Life & Style, Eat

New venue brings downtown New York to Edinburgh

19 Nov 2008

Edinburgh’s art scene has another new addition. The Bowery on Roxburgh Place in the Southside, opened last Saturday and takes its name from one of the famous city's hippest streets. The venue aims to replicate the quirky and semi mod attitude of the…

Calistoga Central

13 Nov 2008

The first hurdle to clear is that this is an American restaurant that doesn’t serve burgers. The best explanation of this is that it’s not an American restaurant but Californian. Calistoga has been around in Edinburgh since 2004 on St Leonards Street…

Taste Test - White beers

13 Nov 2008

Black Isle Organic Wheat Beer, Colomba, Grolsch Weizen, Konig Ludwig, Hefe Weizen, Weihenstephaner Dunkelweiss

A bluffer’s guide to Thanksgiving

13 Nov 2008

Call it the Americanisation of Britain, call it another excuse for a slap up meal, but Thanksgiving has grown in popularity. Celebrated on the last Thursday of November, it’s akin to a grown up Christmas without the gift buying or wrestling with…

Eat, drink and be merry: Christmas food

13 Nov 2008

‘Christmas dinner on a budget is easy, and you don’t have to end up with a can of Spam and a tub of out-of-date potato salad, either. It should be a special meal; it should feel special, and the secret to that is really simple – get a table set…

Side Dishes

13 Nov 2008

Earthy Foods & Goods, opened in Edinburgh’s Southside earlier this year, has introduced online shopping with a home delivery service. Now the vast majority of lines in the store – which focus principally on good food producers in the Lothians, Borders…

Take Three: Regional redoubts

13 Nov 2008

Dakhin 89 Candleriggs, Glasgow 0141 553 2585, www.dakhin.com Not just another Glasgow curry house but a discreet Merchant City venue dedicated to the food and cooking of south India, with dosas as a mainstay, some lovely seafood dishes from Kerela…

Aaloo Tikki aur Pudine ki Chutney

Potato cutlets with mint chutney

30 Oct 2008

This is Abhishek Bachchan's favourite dish, and it's very popular with the whole family. Across India, there are variations on the stuffing, from mashed peas to spice blends, but the Bachchans prefer it simple and don't stuff theirs. Mint chutney is…

Food for thought

Hardeep Singh Kohli

30 Oct 2008

Food's a very important part of my life. I can't begin to tell you how much. I'm notoriously bad at eating breakfast, yet ironically I'm obsessed with it, to the extent that my next book is going to be about breakfast. I will have a decent lunch, and…

Screen bites

30 Oct 2008

When a 1970s Indian journalist labelled populist Bollywood films as 'masala movies' - a dollop of drama, pinch of comedy, stirred in with some song and dance - Indian cinema's association with food became firmly established. While the masala movies…

Side Dishes

30 Oct 2008

● Agua Restaurant has been re-launched with a seafood theme under head chef John-Paul Persighetti. For anyone tracking the oyster index, six west coast bivalves are doing well at £9.50. Prawns, mussels, cockles and crab also feature at the new crustacea…

Take three: Cinematastic cafés

30 Oct 2008

Café Royal Oyster Bar 17a West Register Street, Edinburgh, 0131 556 4124 This venerable Victorian fish restaurant tucked off Princes Street appeared in the 1981 Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire, although despite the movie's Scottish connections it…

Taste test - Chicken Tikka Masala

30 Oct 2008

McLeish Brothers, Lidl, Mother India, Tesco, Caledonian Curry Company, Marks & Spencer

The Bollywood Lounge & Indian Restaurant

Movie smoothie

30 Oct 2008

The gaudy glamour of the Indian film industry seems a parallel universe away as you button up on a dreich Glasgow night and stride past Sauchiehall Street's greasy takeaways and booze-addled hordes down by Charing Cross. Yet, just on the other side of…

