Old Dock Bar

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £6.95 (set lunch)
   £16 (evening meal)
• House wine: £13.95 per bottle

• High point: Intelligent, passionate cooking
• Low point: Décor verges on the tacky in places
• Food served: Mon-Sun noon-10pm
• Bar open: Mon-Thu noon-11pm; Fri/Sat noon-1am; Sun 12.30-11pm
• Private dining: Up to 50 covers
• Open since: 2006
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Wheelchair access

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

A sliver of spit'n'sawdust saloon still stands but, since its takeover last year, the Old Dock Bar has gravitated towards gastropub status. There are nods to its Leith location, with the odd bit of seaside bric-a-brac and wonderfully tacky paintings of old ships. Leather seats for aperitifs and after-dinner drinks blend into the wood and stone dining area, where low lighting adds to the 'boat's belly' atmosphere. By day, business folk flock here for the superb value £6.95 three-course lunch. Chef Richard Smith diligently dictates the ever-evolving menus - lunch might feature dishes such as artichoke and mushroom bruschetta, chickpea casserole and classic mussels, while the evening menu is, as you'd expect, more expansive. To start, the smoked salmon is lively, and avocado and prawn salad surprises with fulsome, fresh, meaty shell-on prawns. Main courses include a mound of meaty monkfish, delicately draped in a tangy tiger prawn bisque. Desserts of the day could be a bold, cold spiced apple and walnut pie - which is impressive despite tasting dangerously like mulled wine and mincemeat - or a slow-burner of a non-chocolate brownie. With slick service and food that oozes passion, the Old Dock looks set to rule the waves.