Appetite Direct

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The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

Most of Appetite Direct’s business is outside catering, from small private dinners to weddings and gallery openings. So it follows that their shop is no run-of-the mill deli. It’s a wonder what they produce from the small kitchen every day: several curries, quiches, interesting seasonal veg and salads, a daily pizza, roast with all the trimmings, as well as stacks of sandwiches and wraps. Curries are ideal for takeaway with rice thrown in – a rendang style beef cooked in coconut milk zips with fresh lemongrass – but a gentle mushroom Stroganov is also good, mixing juicy button and chestnut mushrooms with dried porcini for depth. Sides such as roasted root vegetables or tender broccoli are cooked with care, and a chocolate brownie stands in well for pud. The deli counter is expanding with more cheese, charcuterie, olives and fresh loaves. As with the rest of the food, careful sourcing is part of the Appetite Direct ethos and much is local where possible, such as the bread from Edinburgh bakers Dough Re Mi.

• High point: Curries full of flavour and freshly ground spices
• Low point: Takeaway possibilities thin out after 3pm