BACK LIST
invariably great (fish is , NEVERov-ercooked). " service is exemplary. and the wine list is long. well chosen and reasonably
priced. £75”.
I Le Bouzy 2a Brougham
i Place. 2290869. Mon—Sun
noon—2pm. Intimate unhurried atmosphere and lugubrious I’rcnch service in 'I‘ollcross. Large juicy snails. and sole in an alarmineg fluorescent but
delicately flavoured sauce
were on offer last timel was there. £6.50 £7.95.
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I Cafe St Hobart 34 Thistle Street Lane. 226 2211. Mon—Sun
f 9am—5pm. Cool. bustling.
surprisingly French. and
j larger than you might imagine. which is just as
5 well as it gets very busy
with execs and others at
lunchtime. The bistro- style food (the daily specials are recommended) is cooked
' with care. and is excellent
value for money. £5—£8 a
lacarte. j I Pierre Victoire 1t)
_ . e
gov; ‘_ ._ ,. .1- s ,. . _ .
l
Victoria Street. 225 1721. Mon—Sat noon—3pm. Relaxed ambience and
wonderful French food
L produced by the ex-head
chefofthe Vintners Room - M. Victoire himself. For some reason puddings
have yet to hit the spot. and service is best described as charmingly erratic. but the overall experience is delightful. £4.6(lset menu.
I L'Attache l Rutland Place. 229 3402 (Rutland Hotel). Noon—2.30pm.
Above average bar food
and restful subterranean gloom. always handy if yourhangoverhashung around for lunch. Creaky leather chairs and a decent selection of wine could help prolong things if you're on flexitimc. About £5.
I City Café 19 Blair Street. 2200125. Mon—Sat lunch until 2.30pm. Good value mostly Italian food as eaten by i cognoscenti. Genuinely appetising antipasta served with real
Italian bread. and aldente pasta with interesting things in the sauce. also
good espresso. £7—£ l i) a la carte.
. I New North Sea Village 1 11—113 Buccleuch Street.
667 5576. Tue—Sat noon—2.30pm. (‘las‘sy Chinese specialising in
seafood and good at other
things too. The business lunch menu could be more exciting but is cheap at £3.50 (weekdaysonly). I Indian Cavalry Club 3 Atholl Place. 228 3282.
Mon—Sun noon—2.30pm.
Everything in the Cavalry (‘lub tastes completely different to every other thing. In fact the food here is delicate and delicious. and the feel of the place is airy and non-soporific. which is important if you're serious about going back to work. £4.95 one-course buffet on weekdays. £7.95 a la carte set selection Sat and Sun.
RISING TO THE TOP
'Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own lingers, but as billowing steam rises over the stainless steel landscape of the Gleneagles Hotel kitchens, the figures looming up in the mist have neitherthe mirth nor girth to match the popular notion of a cook. No fat lingers pried into pots, no greasy lips were smacked. Instead a worried youth in crackling white cotton bends over small mounds of pale mousse, laying
i
r
i
Scottish Finalists at the Young Chef and waiter Of The Year Awards
to rest fragments of fennel with a tiny pairoi tweezers.
An aroma of panic hangs over the bobbing white hats of the unleavened Carriers and Rouxs competing in the Scottish Heat of the Young Chef of the Year. With three hours and thirty quid to produce a three-course meal for
\HVfixKflEyflCID
Hcensed restaurant
LUNCH — 12—2.30pm EVENINGS — 6—1 lpm (last orders 10.30pm)
10,8flChOP close Cockbunm street. EDINBUQGl—l 226 5145 -'
four, even Keith Floyd would be driven to ruin his palate on the cooking sherry. Hovering like racing stewards ready to query a bechamel or disallow a salad dressing, the two judges are the only
people with time to jaw.
Kevin Kennedy, chef-patron of Covent Garden’s Boulestin restaurant and David Wilson of the Peat Inn, Fife aren’t, they admit, looking forward hungrlly to lunch. With eighteen courses to demolish and discuss, serious foodiness is a primary requirement. While presentation and kitchen practice are considered, the final decision must, says Kennedy, be made on taste. Sometimes, he readily agrees, the eye is tickled more than the taste-buds, but he foresees a return to simpler cooking after the carefully scattered sorrel leaf school of food decoration finally leaves the table.
Significantly, perhaps, it is not the marinaded widgeon, boned and stuffed with morels and a carrot & orange mousse served with a cointreau game jus, northe fillets of turbot and salmon wrapped in cabbage leaves and served with a saffron sauce, garnished with caviar and mangetout, which gobbles up first prize. That goes to Andre Wadoux who makes no bones about serving up his medley of offal.
While Kennedy and Wilson deliberate, the judges of the Young Waiter competition suffer under the dribbling water-jug and the trembling spoonful of petit pols. Then as conspicuous consumption draws to a close and the congeallng sauces and melting puddings are consigned to a sticky end, there is only one question on everyone's mind. Who is doing the washing-up? (Julie Morrice)
ii i
04l-534 5007
Brut de Pécher £7.95
biquilou: Chip Wine Shop
Glmgow’t Independent Wine and Spirit merchant
Sparkling Wine from £1.45 Champagne from £9.35
8 nrhton lone,GlmgowGl2
g
Open Mon—Sat 10am—6pm
7 GRASSMARKET, EDINBURGH, EH1 2HY,031229 7884
@59.<::5x&::::>
GORGEOUS GATEAUX
Tasty scones, satisfying soup, hearty meals, affordable prices, pleasant atmosphere, unusual gifts, crafts, toys and books.
Helios Fountain is situated at the west end of the Grassmarket, 5 minutes from Princes Street. At the back of an unusual shop full of unique gifts, alternative books and an extensive range of craft materials is a wholefood vegetarian coffeehouse. You can have hot or cold meals, snacks or just a cup of coffee. Even if you’re not a vegetarian we are confident that you will enjoy our food.
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70 The List 24 March—O April 1989