Five bars . . .
where you can hear yourself think. Canny Man's Idiosyncratic is perhaps the best way to describe the Canny Man’s. There is a long standing tradition here that every Christmas, the landlord puts up his prices for the duration of the festivr oeriod. Like clockwork, the local evening newspaper then runs a story that seems contractually obliged to use the word ’Scrooge’ at least once. The landlord then retaliates With a few acerbic Quotes about people minding their own business. Honour satisfied on both sides, its business as usual till next Christmas. No iuke box, so don't ask,
239 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, 447 7484.
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‘ ‘ ‘ " " falls instantly in love With JD. Restaurant Martin Wishart: the game’s in the name Wetherspoon pubs. Despite the chain's
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Martin Wishart's CV reads some- mean doing something like poached mOSl atmospher'c SPOlS ‘0 dr'nk~ 3"”: thing like a Who’s Who of the top turbot using local Scottish 310“) W'lh Clearly defined “0 3m0k'n9 end of the restaurant business. The ingredients or a confit of duck Breast 3” WtherSDOOn PUbS haVe a Roux brothers, Marco Pierre White during the colder months. They're f'lm “0 mUS'C 90"CY‘ What's more, the and Nick Nairn have all shared traditional French dishes but French beers Cheap- kitchens with Wishart in places as cuisine is so big that there is room 2 5‘ V’Incenl Street, G/aSQOW 248 diverse as L'Ortolan and La to manouevre. But it's not fusion 9568- Gavroche. Although Wishart's last cooking.’ The Cumberland As trad as your Dad, position was that of head chef at The lunch menu runs at £11.50 for this boozer boasts great real 8'85. |OIS the similarly prestigious Hadrian's in two courses and £13.50 for three. of brass and wood flltlngS, yOHKS-Old Edinburgh's five star Balmoral Hotel, Typical dishes include starters such mirrOfS arid a beer garden. There 5 no he recently decided to abandon the as tortellini of asparagus served D'Ded mUSlC, lUke box Or '"llal'ng safety net of working for someone with a buttered young spinach and llddle player to d'SlU’b Your enioymem else, bite the bullet and go solo. mushroom velouté. The mains take Of the llne range Of DIES.
His new restaurant is on the in complex creations like a roast 7 Cumberland Slfeel, Edinburgh, 558 former site of Silvio's on the Shore fillet of cod with creamed parsley 3734- in Leith. Looking out onto the docks, and a mushroom and shallot jus The Horse Shoe Bar This looks like a it’s a small, brightly decorated space flavoured with rosemary. In the community bar that's been transposed that floods with light in the late evening, the mains go up to around to the city centre and is as old school afternoon and early evening. the £15 mark. For that customers are as boozers get, although not, Occupying a large portion of the served something that wouldn't obwoosly, in a fly 8 boy manner. While window is a giant and somewhat sound out of place in art gallery’s there is thankfully no mUSlC curious wooden jigsaw fish. Wishart catalogue. For a real mouthful, try a downstairs, the upstairs karaoke brought it back from Amsterdam tranche of halibut with ‘coquillages' lounge attracts a steady Crowd whose where he worked with Albert Roux. cockles, mussels and langoustines enthusiasm almost makes up for the Made from tulip wood, he bought it served with a shellfish and tomato dearth of natural singing ability. from a shop that looked like the jus. I7Drury Lane, Glasgow, 229 577 I. work den of Guiseppe, Pinnochio's As to the benefits of letting go of K. Jackson's The chatter of groups of creator. It's here, among the his employer's apron strings, the art students from the college across sunbeams and wooden fish, that best thing for Wishart is ‘being able the road are a fine replacement for Wishart has the freedom to give to cook whatever I want and the piped mum in this basic but friendly reign to his own imagination and customers are the only people that boozer, Real ales, yummie toasties and
serve the dishes that he’s always I’m answerable to.’ (Jonathan Trew) big screen footie matches complete the wanted to. I Restaurant Martin Wishart, 54 The picture.
'Basically, it’s French cooking,’ Shore, Leith, Edinburgh, 0737 553 40—44 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh, explains Wishart. 'I was trained in 3557. 228 4284.
104 THELIST 13 2/ ‘98“)