FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
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GRASSROOTS GOURMET Young chefs with fine-dining training are setting up few- frills restaurants in the capital’s back-streets, as John Cooke discovers near the University
F ield is clearly about one thing, the food. And that, in these austere times, is a very good thing. Certainly, those behind this stripped- back room not far from George Square have the credentials to deliver. Most recently at The Plumed Horse, chef Gordon Cray and front-of-house co-owner Richard Conway prove that a good value Scottish menu needn’t bow to cliché or blandness. This is assured, deft and feistily flavoured cooking, producing food that’s comforting without being clumsy. A ham hock rissole is the right combination of hammy pulled meat, encased in a crunchy, lightly breaded exterior, topped with the softness of a poached egg, with hollandaise sauce for a final silken touch. Terrine of smoked mackerel and confit sweet potato, wrapped in grilled aubergine, is sweet, smoky and spot-on. Pan-fried hake is rather awkwardly presented on slate, but its bed of diced ratatouille shows that fine dining-style attention-to-detail is omnipresent, even though these prices surely make this newcomer a contender for eating-out bargain of the year. And don’t skip dessert or you’ll miss banana tarte tartin with sticky caramelised sugars and sweet fruit, proof that nothing is more satisfying than simple food done very, very well.
THE FIELD
41 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
0131 667 7010, fieldrestaurant.co.uk Ave. price two-course meal £18
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.
Glasgow
COCKTAIL & BURGER BARS & PUBS
23 Sauchiehall Street, City Centre, G2 3JD, 0141 353 0953, cocktailandburger.com, £8 (lunch/dinner) Cocktail & Burger picks up where Bier Hof left off, replacing the popular pizza deal with 2-4-1 burgers. From the classic C&B – cheese, bacon and secret sauce – to the popping pulled pork with cider onions, this is well-done US-style comfort food. Glazed, toasted brioche buns give the burgers an enticing look and help stop the juicy i llings from becoming a wet mess. Chicken and veggie options join specials, hot dogs and sliders, and intriguing extras such as addictive tempura-battered ‘mussel popcorn’. Reasonably priced cocktails complete a stylish, wallet- friendly night of great food and drink.
MASALA TWIST TIKKA & TAPAS BAR INDIAN
61 Hope Street, City Centre, G2 3PS, 0141 332 6002, masalatwistscotland.co.uk, £10 (lunch) / £15 (dinner) The spin-off from the Byres Road Masala Twist emphasises cheap and cheerful fun in its i rst l oor restaurant and second l oor function room, which offers weekend karaoke. Bigger-than-usual tapas include
choza tak-a-tak, a delicately spiced chicken dish; king prawn chettinad, with a green-chilli kick; and paneer enriched by a bhoona-style sauce. Tandoori main courses include Scottish grouse and pheasant served with daal, rice and salad. The very adventurous can sign a disclaimer and attempt to verify their claim to Scotland’s hottest curry.
MANHATTAN’S BAR AND DINER NORTH AMERICAN
35 St Andrews Road, Southside, G41 1PD, 0141 429 4657, manhattansglasgow.co.uk, £5.95 (set lunch) / £10 (dinner) This US-themed bar and diner is physically split as such, with the laughter and banter from the sports-style bar drifting into the dining area, decorated with movie quotes and American sports photos. While basket meals and sharing plates of nachos and wings are devoured in front of the sports screens, the restaurant is more likely to yield pizzas, hot dogs, steaks and juicy ribs. The homemade burgers stand out – perfectly chargrilled and herby, with the chilli-topped Texan taking top spot. Comedy nights are selling out and live music is drawing in local crowds keen for something different.
Edinburgh THE HUXLEY
BARS & PUBS
Rutland Hotel, 1–3 Rutland Street, EH1 2AE, 0131 229 3402, thehuxley.co.uk, £13 (lunch/dinner) In one of the prime locations for a bar in Edinburgh, the former Rutland Bar has been rebranded as the upmarket Huxley. Alongside a well-stocked craft beer fridge and cocktail list, the menu is a selection of faux- trad bar meals centred around gourmet hot dogs and steak burgers; also available are breakfasts until noon and lighter snacks including sole goujons with seaweed salad and a Scotch duck egg wrapped in a light breaded venison and black pudding shell.
CHAOPHRAYA THAI
3 Castle Street, New Town, EH2 3DN, 0131 226 7614, chaophraya.co.uk, £15 (lunch) / £22 (dinner) Taking over one of the most high-proi le dining spots in Edinburgh from Oloroso, Chaophraya had glamorous shoes to i ll. The chain, which opened Europe’s largest Thai restaurant in Glasgow last year, certainly has no fear of a bit of glitz. The remodeled roof-top space now has Thai artefacts and l ashy surfaces at every turn. Crisply attired staff glide between welcome desk, on-view kitchen and table bearing a comprehensive array of Thai food, including crowd- pleasing satay sharing plates, crispy pork belly with Thai Basil and signature lamb massaman curry.
THE MASH TUN BARS & PUBS
54 Easter Road, EH7 5RL, 0131 661 3896, £15 (lunch/dinner) Bidding to end Easter Road’s exile from the Leith pub revival, the Mash Tun is notable for the skill with which it does simple things well. The interior is a pleasant blend of plastered walls, exposed brickwork and revived architectural features around an island bar, while the modest food menu is well-conceived, centred around ten thin-based but still substantial pizzas (two for one if bought with two drinks) including black pudding and egg or chorizo and chipotle sauce. Much like the owner’s other venture, Newington’s Greenmantle, it’s a local pub at heart, and the air of lively conviviality any night of the week is very much set off by a range of nearly 50 bottled craft ales and another 15 ciders.
Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at list.co.uk/food-and-drink
34 THE LIST 21 Feb–21 Mar 2013