Baraka

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £6.95 (set lunch)
   £12 (evening meal)

• High point: Good value set menus
• Low point: Atmosphere more bar than restaurant
• Food served: Sun-Thu noon-3pm, 5-9pm; Fri/Sat noon-3pm, 5-10pm
• Bar open: Mon-Sun noon-1am
• Private dining: Up to 25 covers
• Open since: 2006
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Pre-theatre menu

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

This review is from the 2007 edition.

This Infirmary Street restaurant has undergone several changes of identity in recent years. Now operating under the name of Baraka, the venture appears to be attempting to be all things to all bon viveurs, with a spacious bar-restaurant offering several varieties of cuisine, and a smart function room downstairs. The bar menu features a wide array of Mediterranean standards, from pizza and pasta to tapas and mezzes, all freshly prepared and decent value for money. As befits a restaurant owned by the Maison Bleue chain, the set evening menu offers mostly French-Scottish fare with the occasional north African dish thrown in for good measure. For starters, plump for haggis balls fried in beer batter, the savoury crunch offset by sweet clapshot potatoes in a whisky jus, or a generous portion of tender calamari. The main course of nicely cooked sea bass arrives on a bed of pasta in a light, creamy sauce. In contrast, the traditional duck confit atop a huge serving of mousseline mash is perhaps a little too dense and heavy a combination to be really comforting food. With the bar and restaurant in such close proximity, the subdued lighting and décor of the latter is occasionally compromised by the intrusive music of the former. Overall, though, Baraka is a reliable option for fresh, hearty, reasonably priced food in a good, central location.