beating... Funniest thing was the tourists who popped their heads round the door, hoping to get a table without a reservation.

Well Alex, I do feel sorry for them if it meant they had nowehere else to go to eat! I was a mite worried when I was travelling round the Western Isles, knowing I would get to Lochmaddy after the Sabbath started on Saturday evening, when everything would be shut!

There are some very interesting-looking ones up round the University, but I've never had the opportunity to try them. Has anyone ever tried the Gurkha/Nepalese one on Picardy Place? It's another one that I would love to try. And I used to love the original 'Kushi's' in Drummond Street - a real, genuine Indian restaurant. I've not been into its glitzy, new reincarnation on Potterrow.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 13 Aug 2004, 10:51

Talking of Lochmaddy, probably the most SUPERB meal I have ever eaten was the evening meal provided by the B&B I booked into there, The Old Courthouse, which DID provide me with a meal "after sundown on the Sabbath". Thinking of it, I was moved to look the place up on the web, and it's still there and still run by Mrs. Johnson, who is the wonderful chef. If anyone is interested

http://www.travelpublishing.co.uk/Hidde ... o18011.htm

However, I should mention, I am a non-meat eater - I had a nut and broccoli bake, with a creamy wine and mushroom sauce, and crisp vegetables, including new potatoes - but I am sure her meat dishes would be equally superb.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 13 Aug 2004, 10:53

Easy peasy. There are 2.

1. Szechuan House, round the corner from the Cameo (on that street that leads to the fire station). It moved a couple of years ago from the back of a hotel/pub on Leamington Terrace. Very smoky and you're usually the only westerners in the place. Menu in english and cantonese.

2. Kebab Mahal on Nicholson Square. Their curries are the best and best value in town. Everything is halal and you'll have to fight for a table but aye carumba their curries are like nothing you ever tasted.

They are my clear favourites after 31 years in this fair city. I am mildly evangelical about them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 13 Aug 2004, 11:56

I'm with Alex on this one although it's many years since we ate in The Three Chimneys, certainly before they built the bridge. The restaurant was well known then, but hadn't achieved the world-wide fame it has now. We had lunch and dinner there and the food was just fantastic. In particular, I recall pudding - chocolate pavÃƒÂ© with coffee bean sauce. Several months later I rather cheekily phoned Shirley Spear to ask her for the recipe, and she was happy to give it to me.

We ate our way round Skye on that holiday and a lot of the home cooking in the various small hotels and B&Bs we stayed in was very good, but the Three Chimneys is in a league of its own.

Will certainly try Dadaist's recommendations. I'm all for authenticity in food, rather than establishments that pander to western tastes. In my student days I used to enjoy a 50p curry lunch in the Punjab, which I think was in St Patrick Square? It was similar to Kushi's - simply prepared food, chicken cooked on the bone, formica tables and the feeling that you were sharing a meal with the owner rather than eating in a restaurant.

Does anyone remember the Armenian restaurant near Holyrood? Now that was a wild experience!

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 13 Aug 2004, 15:24

I know the building (next to the bridge at Croft-An-Righ) of that Armenian restaurant cos I lived in Abbeyhill for a few years (and my paper round was round those parts) but I've never heard anyone mention it until now.

All I knew was that you had to phone up to get a table and the guy opened the place specially and even played his fiddle while you ate.

Is that right? Have you been inside, Bob?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 13 Aug 2004, 15:56

I knew the owner, Peter, because I used to work in the fruit market at Chesser. The restaurant had a long and bizarre title, but I forget now. I think people only ever knew about it by word of mouth, because there was no name or menu outside, or indeed any indication that it was a restaurant.

I only ate their once. The owner appeared to do everything himself - cook, serve, the lot. I don't remember much of the meal, except that there were a remarkable number of courses and we all got rather drunk and did some very energetic Armenian folk dancing. It was a dark cavernous place and I suppose it probably had a bit of a cult following due to the bizarre nature of the whole experience, though I doubt Peter made any money from the venture.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 13 Aug 2004, 15:59

I remember the Armenian, totally bizarre. My fave place at the moment is La Partenope in dalry road, it used to be Pepe's Taverna. Gillian Glover was raving about it a couple of weeks ago.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 13 Aug 2004, 16:09

And I used to love the original 'Kushi's' in Drummond Street - a real, genuine Indian restaurant. I've not been into its glitzy, new reincarnation on Potterrow.

