Café Fish

Visted the new Cafe Fish tonight, after being a regular customer down in Leith and it was excellent. Brilliant atmosphere, service, vibe and most importantly, the food was amazing. My partner and I shared a bottle of Soave that was recommended - and i thought it was nice that i was recommened one of the cheapest wine on the list, which was very good. We had a plate of Irish Oysters and some smoked Trout to start which were both superb. For mains, we had scallops with chorizo and the Monkfish & Prawn curry which was one of the best fish dishes i have ever tasted. Overall, excellent and the price was very reasonable (£32.00 ahead) including drink...pretty good. Recommened if your looking for a decent plate of fish in Edinburgh.

I was so excited about Cafe Fish reopening in Stockbridge, an area crying out for an outstanding neighbourhood restaurant. However, unfortunately that void has not been filled by Cafe Fish.

It looks fantastic: the same minimalist, steely interior as its Leith incarnation. The menu looks exciting though pricey (around £18 for a main course). Unfortunately things went downhill as soon we sat down. We both ordered a glass of rose wine which, when it finally appeared, tasted like vinegar. At £6 for a large glass it was very expensive vinegar. After 20 minutes wait, four 1cm thick slices of tasteless and stale baguette were put on our table. I ordered the sea bream, which came with bacon, chanterelle mushrooms and 'spring veg'. I was assured I wouldn't need any sides as it was, I was told 'a hearty portion'. About 40 minutes later, I was handed a scalding hot plate (a sure sign of being blasted in the microwave). In the middle sat a sad looking, tasteless, overcooked sliver of fish on a spoonful of peas and a microscopic dollop of greens. The indefinable brown 'sauce' around was covered in a thin skin and had clearly sat around for quite some time before being nuked to heat it up. As I was starving, I asked for some more bread for the table. Some time later, two 1cm slices of stale baguette appeared. My companion had a prawn curry. She was too polite to be rude about it, but I noted she left most of it untouched. What is more, we were both accidentally overcharged by £4 each - apparently there are are two menus, one more expensive than the other.

In sum, this was bad food, badly done. What is most perplexing is that for a supposedly superior fish restaurant, Cafe Fish showed no understanding of how to cook fish. There is simply no comparison with any of the Leith fish establishments where fish is handled simply and with skill - and at half the price. On our visit Cafe Fish was full of Stockbridge folk trying it out in its first week. It must raise its game if it wants to last for a second.

I thought the format and low set price menu was a great idea, certainly the restaurant interior looks fantastic.

Unfortunately the pricing is very misleading, as the majority of dishes carry a hefty supplement and the true cost of a meal there is much higher. The winelist is rather confused and seems to have been compiled at random with too much repetition and some natural partners to seafood missing.

So much potential, but the model needs refining to warrant a return by us.

I dined at Café Fish and sincerely hoped that the price of both wine and food were more a reflection of ‘Valentine’s Day weekend’ as opposed to the normal price structure however, I doubt it. Sea bream is one of my favourites and again I would not criticise the chefs cooking of the fish (however well cooked fish is the least I would expect from a restaurant that markets itself as a seafood restaurant) was served purely with roasted vegetables, I’m all for keeping it simple and the presentation really was, but this was reminiscent of a main course in Marks & Spencer’s dine in for £10.00 deal.
Be prepared for an extremely limited menu in comparrison with the website's sample dinner menu with supplements galore and severely bland dishes that have been executed better before. I don't think Cafe Fish quite understand what they are yet as their food/wine prices are at times on a par with their Michelin Star neighbours however what they offer in turn isn't, I mean not even close. I'm sure Mr Wishart, Kitchin etc & the not so high end establishments in Leith who are however dedicated to good food and good value will chuckle at this bizzarre business model. (don't give any email feedback through their website though, apparently they are brilliant and seeming cannot be criticised?)
Idea of simple (to an extent), fresh Scottish seafood = Good! Execution and value for money = Poor!!

We have been twice, once for a dinner for four and the other time for oysters and wine.

Dinner was well prepared but lacked flavour and had zero wow factor (e.g. it doesn't get much easier than mussels in white wine sauce, but this one was decidedly bland, same for the baked fish). We waited roughly 30mins for our bill to arrive after asking for it a couple of times. Despite this, the staff were quite friendly but didn't know much about the menu other than their pre-prepared, practised script. For a fish restaurant, they had very little information on the sourcing of their produce or the manner in which it was caught. We would expect the opposite nowadays.

The oysters were perfect - creamy, skillfully shucked, and very juicy. We also tried the recommended oyster shot/slammer, a delicious mix of vodka and spices with an oyster on top, kind of like a bloody mary but 100 times better. This must be tried!

Would return for the oysters but not for the dinner menu, at least not in its current form.

We were so looking forward to our meal at Cafe Fish, following fab reviews in the Sunday papers. What a let down! If you go, dont have the fish pie - we did and it burnt our mouths, it was so hot. Even after leaving it for ten minutes it was still far too hot and all taste was lost to those of us who tried it. It felt like every member of staff came to placate us, however this was not reflected in our bill!
Also we spotted cartons of ambrosia custard lurking in the open plan kitchen! dont be fooled into thinking the vanilla custard is home made.
Finally they crammed 5 of us into a table for 4 - obviously following the rave reviews they are trying to meet the demand - maybe they should slow down a bit!

Thursday night I visited my "now" favourite fish restaurant in town for the first time. As soon as you walk through the magnificent revolving door it is apparent that this place is special. The "Feel Good Factor". Go from Henderson Street direct to Manhattan, slick furnishings and décor, needs cushions on seats for my old bony rear. Fabulous toilets. Great welcome from Richard, the larger than life boss, dressed in shorts. The boss's wife is in the open kitchen baking. The chef, India, was manic creating every dish fresh, a show in itself. My table for 16 covers was in front of the open kitchen and we watched the amazing talents of all who work there. Attention, if your partner's dress strap bursts, they even have safety pins. The food, a simple selection of beautifully prepared faire from sea and land, no complaints. The service, I am a slow eater and treat a visit to a city centre restaurant as an event. Our 16 diners were advised in advance that we should start eating as food arrived because of our numbers. I must say I was not aware of anyone waiting excessively and the restaurant was full. I have been dining in Edinburgh fine eateries for over forty years, since I arrived, and this is the first time I have experienced this kind of quality for such a low price. Best of luck during these troubled times. I'll be back.

Since the beginning of July, Cafe Fish has been open on Sundays between 10.30am and 5.00pm.

Have now been to cafe fish twice and both times highly impressed by the quality food and the attentive service.
Scallop starter is amazing and was not able to opt for anything else the second time. Small menu which allows the food to be completed to a high standard which has been tasty each time. Not an extensive range of puddings and would probably miss out on dessert next time,which says something for a pudaholic however would definitely go back again and again.. For those who don't want fish a veggie and meat option is available. Staff were excellent and though at times very busy the small personal interactions by the staff made both visits excellent. Highly recommend to all fish or food lovers.