Taste test - Halloween vegetables

16 Oct 2008

Pumpkin Maybe it’s the colour or maybe it’s the size but pumpkins are becoming demonised as the embodiment of America’s crass commercialisation of Halloween. It’s not even that they’re imported: most of those in the shops are British grown. Makes for…

Christmas meal

16 Oct 2008

Let’s face it, someone’s got to book the office Christmas meal. Lots of brownie points if you get it right. Lots of reindeer manure if you get it wrong. The place Try to find a restaurant with a private room or a private area. A large party can…

Food For Thought

16 Oct 2008

My eating habits are the worst you can imagine. I often begin my day at 2am when I start making bread. I’ll grab a five-minute break for a coffee and one of the brezel (pretzels) we make. I have a sort-of breakfast at 9am – seven hours after I got up…

Side Dishes

16 Oct 2008

Sith (pronounced ‘shee’ – Gaelic for ‘peace’) is a new cafe at 459 Dumbarton Road just around the corner from Partick Underground station in Glasgow. Run by two women with strong connections in the Gaelic and Gay/LGBT communtities, it incorporates a…

The Rutland Hotel

16 Oct 2008

Once upon a time Edinburgh was slightly superior. Now the Glasgwegification of the capital has swaggered out of George Street and onto the West End. Nose onto Princes Street, with its tantalising views of the Castle, Calton Hill and Edinburgh’s historic…

Changing places

2 Oct 2008

When a restaurant location starts to see a few different tenants in a short span of time it gets a bit of a reputation. ‘Bad site,’ many will mutter. Not necessarily true, however. Of course some locations are harder work, but also in play are things…

Food for thought: Michael Caines

Chef and entrepreneur

2 Oct 2008

In the food trade we eat in a strange way. I don’t know any chef who’s a good eater when it comes to the discipline of eating: your work time is people’s mealtime.The biggest problem is that because you don’t remember sitting down to have a meal you…

Side dishes: News to nibble on

2 Oct 2008

Leven’s is the latest opening from Thai Lemongrass and Time 4 Thai operator Carole Tong, offering what’s described as ‘Thai Fusion Cuisine’ in a highly designed setting boasting moody purple lighting, sparkly wall paper and sleek wood. The menu is…

Taste test - Tea

2 Oct 2008

China Green Tea from Dragonfly Tea, Happiness Tea from Today Was Fun, Yunnan from Twinings Light Classics range, Yerba Maté from Mr Scruff’s Make Us a Brew Tea Company, Rose Tea from Brewhaha, White Tea from Tea Tree Tea

Food For Thought

18 Sep 2008

I spent a lot of time in Italy as a child and I was brought up in a foodie family so I’ve always been interested in food. I like very simple, peasant food so I eat homegrown wherever I can. For breakfast I have either a smoothie or muesli with…

Pink Olive

18 Sep 2008

The restaurant world consumes an awful lot of dreams. Everyone who has ever eaten out has discussed how they would do things better, and anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant has nurtured a blueprint for world, or at least neighbourhood…

Side Dishes

18 Sep 2008

Ex-corinthian chef Iain McMaster has opened up Tattie Mac’s on a nice wee site at 61 Otago Street in Glasgow, which in recent years has seen more change than a busker on Byres Road: you may remember it as Otago, the Cheese Bar or, most recently, Pizazz.

Taste Test - Carrots: Organic v Non-organic

18 Sep 2008

After potatoes, carrots are our most consumed vegetable; they are also a stalwart of the organic vegetable box scheme, so we decided to see what difference we could find locally available carrots. These ones came from a decent dedicated local…

Cail Bruich West

Gael force

4 Sep 2008

No one quite expected the Gaelic renaissance to include food. Fiona Anderson took along her phrasebook for a meal in Glasgow's West End.

Side Dishes - Food news to nibble on

4 Sep 2008

As the flood of Festival tourists on Edinburgh's Royal Mile recedes, a handful of recent changes have shown up along the famous thoroughfare. Café Truva, the Turkish-themed café based on Leith's shore for the last decade, has taken over Plaisir du…

Take three: Outposts of the Gaeltacht

4 Sep 2008

Three top restaurants with Gaelic names.