Ali and I have eaten at the new Kushi's a few times now and like it very much. It's very plush and slick compared to the Drummond Street experience but the food is still just as good.
We also like the Buffalo Grill (the Stockbridge branch has the advantage of being directly opposite Bert's Bar) and I love the Phenecia (North African cuisine) which is on Chapel Street and a couple of doors down from the original Buffalo Grill. The Phenecia is great value for money and the menu very varied.
If I had to pick an absolute favourite restaurant though it would have to be The Vine Leaf in St. Andrews.
I'm getting hungry now!

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 13 Aug 2004, 16:17

The restaurant had a long and bizarre title, but I forget now.

It was along the lines of Lake Something or other Monastery in Exile!!
Wasn't the owner slightly eccentric and prone to forcibly evicting patrons because they didn't like/wouldn't eat the food served up to them?
I heard all sorts of strange stories about that place.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 13 Aug 2004, 20:03

Dadaist

Thanks for the recommendations will be trying them out, always good to find some new places to try

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 13 Aug 2004, 20:27

If even one person from here goes to either Kebab Mahal or Szechuan House, then my work on this planet is done.

Me & a couple of friends were sitting in Szechuan House the other week and I realised that I've had the same main course almost every time I've been there - I just can't bear to not have it. (Gong Bao chicken)

They do this excellent dish that I've never seen anywhere else called "Ringing Bell" where you get one dish of deep-fried filled wun tun with meat in it, and then they bring this enormous dish of soup/sauce thats thick with vegetables and pour it over the wun tun - it makes this amazing crackling noise. And then you get to eat it too.

For starter we normally have Bang Bang chicken, although recently I've been straying in the direction of hot & sour, or szechuan, soup.

Man, evangelism isn't the word. Just ask the poor Mrs Dadaist - she has had to put up with this since 1993.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 14 Aug 2004, 10:15

ecm - The orginal Buffalo Grill used to be one of my favourite haunts. Do they still do the carpetbagger - steak topped with oysters? It was usually preceded by a couple of drinks in the Pear Tree beer garden and ended up in Maxies Bistro.

Sandra, Bearcub - Haven't eaten in the Old Pier since it changed hands but the menu looks promising and I'm delighted that they are sourcing from local suppliers AND that they understand that this is a big selling point. I picked up a flyer in Williamson's yesterday, entitling the bearer to a 25% discount on a meal in the Old Pier, so I could be visiting soon.

In the days when I had the time and the means to eat out regularly, my other favourite Edinburgh eating places were the Witchery, the North Sea Village in Elm Row and la Bagatelle in Brougham Street (now under new ownership and not nearly as good.)

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 14 Aug 2004, 10:34

Bob,
The Carpetbagger is still on the menu at the Buffalo Grill. You would probably be surprised at how little the menu has changed over the years. It's the only thing that I find disappointing about the place.
They do some interesting "specials" each day and although the menu seems a little frozen in time, I've always really enjoyed the food there.

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 14 Aug 2004, 16:39

[quote="Dadaist"]If even one person from here goes to either Kebab Mahal or Szechuan House, then my work on this planet is done.[/quote]

Consider your work done.......HAVE to try Szechuan House, have always been on the lookout for a Chinese restaurant that is different

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 16 Aug 2004, 12:33

ecm wrote:
And I used to love the original 'Kushi's' in Drummond Street - a real, genuine Indian restaurant. I've not been into its glitzy, new reincarnation on Potterrow.
Ali and I have eaten at the new Kushi's a few times now and like it very much. It's very plush and slick compared to the Drummond Street experience but the food is still just as good.

I must try it .........

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 16 Aug 2004, 14:16

Another completely unknown and very Chinese experience, which I've not been to yet but want to try, is the back room at the new Chinese buffet restaurant ("Chinois") under the Omni centre.

When you are in there for their (very nice) buffet you can see the back room (it's not closed off or anything) but you have to ask specifically for Hot Pot when you first go in. The staff will quizzically look at you and get you to repeat the fact that you really do want Hot Pot, and then you'll be shown in to the back room to be served a completely different kind of meal - a bit like fondue but with Chinese sauces.

My friend went there (she is half-Chinese and looks European) and understands enough Mandarin to hear the staff talking about them - when she ordered Szechuan sauce the waitress shouted out her order "Szechuan White People"

I *have* to go there.

