(letting through the dessert is just the beginning for a reviewer. I then spend a restless night tossing and turning. thinking of the right words to describe the experience. The salad'.’ Was it piled high. towering or heaped'.’ Did it really resemble a Tibetan mountain forest'.’ When describing food it can be very difficult to avoid cliches. Luckily the editors provide phrases. terms and descriptions that the reviewers
| COULDN'T HELP WORRYING THAT THERE MIGHT
BE RETRIBUTION IF I GAVE THE WRONG PLACE
A BAD REVIEW
must avoid at all costs. So if I mentioned that the soup was ‘perfect‘ or the cafe had a 'laid-back vibe‘ I could confidently expect a phone call. 01‘ the sack.
Working on the Italian section was great fun. ()verall the quality is high and the staff are charming (with a few oddballs thrown in). However I couldn't help worrying that there might be retribution if I gave the wrong place a had review. 'l‘hese fears were confirmed one evening when l revealed myself as a
Barry Shelby catches up on some of the latest developments in Edinburgh and Glasgow
I For many. the word ‘lbrox' conjures images of either Rangers or Fort Apache. the Bronx. But defeating any such stereotypes is Cherry & Heather Fine Foods. a recently opened takeaway cafe serving innovative sandwiches with seasonal and organic ingredients. Run by lwan and Reiko Sasaki (who first met working at Ashton Lane's Cul de Sac). they also do extremely popular vegetarian sushi boxes. The shop is just off Paisley Road West at 7 North Gower Street. 0141 427 0270.
in Edinburgh. simply utter the words ‘duck in’ when booking a table for a week day lunch at Duck’s at Le Marché Noir [pictured] and you'll receive a discount. The
94 THE LIST 7"; Apr It) May. 200$
reviewer to a waiter in an Italian restaurant. He asked if I knew the man who wrote the review of the restaurant the previous year. adding. ‘because we‘re gonna have to shoot that guy.’ I replied that I didn‘t and edged towards the door.
for me the best experience about reviewing is being forced into visiting an area of the city. or restaurants. that I would never have ventured into of my own accord. Some I‘d probably never go back to but there were at least three that I would not only go back to but intend to make regular haunts. I also very much enjoyed the opportunity to review a restaurant that I‘ve been to ten times before. I love the place so I was absolutely delighted to spread the word although I might live to regret it when I can‘t get a table. I found the worst experience is w hen a restaurant lets itself down and I know 1 have to mention it or when a restaurant has performed really well but I still need to think of a ’low point' for the review. Another downer is that for a month after the reviews are over pi//a. pasta and garlic bread are off the menu and even the mere sight of a red checkered table cloth is enough to give tne indigestion.
Still not convinced about the hard work'.’ I was due to get married and go on honeymoon right after I wrote my last review for this year‘s guide. 'l‘hat tncant going down the aisle in an adjustable kilt. The night
restaurant offers two courses for 5:10 and three for $215. which is a considerable saving over the normal price at 14 Eyre Place. 0131 558 1608.
Prices are also being trimmed at the Plumed Horse in Leith. Chef/owner Tony Borthwick recently introduced a fixed price menu — with dishes such as a twice baked Mull cheddar souffle or roast loin and
braised haunch of Borders roe deer — for 5231 (two courses) and C38 (three courses). A six-course tasting menu ($45) is to be added to the mix at the Plumed Horse, 5054 Henderson Street, 0131 554 5556.
Meanwhile. Phool Chand Thakur [pictured] of 9 Cellars restaurant is celebrating being named ‘lnternational Indian Chef of the Year‘. The competition, which raises money for an orphanage in Bangladesh.
EAT&DR|NK
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Barry Shelby presents a brief history of restaurant reviewing
At the beginning of the 20th century, André Michelin published his first guide to help nascent automobile tourists to find suitable lodging and fare on their travels. Little did he know what he was spawning. More that 100 years later, the red Michelin guide to restaurants is the granddaddy of dining out handbooks. Michelin introduced the first rating system too, and stars, whether they are given by Michelin or the New York
Times, are taken seriously. Arguably, fatally so. After the vaunted Gallic guide Gault Millau removed a star from French chef Bernard Loiseau, he committed suicide. Unlike most food critics who dine out on their notoriety, Ruth Reihl, editor of the US foodie bible Gourmet and formerly of the New York Times, went so far as to don a disguise. One of the most respected critics around today, Fay Maschler has reviewed more than 7,000 restaurants in the past 30 years for the Evening Standard. But perhaps expertise is over-rated. One of the most notable 20th century American food writers was AJ Leibling in the New Yorker. He was riotously amusing but passionate about food. His background? A war
correspondent and boxing reporter.
before Valentine's Day I munched my way through a three-course ltalian meal. then on l-l l’ebruary. l took my sister for a three—course lunch at another Italian restaurant. which ended at 5pm. only to then take my wife out for a romantic five-course dinner (which incidentally was not an Italian. l’m cheap. but not that cheap).
.\ly‘ calorie intake for that 24 hour period could have powered a .\'asa moon landing. As I lay motionless
attracts 5000 entrants from across the UK. Thakur. runner up in 2006. says he will donate his £1000 prize money to a cancer charity in India. 9 Cellars restaurant is at 1-3 York Street. Edinburgh, 0131 557 9899.
Back in Glasgow. Mrs Maihu’s is the new. diminutive Indian cafe/diner on Byres Road. Trading in the space that Monster Mash vacated, the venture offers tapas-style lunch deals while the a la carte selection includes dishes such as ‘first—class chicken curry or salmon baked in tin foil with paneer. Mrs Majhu's is at 41 Byres Road. 0141 339 1339.
Nearby. at The 78. the popular ‘Dub'n'Grub' combination of the reggae tunes — courtesy of Mungo Hi Fi — and wholesome Caribbean- inspired vegetarian/vegan fare has returned to the premises (10—14
in bed. my spleen slowly transforming to foie gras. I considered calling the Italian restaurant and confessing to last yeafs review. Maybe thele send a surly dishwasher round to put me out of my misery.
Of course by next year I'll have forgotten the abdominal pain and the death threats and I‘ll be delighted to do it all again. It‘s a tough old job. But somebody has to th) it.
Fine food in ‘Fort Apache'
Kelvinhaugh Street). every Thursday from 7pm until late.
At The 78, many of the drinks are organic, but what can you get for the whisky connoisseur who has everything? For an initial fee of
$31200. Glengoyne Distillery now offers a limited number of different casks from US bourbon barrels to Oloroso sherry butts. The un-aged spirit is then stored for at least ten years. during which time the casks' owners are encouraged to visit and see how their malt is maturing. See wwwglengoynecom
Finally. in fitting testament perhaps to the business he began with his wife Janet, over 40 years ago. ‘Mac’ Henderson of Henderson’s vegetarian restaurant turns 100 on Tuesday 1 May. Happy birthday.