Taste Test - Chocolate Ice Cream

4 Sep 2008

Häagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate, £2 for 100ml tub This surprised a few in the blind tasting, who were expecting something more artificial from this worldwide brand. In fact, the silky texture, rich taste and genuine chocolate flavour were fairly…

Side Dishes

News to nibble on

21 Aug 2008

As ever, the eating and drinking scene on Byres Road is constantly evolving. Recent arrivals include Otto, an independent bar and grill in the former Rubaiyat pub on the corner of University Place, Atrio, a restaurant linked to Sauchiehall Street’s…

The Shandon Belles

What lies beneath

21 Aug 2008

The problem of second spaces is a dogged one for restaurants. A successful venue is always keen to make more tables available, but knows that the atmosphere, or the logistics, just don’t work so well in a room that’s tucked awkwardly through the back or…

Hidden Lane Café-Gallery

14 Aug 2008

The Hidden Lane doesn’t do location, location, location. Start in the ramshackle stretch of Argyle Street between Finnieston and Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery where there’s a growing and diverse range of small, independent bars and dining spots…

Side Dishes

14 Aug 2008

Glasgow’s more experienced diners know full well that the Two Fat Ladies fish restaurants had nothing to do with motorcycling cooks Clarissa and Jennifer, and everything to do with the address of the original site at 88 Dumbarton Road. However, the…

Giffnock Ivy

7 Aug 2008

For the price of a £5 train ticket, Glaswegians can enjoy a dining experience to rival those found in the stylish restaurants of Paris. Well, according to the new management of the Giffnock Ivy, that is, which aims to ‘bring the tastes, smells and…

Side Dishes

7 Aug 2008

Gourmet Glasgow, the annual promotion run by Glasgow Restaurateurs Association, kicks off this week and runs through to Sunday 31 August. Over 40 restaurants around the city are participating in the Dine Around scheme, which features fixed priced menus…

Side Dishes

31 Jul 2008

Brothers chris and paul Charalambous of Cail Bruich restaurant in Quarriers Village by Bridge of Weir has opened up a city branch, taking over the premises of the former Parthenon Greek restaurant next door to Oran Mor. Cail Bruich (West) offers…

Tao Bar & Restaurant

31 Jul 2008

This is the Chinese century, and it will be ushered in by the Beijing Olympics. Our economy, foreign policy, environmental and even cultural agenda will all be profoundly influenced by the dominance of China over the coming decades. Our cuisine? It…

Taste Test - Meat Pies

17 Jul 2008

Gregg’s Scotch Pie Gregg’s, various outlets, Scotland wide 70p We couldn’t do a meat pie test without saying ‘aye’ tae a pie – a traditional Scottish mutton pie, that is. The hot water crust pastry is crunchier and more robust than the flakier…

Cocktail kudos

17 Jul 2008

Shervene Shahbazkhani recently won the Scottish heats of the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup in Edinburgh with her innovative cocktail, ‘Bring the Beat Back’. She describes how she made it; ‘I tend to follow what my instincts tell me to make. Most cocktails…

Flavours of the month - Festival Food

17 Jul 2008

Food and Drink editor Donald Reid surveys what’s new in the eating out scene around Edinburgh as the Festival frenzy looms

Side Dishes - Food news to nibble on

17 Jul 2008

MAKING USE OF the narrow first-floor space above Brel on Ashton Lane, Serge is a new wine bar serving a menu of snacks and small food, with the extensive beer list and main menu from Brel also available. Chilled tunes and regular tastings feature. Book…

Take three: Fringe firsts - new Edinburgh openings for the festival 2008

17 Jul 2008

Olive Branch Bistro 44-46 George IV Bridge, 0131 226 4155, www.theolivebranchscotland.co.uk This intriguing site has hosted pioneering modern Scottish restaurant Dial as well as Marque Central scion Herbe Bistro. The dining space is one below…

