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3 great cuppas braised pork cheek with zampone (stuffed trotter) and lentils. ANN PURNA 45 St Patrick’s Square TEL: 0131 662 1807 NEAR: 5 minutes to Queen’s Hall A recently refurbed vegetarian restaurant that specialises in Gujerati cooking, the Ann Purna has long been a quiet success. A temple to healthy living, it is one of the few kitchens in Edinburgh that can take vegan customers in its stride. Typical dishes include aubergines, peas and potato in a mustard sauce or stuffed tomatoes with paneer and mushrooms. Wash them down with a glass from their large range of exotic fruit juices and lassis. BLACK BO’S 57-61 Blackfriar’s Street TEL: 0131 557 6136 www.black-bos.com NEAR: 10 minutes to the Pleasance Despite the fact that it has buzzed along in the heart of the Old Town for almost twenty years, Black Bo’s vegetarian restaurant still has a welcome underground feel to it. The cooking is adventurous and colourful. Think along the lines of aubergine stuffed with pasta, grapes and peanut cream, topped with parmesan or a potato, butter bean and leek roulade with cherry tomato and balsamic gravy. An easy-going affair, the kitchen is happy to cater to any non-meat dietary requirements. The surroundings are ramshackle rather than rococo, but don’t let that put you off. The restaurant is not quite as bohemian as the adjacent bar, but it still makes for a unique experience. CAFÉ FISH 60 Henderson Street TEL: 0131 538 6131 www.cafefish.net NEAR: 10 minute taxi ride to Playhouse Formerly an old Victorian boozer, now a sleek-looking fish restaurant, Cafe Fish has thrown down the gauntlet to some of Leith’s more established fish restaurants. As you might hope, www.edfestmag.com
THE BALMORAL 1 Princes Street Tel: 0131 556 2414 www.thebalmoralhotel.com Edinburgh’s most famous afternoon tea is served with an air of true refinement. SCOTTISH CAFÉ AND RESTAURANT The National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound Tel: 0131 226 6524 A long way from a typical drab museum caff, the Scottish Café impresses with seriously good food and fab views. ETEAKET 41a Frederick Street Tel: 0131 226 2982 www.eteaket.co.uk A bright and cheery boutique tea room is just what the New Town needed, and with a selection of cupcakes and home baking to die for, Eteaket delivers.
most of the fish is sourced from Scottish waters. Dinner is £19 for two courses and might include choices such as grilled hake, cockles and clams in a seafood broth or the Isle of Raasay diver scallops with celeriac mash and sour onions. Remarkably, around two thirds of the wine list is under £20. CAFÉ MARLAYNE 76 Thistle Street TEL: 0131 226 2230 NEAR: 5minutes to Assembly Rooms 7 Old Fishmarket Close TEL: 0131 225 3838 www.cafemarlayne.com NEAR: Five minutes to Edinburgh Festival Theatre The original Café Marlayne on Thistle Street booked up fast so the more recent branch just off the Royal Mile is a welcome addition. French cooking is the background note and it comes through most clearly in dishes such as the boudin noir with seared king scallops and asparagus. It is all hale and hearty stuff at bistro rather than restaurant prices. CHOP CHOP 248 Morrison Street TEL: 0131 221 1155 NEAR: Five minutes from EICC 76 Commercial Quay
TEL: 0131 553 1818 www.chop-chop.co.uk NEAR: 5 minutes to Mela An appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word has made it harder to get a table, but also helped Chop Chop open a new branch in Leith. Both branches offer authentic dishes from the north west of China and there is nothing else quite like it in town. The utilitarian décor and canteen setting mean that this isn’t the place to try and charm a young thespian but it’s great for filling up with interesting dishes that offer good value for money. Highlights of the menu are the dumplings, which come boiled or fried. Try the pork and chive versions although the beef and celery versions also have their fans. DANIEL’S BISTRO 88 Commercial Street TEL: 0131 553 5933 www.daniels-bistro.co.uk NEAR: 10 minute by taxi to city centre A Leith stalwart, Daniel Wenckler’s cheery bistro specialises in provincial French cooking (with more than a passing nod to his home region of Alsace), and has prospered in a location where many restaurants with more high-flying menus have floundered. Raclette, fish soup, escargots, moules marinieres, cassoulet and confit duck are all present and correct. There are all manner of lunch and set dinner menus but the a la carte is pretty reasonable as well. NB The business was up for sale as a going concern earlier this year. DAVID BANN 56-58 St Mary’s Street TEL: 0131 556 5888 www.davidbann.com NEAR: 2 minutes to Pleasance Courtyard Long a champion of vegan and vegetarian food in Edinburgh, David Bann’s much-lauded venture is a smart 21st century vegetarian restaurant and bar. As well as snacks and light meals, main courses include dishes such as the grilled aubergine and Puy lentils with Old Winchester cheese mash and a red wine and onion gravy. As you might expect, there is a wide range of fresh fruit EDINBURGH FESTIVALS 2010 | 135