Rick’s
- Food served: Sun–Wed 7am–10pm; Thu–Sat 7am11pm.
- Bar open: Mon–Sat 11.30am–1am; Sun 12.30pm–1am. Extended in Festival
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 24
- Private dining: Up to 22 covers
- No. overnight rooms: 10
- Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least ¼ main courses), Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Outdoor tables
- Music on stereo: Contemporary pop, chill out and dance
- Opening times: Mon–Sun 11.30am–1am.
- Capacity: 150
- Largest group: 80
- Open since: 2000
- Average price:
£13 (lunch)
£19 (evening meal) - House wine: £17.40 per bottle
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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.
Boutique hotel, cocktail bar and restaurant rolled into one, Rick's slots in comfortably amid the upscale drinking venues that populate the George Street vicinity. A few steps below street-level, the low-ceilinged interior has a ‘designer’ vibe with a modern colonial feel created by palms, slatted screens and Asian-inspired dark wood furniture. This theme is echoed in a menu of round-the-world bistro classics, seafood, and dishes with an Asian twist. Expect to find steak, sashimi and daal alongside chicken and chorizo fettucine. Dishes are a mixture of highs and lows; steak with hand-cut chips is a decent slab of well-cooked beef accompanied by textbook chunky chips, while a main of sea bass sees the fish drowned in a cloying pool of coconut milk. Likewise a red onion tart, served as a dull pastry case with onion marmalade and cubes of cheese but no egg filling, is disappointing. Things look up with the cocktails; a good list of classic and contemporary drinks executed proficiently is where Rick's strengths lie.
- High point: Cocktails & chips
- Low point: Some of the Asian-inspired and vegetarian dishes
This groovy restaurant and bar, incorporated into a tiny boutique hotel in the heart of the New Town, attracts a hip young crowd looking for a lively night out. Retro-cool brown leather banquette seating and low-slung lampshades create an intimate atmosphere in a space loosely divided into cosy sections by diaphanous curtains. The long stretch of bar serves up a satisfying choice of pre-dinner cocktails and keeps the place lively until late, but the real draw is the quietly confident performance from the kitchen. A seemingly simple sashimi-style, lightly seared tuna fillet, presented skewer-style with generous sprigs of rosemary on a warm chickpea salad, is unexpectedly tender and succulent, while spring rolls accompanied by a rich hoi sin sauce are crisp and tightly packed with juicy duck and bamboo shoots. Main courses include a moist rump of lamb on a mound of vibrant sweet potato and ginger mash and some crisply-skinned roast monkfish with pancetta served on a creamy mash drizzled with basil oil. Those who make it as far as dessert won't be disappointed by the wickedly gooey warm chocolate brownie or the chic-looking circle of forest berry and apple crumble in a puddle of custard.
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Reviews of Rick’s (55a Frederick Street, Edinburgh)
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