Food For Thought

3 Jul 2008

I’ll eat anything but I’m not a good cook and so I avoid cooking and food publications at every turn. I only do one dish well, and it’s easy: a salad featuring mozzarella, mint, peaches, lime juice, olive oil, and prosciutto. I like to drink tap water…

Mother India’s Café

3 Jul 2008

Monir Mohammed is the quietly spoken, congenial proprietor of six restaurants in Glasgow operating under the Mother India and Wee Curry Shop banners. In a sector grossly overpopulated with long, samey menus, kitsch decor and blandly ill-defined dishes…

Side Dishes

3 Jul 2008

Urban Angel has opened a second branch on Forth Street in the former Tapas Tree premises just off Broughton Street, Edinburgh. Compared to the Hanover Street original it’s open earlier (from 8am), has more space and is serving much the same local…

Take Three: Striding the Glasgow/Edinburgh divide

3 Jul 2008

Café Andaluz 77b George Street, New Town, Edinburgh, www.cafeandaluz.com Glasgow-based restaurant chain Di Maggio’s opened their first Spanish style Café Andaluz off Byres Road in 2003. A city centre venue followed in 2005, with their first foray…

Taste Test - Yoghurts

3 Jul 2008

Yeo Valley •••• Organic Strawberry Probiotic Yoghurt, 49p From Somerset, Yeo are now one of the market leaders in organic yoghurts, delivering a noticeably creamy yet light, pleasant tasting product. The sweetness comes from the fruit, and while…

Cafézique

19 Jun 2008

If a deli is trying to tempt you to spend a bit more than you might at a supermarket on the basis that their food is better selected, in better condition and better quality, then you’d fully expect a partner café alongside to be operating under similar…

Food For Thought

19 Jun 2008

Breakfast is always the most important meal of the day. If unhurried (rarely), and in the right setting it is also my favourite meal of the day. In fact, Brodies breakfast tea is my favourite non-alcoholic drink . The most important ingredient for a…

Side Dishes

19 Jun 2008

The Royal Highland Show at Ingliston opens on Thursday 19 June for its annual four-day celebration of food, farming and the countryside. The Food Hall ranks as one of the largest gatherings of Scottish food and drink in the calendar with over 100…

Take Three: Delis-cum-Cafés

19 Jun 2008

Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar, Grassroots Café and Herbie of Edinburgh.

Taste Test - Take-away margherita pizzas

19 Jun 2008

The Italian Kitchen •••• 64 Ingram Street, Glasgow, 0141 572 1472, www.italian-kitchen.co.uk Takeaway only. Pizza Margherita £6.95 Pizza is a simple thing, so getting the basics right is important. This one has a nicely chewy but crusty thin base…

Chez Pierre

5 Jun 2008

Sometimes we get a bit too serious about food. But then it is a serious business, it’s what keeps us upright, but like any realm of human interest some folk, among them food journalists and chefs, become just a bit too earnest about the whole subject.

Side Dishes

5 Jun 2008

Martin Wishart, now one of Scotland’s best-known chefs, has just released his first cook book. Despite the elevated culinary status of his Leith restaurant, Wishart is keen to emphasise that his recipes are designed with all abilities in mind. ‘Anybody…

Take Three: They were once a Pierre Victoire

5 Jun 2008

Howies 10 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, 0131 225 1721 www.howies.uk.com There’s no question the original PV was in a great restaurant spot: right in the heart of town on one of Edinburgh’s most interesting streets. Howies’ casual, populist style…

Taste Test - Smoothies

5 Jun 2008

Innocent Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie ••• RS McColl, St James Centre, Edinburgh, £1.89 for 250ml Mango overload! A tangy, tropical taste is left in your mouth which could be quite refreshing on a hot day. It may be pure but you should expect a…