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 16 Aug 2004, 20:48

Noticed that when we were in (sorry, but I thought instantly forgettable) buffet there as well. Although it wasn't in a back room, just some table off to the side. Not very good when you're 'trying' to get some enjoyment out of a lukewarm congealed chicken and something dish to see people getting stuck into food that looks interesting and (probably) a hundred times more authentic.

Have wondered for a while how you manage to get served the same, tried to pluck up the courage to just go in and ask for "some of that stuff that you dip in the big bowl to cook it, er....thingies"

Now I know just to ask for the Hot-Pot

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 16 Aug 2004, 21:04

I've tried a couple of the Chinese buffet places. My feeling is that although the idea probably appeals to the sort of people who like to book all-inclusive holidays (hey, you get to eat until you feel sick!) it is not at all conducive to Chinese food. Surely one of the best things about this great cuisine is the fact that the ingredients are cooked in the wok in just a minute or two, so everything is crisp and fresh and retains its flavour. The hot-pot on the other hand sounds worth trying.

Anyone tried the Chinese place in Ocean Terminal? Menu looks promising.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 16 Aug 2004, 21:06

Dadaist and I managed to get authentic Chinese food by dint of being in China Town in Boston and picking a very unassuming restaurant to eat in (not a gaudily decorated one aiming at the Western trade) that was full of Chinese people. We were the only Western folk there and got some odd looks. The menu was completely unlike anything we'd seen before (and mostly unintelligible) but we had great food

I'll leave Dadaist to describe his meal in New York's Korea Town. Suffice to say that intestines were consumed

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 16 Aug 2004, 21:21

Beach Babe wrote: I'll leave Dadaist to describe his meal in New York's Korea Town. Suffice to say that intestines were consumed

Not my own, I might add.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 16 Aug 2004, 21:54

Bob

we've been to the Chinese at Ocean Terminal

it's got a fairly standard menu and the food was ok - not amazing but nice

however, it has an alternative menu incorporating various aspects of Chinese medicine with dishes to help all conceivable ailments. It looked interesting but as I was pregnant at the time, I thought it was best to avoid the unknown.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 17 Aug 2004, 15:46

I was doing a bit of tidying up during the thunderstorm and came across a bill from The Three Chimneys, reproduced below. The extraordinary thing about it is the fact that we could afford to spend this amount on dinner for two back in 1991, before we had children. Sadly, I now realise I will probably never be able to go back.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 17 Aug 2004, 19:11

Bob

That is expensive and it was in 1991, what would it cost now!!!

S

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 17 Aug 2004, 19:44

Around Ã‚Â£50 a head, plus wine, for dinner. Lunch is about half that, so well worth it on that special occasion. The memsahib still raves about the marmlade pudding with drambuie custard.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 17 Aug 2004, 20:48

Ã‚Â£50 a head PLUS wine? That's more than The Witchery!!!!
(Post-children big birthday treat, Bob, before you wonder how we can possibly do that with brats (not that they were invited).)

Must be amazing!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 17 Aug 2004, 20:52

Bellybabe wrote:Ã‚Â£50 a head PLUS wine? That's more than The Witchery!!!!

But it's better than The Witchery.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 17 Aug 2004, 20:57

I'm not disputing that, although if you add the cost of getting there, than it's a f - oh no can't use that word - flipping heck of a lot more than going to the witchery, even with a taxi fare!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 17 Aug 2004, 21:59

I used to work in a Little Chef. We had this really mad girl who worked there. She tried to burn down our school come to think of it. Anyway, one day an elderly customer died in the restaurant, heart attack probably. So this girl starts shouting at the top of her voice that he's died from food poisoning. She used to put plastic spiders in the cello-wrapped salads for fun.

Used to eat in the Witchery on a regular basis. One birthday before we were married Froglette took me there. As a surprise she had booked the Inner Sanctum, the suite of rooms they have upstairs. After the complimentary brandies we retired to champagne and chocolates, a four poster bed and sunken jacuzzi bath. Ah, those were the days.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 17 Aug 2004, 23:13

Sound great Bob, pre-sprogs I imagine. I wish someone else would go to La Partenope and offer up a second opinion.

Post by **wangi** » 18 Aug 2004, 13:31

Been there a good few times Porty - like it, but wouldn't go crazy over it.