The Outsider
- Food served: Mon–Sun noon–11pm
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 15
- Also offers: Gluten-free options, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access
- Music on stereo: Experimental /instrumental music (no lyrics)
- Capacity: 130
- Largest group: 14
- Open since: 2002
- Average price 2 courses:
£10 (lunch)
£18 (evening meal) - House wine: £13.60 per bottle
This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.
With its dark exterior and candle-lit, cavernous interior, the Outsider lives up to the mysterious ambience its moniker suggests. A mix of small and large tables fills the wide dining room, and guests can also sit in the upstairs loft or the snug on the bottom floor. The menu, a simple sheet of double-sided paper, offers starters in the form of shared plates of skewers, also known as 'chunky healthy lines'. Fat pieces of threaded chicken, king prawn, red pepper and onion are matched with a Thai-inspired lemon-grass and coriander dressing. For mains, the seared scallops with beetroot purée, crispy Parma ham and leeks is a mix of strong tastes and textures. The lean rib-eye steak, doused with a chive and peppercorn butter, comes with a generous amount of salty shoe-string fries. A scoop of lemony cream cheese sits atop a crunchy cracker in the simple, unbaked cheesecake. Despite the steady stream of visitors, service is cool, helpful and efficient, and the lyric-less background music allows guests to concentrate on each other and the fresh, creative dishes. With its combination of smart food and chic surroundings, the Outsider is sure to remain a popular place.
- High point: Many cosy corners
- Low point: Always make a booking
Comments
- 1. Louise, Glasgow – 16 May 2008, 5:31pmReport
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Have been to outsider before and really enjoyed the food. However, when trying to book a table for 10 on a Saturday night, I was snootily told after a long pause that they don't take bookings for tables of 10 only 8. I was also then told that they don't allow hen nights - stuff them, we will go and spend £400 in another restaurant!
- 2. Karen, Edinburgh – 1 June 2008, 2:14pmReport
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Having been to The Apartment before and loved the food, I was looking forward to going to The Outsider. I had a met friend who I hadn't seen for a while and we had loads to catch up. We chatted, ordered food, ordered wine, ordered more wine........you know what it's like. We were chilling! Ordered a 3rd bottle of wine., well we don't get out much and we had not drank much out of it, when we were presented with our bill and asked to leave. We told the waitress that we still had our wine to finish, but she told us that our table was needed. The restaurant was quite empty at this point, although I did realise that it was coming up to evening covers. She went and got the manager, Matthew Kelly and he told us that they could pour our wine, that was in our glasses into the bottle and we could leave with that!! We were shocked to say the least, having just been presented with the bill of £75, it was a bit like, we've had all we are going to get from you, so you can now get out. We were not rowdy or unruly, we were having a girly chat with some food and wine thrown in. Eventually after a bit of persauding, the manager gave us another table to finish our wine, however we were not that long there and we were told that this time we must leave. We settled the bill and sad to say did not leave a tip, purely down to the appalling way we were treated. It was such a shame as the food and surroundings were great. I felt that when we ordered the 3rd bottle of wine, we should have been told then that out table was going to be needed. It's no way for customers to be treated. Funnily enough when I phoned up to get details of who to write to about a complaint, the girl who answered thought I was someone else, as according to her there had been another incident in the evening.
- 3. Iain W, Edinburgh – 12 June 2008, 12:56pmReport
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Tried to get a table for 2 one Friday in Edinburgh in May 2008 - tried Montpelliers, Outsider, all George Street etc and nothing doing. Edinburgh restaurants know they can sell the same table over and over again and if one punter does not like it - stuff them - they will get another!
I've been told by a Toy Soldier (doorman) that there is no way I am getting into Oloroso, Edinburgh , been told there is 40 minute wait at (the very average) Pizza Express Stockbridge etc - it is just that the best places are booked weeks in advance - this over demands leads the suppliers to often become arrogant, lazy and greedy - they forget who is feeding their mouths and paying their staff - but that is just the way it is I am afraid.
During the Festival these places will want to sell the same table 3 times over from 6pm and turn the dining experience into a conveyor belt.
Not all restaurants are this way but many do end up with this mindset - best vote with your feet or temper your expectations.
Hen and stag nights should stick to Pizza Hut as they do tend to ruin the intimate dining experience (plus push out the regular customers) -witnessed this many times.
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