Food For Thought: Jonathan Wilkes

22 May 2008

My eating routine when I’m working is shocking. When I’m on tour, I grab what I can when I can. For breakfast I’ll have a bacon sandwich, followed by a club sandwich for lunch , so it’s bread after bread after bread. As much as I love my bread there’s…

North of Bondi

22 May 2008

Nik Biok disgorges the word with evident distaste. ‘It’s not fusion,’ he insists. To the chef-proprietor of new Glasgow venture North of Bondi, the distinction is clear: fusion is a euphemism for ingredients that don’t go together; his place is an…

Take Three: Antipodean Advances

22 May 2008

Tapa Coffee & Bakehouse 21 Whitehill Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow, 0141 554 9981, www.tapabakehouse.co.uk Kiwi Robert Winters is an evangelist for real bread and good coffee, and spreads the word by baking great loaves and brewing a fine cup of joe.

Taste Test - Chicken sandwiches

22 May 2008

Fresssh 51–53 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, £2.80 •• Sweet chilli sauce gives this sandwich a bit of oomph – something it probably needed given the bland cubed chicken and plain bread. The fire in the chilli is under control, which is probably sensible…

Eating & Drinking Guide Launch Party

8 May 2008

At Cabaret Voltaire, four excellent restaurants received Eating and Drinking Guide Best Newcomer awards, with two more receiving our inaugural Readers’ Awards in association with Taste of Edinburgh. Attendants sipped a range of refreshments courtesy of…

The Shore Bar & Restaurant

8 May 2008

Leith is one of those hologramatic places that’s both new and old at the same time, depending on which particular angle catches your eye. Weathered sandstone or flash flats, docking cranes or design studios, venerable eating spots and new Michelin…

Food For Thought

8 May 2008

Because of my job, I need to keep fit and flexible. If I ate too many crisps, I wouldn’t fit into my straitjacket anymore. Breakfast is Weetabix Minis and a cup of green tea. I never eat fruit; I’m allergic to bananas, melons and strawberries. If I eat…

Dumb Waiter - A guide to food terminology

8 May 2008

brochette skewer think kebab, but not that kind of kebab. bruschetta Italian toast, served with olive oil and tomatoes (rather than marmalade). capon castrated cockerel. caponata a Sicilian speciality of aubergines with tomatoes, olives…

Earthy Food Store

8 May 2008

Despite the very best and utterly wholesome intentions to stock up on organic cheeses at the weekly farmers’ market, or to take a drive to the country to buy veg with the soil still hanging off it, sometimes a long lie or a busy week gets in the way.

Side Dishes

8 May 2008

The harlequin group of restaurants, best known for their curry houses, now have a second Spanish-themed tapas restaurant in their portfolio after Las Ramblas in Bearsden with the opening of Torres at 327 Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Tapas dishes are…

Take Three: Old favourites, new regimes

8 May 2008

A kitchen fire in late 2006 might have spelt the end of this venerable restaurant, but Ryan James, who was already running a brace of Two Fat Ladies restaurants in the city, took it on, enhanced many of the original features and coupled it up to his…

Taste Test - Muffins

8 May 2008

Blueberry muffin £1.65 •• Tinderbox, 14 Ingram Street and 189 Byres Road, Glasgow Flatters a bit to deceive this one, with its generous size and nicely shaped top, as well as the purpley-blue interior. When tasted, however, the actual fruit is…

Striped Bass

24 Apr 2008

All the best chefs and critics advise that the best way to cook fish and seafood is to keep it simple. Pop it in the pan or under the grill for a few minutes, with just a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of oil or a scattering of herbs. Don’t over…

Winners of the 2008 List Eating and Drinking Guide Awards revealed

24 Apr 2008

The List is delighted to reveal the winners of this year’s List Eating & Drinking Guide Awards, as we launch our 2008 guide, free with the latest issue of the magazine. Now in their sixth year, The List awards highlight some of the best eating out…

