Other than the name, there's little evidence that this was once a bank
worked at and managed such divcrsc hills and restaurants as the th Note. [ll/t and thc Ht'asscric at ()r‘an Morn (icor'gc Swanson. l'ormcr dir‘cctor of Big Bcat and partner with ('olin licattic in thc (lL‘\L‘It)plllL‘lll of ()run Mtil‘. rounds out the team.
With the addition of thc l.cl't Bank. one \tcc str'ctch of road in llillhcad is mm choc a hloc with food and drink options and a capping reason to granitzrtc to (ilhsun SII'L‘CI.
The Left Bank, 33-35 Gibson Street, 0141 339 5969. Open Sun-Thu 9am-midnight; Fri and Sat 10am-midnight with food served until 10pm Mon-Fri and 11pm weekends.
I'LL EAT MANHATTAN
Five eateries that wouldn’t be out of place in the Big Apple.
I Baby Grand
3 r' Hmbank Gardens. Glasgow. ()l-lt firth-19.1?
This hardworking bar and eatery (right) serves food from breakfast time into the wee small hours. all week long. Meals efficiently dispatched from an open kitchen. and the smart waiting staff are alwa» s exactly where they need to be. the evening menu rs part l-rench brasserie. part New York deli: continental classics such as steak frites are complemented h\. pastrami on rye and burgers.
I Be/l's Draw
7 St Stephen Street. Edinburgh. 0131225 St to
After 30 years. this remains one of Stockbrrdge's most bankahle assets Robust burgers and tender steaks form the core of the menu. There's no rush for faux-Yankee authenticity here. more the suggestion that you're getting real comfort food. which is true. Starters such as pate on toast followed by steak wrth a roguefort cheese sauce may sound pedestrian. but Bell‘s knows why y0u liked them in the first place. and that's why yOu keep coming back.
th' - .-
Gibson Street Gourmand With the opening of the Left Bank, Gibson Street - once a Mecca for curries -— is now packed with cosmopolitan eating and drinking options. It's a destination road in the making, with Italian and Lebanese food. among the other highlights. says Barry Shelby.
IStravaigin
78 Gibson Street. (rt-ll 5,3,3. Motif, Still the reigning (,liarripror.. and expanded during a recent redecoratrorr. fStravaigrrr cafe bar has kept its simple yet (my character. but (liners and drinkers now have a little more space in which to enjoy the exceptional food and drink. Downstairs. the evening restaurant excels at adventurous ltf(;l[)(3i$,
I k’atre's Diner
2 Barclax Terrace. Edinburgh. o‘iclt 229 139“:
Katie’s. prcturesguely plonked or. the edge of the Meadows. is a place 1. stop and savour one of life's sinip e.-
pleasures — great steak accompanied by great SCR'lCC at a comfortable pace. Husband and Wife team Kate and Geoff Ness have taken their passon for those most vital American staples - burgers.
EAT&DR|NK
' '5”st """ ’-'°‘*"”°'f_..;. ““
IOffshore
'J 'fl ( i:t,~.rrll Shim-I. ill-1‘. ‘i-ii til it) Nit ltw largest history on the- street. hut rrrr‘reramrrgl‘, one of the rrrrire
popular and air, all ria‘, harrgout‘. ‘.'./llll
illr: tar .‘arrrir war the banks of the
RULE.“ it", a go iii plau- tr r a r astral lurirl or a f,llll[>lf' snack or srrripl‘, to relax ‘ra-r an espresso on iltr- over shifted sofas
IKoh-l-Noor
ll) (_\)|il‘}(lfl Street. (ll-ll (-11%! tfi‘lr' [)on't want to fl‘,‘ rooptrrf up in a restaurant. cafe or bar? Come to the Koh l Noor and take your tea across the ll‘.’t:l and road. on tip into Ké:l\.lll(llt)V(: Park Harking back (along v/rth Kebahrshr to the Indian food origins of the street. this takeaway excels in its tif)tf(,liilli\, (,tlillifiii. such as chicken trkka parsee.
steaks and chicken and served them up ‘.‘.'lill love and care in a horner if unsorihistrr,ate<f. space lhe apple crumble is as good as rt gets I MigK/rdv's Stork/rouse
‘rt'rf Morrison Street. irlrnlrurgh. 01151229800!)
A popular. hard ‘.‘/()ll<|llt) restaurant. where well informed staff (i(:|l‘.’t;f satisfying platefuls of food. As the restaurateurs are also butchers. McKrrdy's steaks feature prorrrrrrently (iood meat wrth a known provenance comes at a [)flf,(:. but an, nrgglet, arr.- ~.oon forgotten .vhen you receive your steak. skillfully char grilled or pan fried to order
I Urban (arr/r
(it Krlrrrarnock Road. Glasgow. (if-"if fi-i‘.) 2/115)
The guys from Gamha have created this stylish. lvfannattan style Joint A large eating area opens off the intrrrratr: hootns of the bar. .zrth dark rod subtle lighting and or. painting‘. creatrr‘g a grownup atmosphere lnr; nierru concentrate. on classic dishes. fillet steak is a splendd pig wedge. clearly high- dualrt, rite-at and cooked perfectly. with a subtle pepper sauce and shirtake mushrooms. lBarry Shelbyr
94 THE LIST 30 Jul—3 Aug 3006
SideDishes
News to nibble on . . .
I Tigerlily. the flash bar. restaurant and boutique hotel run by the Montpelier Group, has opened on George Street. Although Side Dishes didn't manage to get lunch on a recent unannounced visit - a hostess said cryptically that the kitchen was temporarily experiencing a ‘situation’ - the bright bar [pictured] was buzzing. The evening food menu includes dishes such as lemon chicken and basil risotto, duck breast with baby vegetables and vanilla creme brulée. Tigerlily is at 125 George Street, 0131 225 5005.
I Streetsmart. the Scotsman- supported scheme where one pound from every dining out party goes to local homeless charities. is being activated in Edinburgh during the Festival. Local campaign manager Martin Irons. formerly of Martin's restaurant and now an independent caterer, is working on a list of participating restaurant. Supporters of Streetsmart include:
Atrium Cafe Marlayne Channings Daniel‘s Bistro Duck’s at Le Marche Noir Forth Floor Henderson’s Bistro lggs Kalpna King's Wark La Garrigue Olive Branch Bistro Restaurant Martin Wishart Rhubarb Smokestack Tapas Tree Grain Store Shore Bar and Restaurant Vintner's Room
While a quid per table is the standard offering, some venues opt for donation boxes and envelopes. But. however it is run. the donation is always voluntary. “It's not being forced on anyone,’ trons says.
I Oba is a new Turkish restaurant trading on Edinburgh’s Hanover Street. Taking over the semi- basement space vacated by Alfredo’s Italian restaurant, Oba does a very reasonable £5.95 two-course lunch with starters such as hummus with pan-fried cubes of lamb and main dishes such as chicken breast with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and a splash of white wine. Oba is at 109 Hanover Street, 0131 226 6990.