FOOD & DRINK NEWS & REVIEWS
CANNON FODDER The latest Contini project is up by Edinburgh Castle, bringing their distinctive blend of Italian heritage and quality Scottish produce to a prime tourist market, as Donald Reid reports
C arina and Victor Contini do projects like ducks do water. Or maybe, in fact, swans: a slightly confusing identity at first, plenty of paddling beneath the surface, but ultimately graceful and distinguished. Since decoupling from Valvona & Crolla ten years ago, they’ve converted a former banking hall into Centotre (now Victor & Carina Contini Ristorante); created a café-restaurant beneath the National Gallery that showcases Scottish produce in the same manner that the walls above do for homegrown art; and established a productive market garden.
Now, they’ve established an Italian-Scots food hub right by the Castle Esplanade entrance. Cannonball House – named for the cannonball embedded high on the wall of the old stone tenement which either dates to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s time, or plays an unexplained role in the Old Town’s former water supply system – has been patiently converted by the Continis in partnership with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The point is thick with tourists – 2 million pass by every year – and despite the assumption that menus touristico will be significantly higher in price than quality, there’s no sense that the fodder at Cannonball dilutes the
integrity and high standards of the Contini brand. In the basement is a gelateria and porridge bar (surely a world first), and both items are made on site. Street level has a cafè offering impressively constructed panino, salads and antipasto plates. The building’s old-school theme (it was a primary school for much of the 20th century) is clearest in the white-tiled staircase that leads up two floors. Up there is the striking but not overly showy Cannonball restaurant with its arresting glimpses to historic views all around, including the neighbouring castle.
The family’s sepia-tinged Italian-Scots heritage is as prominent as the building’s history, and what shines through is the dearly held respect for good food, family and community. Neither poshed-up or dumbed-down, this is smoking-gun evidence that good food is muscling its way into the standard tourist experience in Scotland.
+ A respect for quality ingredients amid the tourist hustle - One for locals to suggest to visitors, rather than visit themselves
VICTOR & CARINA CONTINI CAFFÈ & CANNONBALL
356 Castlehill, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, 0131 225 1550, contini.com
Food served: Mon/Tue 9am–6pm; Wed–Sat 9am–10pm; Sun 9am–8pm Ave. price two-course meal: £10 (Caffè lunch) / £29 (Cannonball dinner)
34 THE LIST 18 Sep–16 Oct 2014
SIDE DISHES News to nibble on
Finnieston continues its inexorable rise as food central in Glasgow. New bar and kitchen the Scullery opens soon on Claremont Street, while Porter & Rye is the latest offering from the local trailblazing owners of Lebowskis, opening soon next to their seafood bar, the Finnieston. Over in Kelvinbridge, LUAC – another member of the Lebowskis group – has been rebranded as the Crafty Pig, taglined ‘brewhouse and smoke pit’.
As Scottish Food Fortnight forges on, there’s no shortage of feasts, celebrations and new launches. We’ve just sent out our latest Larder e-newsletter covering lots of this buzz. To subscribe, visit food.list.co.uk or email eat@list.co.uk.
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TONY MACARONI EDINBURGH
Tony Macaroni is a leading Italian restaurant in Scotland offering real Italian food. Our 10th
restaurant opened recently in Edinburgh’s Omni Centre featuring a log fi red pizza oven and a fantastic bar.
tonymacaroni.co.uk