Food For Thought

24 Apr 2008

I can’t eat breakfast first thing in the morning. I’ll have a milky coffee when I get out of bed, then porridge with Maldon sea salt mid-morning. If I’m in the restaurant, I don’t normally have a sit-down lunch because I end up tasting dishes while I…

New Restaurant - Pani Solinska

24 Apr 2008

The bright idea. I was standing in the Kirkcaldy sunshine looking at an empty restaurant. I had been made redundant from my job after over 20 years and I felt a little at sea. Slowly the dawning of an old dream came to me. Why not now? A Polish…

Side Dishes

24 Apr 2008

While we realise you might be bowled over by the sheer quantity of information in our Eating & Drinking Guide, one new arrival to keep an eye out for is the List Card, registration now open, our dining promotion scheme that offers two-for-one meals at a…

Take Three: Restaurants with sustainable fish policies

24 Apr 2008

Mussel Inn 157 Hope Street, Glasgow & 61–65 Rose Street, Edinburgh, www.mussel-inn.com Established ten years ago by shellfish farmers from the West Coast of Scotland, the Mussel Inns are underwritten by a clear sense of provenance. Mussels are…

Taste Test - Olives

24 Apr 2008

Osmin Olives Speciality Mixed From Bread & Olives, 17 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh Black olives are simply green olives that have been left longer on the tree to ripen further. Mixing olives can be one way to divert attention away from less…

Food For Thought

10 Apr 2008

Breakfast is usually crunchy nut cornflakes and I must have a cup of tea. I’m horribly addicted. At weekends, health goes out the window and me and my boyfriend and business partner, Ali, opt for the classic fry-up on a roll – egg, bacon and tatty…

Side Dishes

10 Apr 2008

Our brand new Eating & Drinking Guide will be launched on Tuesday 22 April this year and you can get your copy with a special edition of The List, out the following day and priced at just £3.50 (a saving of £2.75 on the cover price of the Eating…

Take Three: Animal Magic

10 Apr 2008

The Butterfly and the Pig 153 Bath Street, Glasgow 0141 221 7711, www.thebutterflyandthepig.com The name is a whimsical send up of traditional pub names and matches the gentle, eccentric nature of the place. Decorated like the Mad Hatter’s front…

Taste Test - Cereal snack bars

10 Apr 2008

Gillian McKeith's Living Food Energy Bar (Soil Association approved) 70g/£1.59 (•) Yikes. An ‘organic superfood bar’ that smells of wicker chairs and is definitely the least tasty on test. It even looks unappetising. It has a fruity, malty, heavy…

The Dogs

10 Apr 2008

There’s a little place I know – great spot for a bite to eat, glass of wine, right in the centre of town, up a staircase, not the most obvious. A little place I know . . . and so does the rest of Edinburgh, despite the fact that the launch party was…

La Vallée Blanche

27 Mar 2008

When rationalising business-speak began to creep into the way things were run at étain restaurant in Princes Square a couple of years back, chef Neil Clark knew it was time to pack up his pans. Not one to compromise on his creativity, he left the…

Taste Test - Posh pork sausages

27 Mar 2008

British Pork and Fresh Herb £0.56/100g (••••) Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, stores throughout Scotland , www.sainsburys.co.uk Though the promise of ‘fresh’ herbs seemed unlikely and the hint of lemon was a mere notion, this was a surprisingly…

Food For Thought

27 Mar 2008

As a burlesque performer, I’d love to say I eat men for breakfast, but that wouldn’t be strictly true. I’m pretty healthy, and I’ve been vegan for 17 years. Breakfast is herbal tea, and fruit or vegetable juice that I make up in the juicer. At lunch…

Side Dishes

27 Mar 2008

Manchester’s only Michelin star holder, Paul Kitchings, is leaving Juniper restaurant with plans to relocate to Edinburgh’s New Town within the year to open a boutique hotel with small restaurant attached. Frequently cited as one of Britain’s most…

