The Howgate Bar & Restaurant

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

You'll need your wits about you to find this countryside inn not far from Penicuik, but tracking it down is well worth the effort. Now in its tenth year, the converted stables are deceptively spacious inside, but both the casual bistro area and the more circumspect restaurant tend to fill up, particularly at weekends, with locals and visitors seeking a hearty meal or a relaxing drink at the bar. The vast menu, which is also available at uptown sister restaurant No 3 Royal Terrace, is a mix of Scottish classics and contemporary fusion fare, cooked to order using locally sourced ingredients and served in what might be termed 'countryside'-sized portions. While the menu does include a decent vegetarian selection, meat dishes are particularly highly regarded here, as might be expected of a restaurant with a trained butcher at its helm. For starters, seared breast of pigeon has a strong, gamey flavour and is served with a moist black pudding and sweet chilli dressing, while the crumbly chicken liver and mushroom pâté is complemented by a refreshing beetroot chutney. The main course breaded fillet of haddock is succulent, though the dish is slightly let down by a rather feeble seasonal salad. The glorious ribeye steak – char-grilled on the outside, pink and juicy on the inside, as requested – suffers from no such weakness, however. It's this type of classic, proper cooking that makes the Howgate inn worth travelling those extra miles for.

• High point: The mouth-watering steak selection
• Low point: Don't forget to book