For more on the Leith Festival visit www.list.co.uk > Six of the Best
ATTRACTIONS Eating & Drinking: Leith
■ TOURS AND WALKS Hear about the 80s drug scene on the Trainspotting Tour (leaving from Port O’ Leith Bar, Fri 11 & Thu 17–Sat 19 Jun, 7pm, £4/3), or less sensationally, learn about the 1560 Siege of Leith (leaving from Mary of Guise Barge, Thu 17 Jun, 5.30pm) or the area’s history with Leith Time Travellers (leaving from Cruz, Sun 13 & Sat 19 Jun, 2pm; Mon 14 & Wed 16–Fri 18 Jun, 6.30pm, £4/3).
A Room in Leith 1c Dock Place, 0131 554 7427, www.aroomin.co.uk There are plenty of clues in the name here: the wine list is 'The Bevvy List'; the food in the homely bar is served in large mugs; the jaunty mural in the main dining room owes more to DC Thomson than Dali. It's about easy- going informality underpinned by reliable, thoroughly decent Scottish bistro food. Check out the outdoor dining pontoon on a sunny day.
La Cerise 199 Great Junction Street, 0131 555 6065, www.lacerise.biz Now reopened after a devastating winter flood, La Cerise is a bright and thriving local patisserie and café which would be right at home in Paris, but somehow is even better for being in this as yet un-gentrified corner of Leith. From the refurbished basement bakery comes cake, mousse, cheesecake and even home-made ice-cream. Skippers Seafood Bistro 1a Dock Place, 0131 554 1018, www.skippers.co.uk Something of an institution in the Shore area, Skippers remains a gem of a place for lovers of Scottish seafood and casual dining. Choose from a wide selection of Scottish beers to sup while contemplating the eclectic mix of fishing memorabilia and pictures of olde Edinburgh adorning the walls. Then check out the menu, packed with fresh, well-sourced Scottish fish.
Tapa Barra y Restaurante 19 Shore Place, 0131 476 6776, www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk Neatly divided, this well-run, engaging tapas restaurant has a large area at the rear (which is available for functions) and room for 30 or so in an airy space at the front. All the tapas favourites feature on a substantial list, with additional daily specials on a blackboard, and tempting promotions involving Spanish wine are often available. Plumed Horse 50–54 Henderson Street, 0131 554 5556, www.plumedhorse.co.uk While it’s the least prepossessing of Leith’s Michelin-starred triumvate, the Plumed Horse has garnered a lot of attention, including a recent gong as Restaurant of the Year at the Catering in Scotland Excellence Awards. Chef/proprietor Tony Borthwick’s personal touches are evident throughout the restaurant, from the artwork through to the menus.
Cafe Fish 60 Henderson Street, 0131 538 6131, www.cafefish.net Taking inspiration from the classic urban oyster bar you might find in New York or London, Café Fish has firmly found its feet in a corner of Leith synonymous with great quality dining. With its mix of stark modern lighting and reclaimed furniture, this is as good a spot for quaffing a half-dozen oysters and a glass of wine at the bar as it is for a relaxed dinner with friends.
■ MUSEUMS AND VENUES South Leith Parish Church (Constitution Street, 0131 554 2578, www.slpc.co.uk, Mon 14–Fri 18 Jun, noon–3pm) is holding an open day during the Festival, while arts spaces Out of the Blue (pictured, 32–36 Dalmeny Street, www.outoftheblue.org.uk) and Coburg House Art Studios (15 Coburg Street, 0131 553 2266, coburghouseartstudios.wordpress.c om) will also be hosting events.
SHOPPING
There’s no better place to begin than legendary Italian food emporium and Edinburgh institution Valvona & Crolla at Elm Row. Open since 1934, this is as close to food shopping in Rome as you’ll get in Scotland.
Further down Leith Walk, St Columba’s Hospice charity shop is one of the best in the city, with a cavernous interior crammed with (unintentionally) kitsch homeware, piles of gorgeous vintage linens, a mismatched melée of china of the sort to which Cath Kidston owes her career, and a clothing section to compete with any vintage store.
Across the road, second-hand book and music store Elvis
Shakespeare’s name alone defies you to walk by. Outside you’ll find boxes of 50p paperbacks, and inside rare vinyl, with punk and dance being specialities.
Down the street, Pat’s Chung Ying Chinese Supermarket has shopping for Oriental foodstuffs all sewn up, but aside from every variety of noodle known to man, you’ll also find Hello Kitty candies in deliciously garish packaging, Sea Coconut cough mixture, Iron Buddha tea, and a vast range of beautiful crockery starting at just 65p. A stone’s throw from a post-shopping drink at The Shore on Bernard
Street is Flux, which sells ethical gifts but is a thankfully hemp-free zone, where you can pick up Dr Hauschka skincare, fair-trade cotton baby clothes, ethical gold jewellery and even David Shrigley-designed plectrums. (Lindsey Johnstone)
■ GALA DAY Kicking off at noon, the annual Leith Gala Day Parade will wind its way from Lochend Park to Leith Links, with locals encouraged to ‘remember Leith’s past and celebrate its powerful heritage’. (Gala Day, Leith Links, Edinburgh, Sat 12 Jun).
20 THE LIST 10–24 Jun 2010