Take Three: Eating spots with a curious former life

27 Mar 2008

A Room in Leith 1c Dock Place, Leith, Edinburgh 0131 554 7427, www.aroomin.co.uk John Tindal and Peter Knight recently opened their third ‘A Room In’ restaurant, replacing the Waterfront, itself a conversion of a red-brick waiting room once used…

Taste Test - Posh cheese and onion crisps

13 Mar 2008

Tyrells Mature Cheddar & Chives, 50g, 65p Kember & Jones, 134 Byres Road, Glasgow; Jenners, 48 Princes Street, Edinburgh The classy looking, see-through packaging looks promising, but these hand-cooked crisps are over fried and over flavoured. The…

Food for free

13 Mar 2008

This is the age we live in: foraging means a trip to the local shops rather than the supermarket and the phrase ‘food for free’ is associated more with ‘buy one get one free’ than nature’s bounty. However, the green revolution may not all be about…

Food For Thought

13 Mar 2008

I generally start the day with a bowl of oatmeal and cold milk for breakfast . Not porridge though – I believe the Scots word for it is ‘drammoch’. I add in some prunes out of a packet, and drink a coffee with milk. For lunch I’ll maybe stop what I’m…

Outdoor food festival returns to Edinburgh

13 Mar 2008

Taste-buds at the ready! Following the success of last year’s festival, Taste of Edinburgh is set to return in May with an even bigger line-up. As well as having the opportunity to sample taster dishes from 20 of Edinburgh’s top restaurants…

Peter’s Yard

13 Mar 2008

Across Britain there are around 3000 craft bakeries. In France, with a similar sized population but a rather different attitude to bread, there are 35,000 craft or artisan bakers. French, German and Eastern European traditions have exerted the strongest…

Side Dishes

13 Mar 2008

Gamba restaurant in Glasgow is celebrating its 10th birthday with a series of special meals, kicking off with an Oriental night on Friday 14 March. Tickets cost £59.95 for four courses with wines; book on 0141 572 0899. Two of leith’s most venerable…

Take Three: Craft bakery-cafes

13 Mar 2008

Tapa Coffee & Bakehouse 21 Whitehill Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow 0141 554 9981, www.tapabakehouse.co.uk The hand-made, traditional ethos of this artisanal bakery, café and coffee roasterie has won it fans across the city despite the unfashionable…

Three others to try: Food books

13 Mar 2008

How to Cook for Food Allergies by Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, Rodale, £16.99 Another local author, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne is a professional cook with children who suffer from various food allergies including dairy, egg and gluten intolerance. As a way of…

Food For Thought

28 Feb 2008

When we’re on tour, breakfast depends on where we’re staying. If we’re in a B&B I might get a cooked breakfast, but if we’re in a flat with a kitchen we’ll stock up on Weetabix, bread and fruit juice – things we have at home. I usually bring my…

Nanakusa

28 Feb 2008

There’s no such thing as a Japanese restaurant. So David Wan concluded during a fact-finding mission to the Far East last year – just as he was planning to open up such an establishment in Glasgow. There was no shortage of specialist bars selling sushi…

Side Dishes

28 Feb 2008

Other noteable comebacks include Dave Ramsden, the man behind the ever-colourful and much-lamented ventures (fitz)Henry and Rogue, who is planning to open a restaurant-bar called The Dogs in March. It will be located on Hanover Street in the premises…

Take Three: New Japanese Restaurants

28 Feb 2008

No 1 Sushi Bar 37 Home Street, Edinburgh 0131 229 6880 This Chinese-run Japanese restaurant is a cross between a style bar and a comfy old-school Chinese gaff, with birds of paradise cavorting over charcoal walls and big mirrors to reflect the…

Taste Test - Takeaway lattes

28 Feb 2008

Beanscene small latte, £2.05 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, 0141 352 9800; 99 Nicholson Street, 0131 667 5697 plus other branches across Scotland, www.beanscene.com Lacking any defining taste, this feels more like a watered down milkshake than your…