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Takeaway Food

Pizza, Chinese or Indian. There used to be a time when if you fancied a night off kitchen duty, these were the sum total of your options. Thankfully a new breed of

adventurous takeaways is changing it‘ll: fa,

all that. It‘s Organic, a design conscious snack bar located in Edinburgh‘s West End is currently serving up delicious alternatives. With an interior by Dene Happell, the designer behind Glasgow‘s Air Organic, its mainstays are high- quality coffee, freshly-squeezed juices, soup, sandwiches and wraps. Fresh fruit salads and porridge will be added to the menu shortly.

‘The idea is to give everyone a healthy option for breakfast, lunch and snacks, not uninspiring soups and bog standard sandwiches,‘ says managing director Stephen Percy- Robb. These come in the shape of stomach-pleasers like rolls stuffed with chicken fillet, vine tomatoes and olives and Thai chicken soup. In addition to this, organic produce, chocolate, crisps, pasta, jams and olive oil number among the provisions on sale. Which means you can grab your early morning caffeine fix and something for dinner at the same time.

Another new kid on the capital's takeaway block is Mex 2 Go. Billing itself as ‘the tasty fast food alternative’, it's a Mexican-style fast food joint along the lines of Taco Bell. Founder Kieran Middleton got the idea from the fast food outlets he saw while travelling around the world. ‘Mexican food has become enormously popular recently and we saw a gap for a high branded version of this cuisine with a quick

- J

You don't have to take your clothes off . . . to have a good time

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Organic, a design conscious snack bar located in Edinburgh's West End

turnaround,’ says his fellow partner Neil Jordan. Accordingly, the menu consists of freshly made nachos, chilli, fajitas, burritos and various side orders which are all speedily dished up for under a fiver each.

For those loath to leave the comfort of their homes, Mex 2 Go also extends its service to home delivery. Six more of the funky, primary-coloured outlets are planned, initially in Edinburgh and Glasgow, then in the rest of the UK. Now the only problem is it will take twice as long to choose a takeaway. (Dawn Kofie)

n It’s Organic, 7 William Street, Edinburgh, 0737 226 244 7; Mex 2 Go, 56 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, 0800 l 69 39 29.

series seems so relentlessly stuck in the past, then, is a bit of a mystery.

Oliver made his name as a loprng, lisping, bit of a lad and his first programmes were a truly refreshing antidote to some of the more pompous cooks around. If even the tiniest proportion of his Viewers were to follow his advrce and have some fun With cookery then surely the world would be a better place But somehow, a bit like post-parenthood OaSrs, the effort to remain defiantly y0uthful at a time when, in reality, y0ur life is movrng on results in rather uncomfortable vrewrng

Oliver's new series begins With a reunion of former workmates, but vvhrle the cooking seems fine —4 bit of buffalo mozzarella and basil-tearing there, some roast fish here the relationships are getting strained. In some moments they make the ghastly celebrity studded meals on Gary Rhodes' cookery programme seem spontaneous Even the naked chef himself seems a little anxious as he goes to the airport to collect his friend. Could it be they barely know each

The Naked Chef BBCZ, Wed, 8.30pm.

The publicin hlrt/ surrounding the return of The Naked Chef keeps

114 THE “ST 13 2/ Apr 2000

reminding us that Jamie Oliver is growrng up and settling down this year, He's finally getting hitched to long- sufferrng fiancee Jules, he's publ:shrng his second book and he's looking for restaurant premises, Why his televrsron

other? Oliver is clearly enthusiastic, straightforward and loves food, but he must be allowed to grow up and move on before he becomes the cookery equrvalent of a rock dinosaur,

(MOira Jeffrey)

Spit or swallow

It’s all a matter of taste.

Belgian style beers are probably my favourite in the world. They have a reputation for being big alcoholic, gooey ales, but there is a vast range of styles available. Timmerman's Cassis (5%, £1.35) Hooch this is not. It's a wheat beer made With blackcurrants and matured in oak barrels. Certainly, it reeks of blackcurrants, but there is a refreshing dryness on the palate that prevents this beer from being the alcopop you might imagine. Available from Peckhams. Lindemans Kriek (4%, £1.59) This is a beer made from fermented cherries. Richer and slightly sweeter than the cassis, this is intensely frurty and again, not to be confused With an alcopop, There are far more layers of depth and complexrty. Although not as refreshing as the cassis, this is wonderful stuff. Available from Oddbins. Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit (88%, £1.79) Everyone must know Hoegaarden Blanche by now. This is one of its bigger brothers, and one not be messed With. The alcohol alone makes it altogether more serious, but this rs a dark brew With more flavourrng, and toffee notes on the nose. Alarmrngly, it hides its potency reasonably well (at least in taster so exercise caution Available from Peck/rams

EKU 28 (Bavaria 11%, £1 70) Although not actually Belgian, it’s very much in that vein, and must be included here. It purports to be one of the strongest beers in the world This Geoff Capes of a beer tastes every bit as strong as you'd expect Massive treac le flavours and a creamy finish, but not for the farnt-‘rreartecl It's like there's a party in my mouth and everyone's invrted. A nrasterprec e Available from The Cave, Keivrnbrrclge, Glasgow. (Gordon Haggartyi

SL’BACI;££

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