Waterside Bistro

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

A river, an ancient bridge and a grassy riverbank dotted with ducks. The Waterside has it all, whether a sunny day entices you to a table outside or a chilly evening makes you want to sit snug by the fire and admire it all through the quaintly astragalled window panes. After a brief and unhappy period of corporate ownership, this lovely old eating house in Haddington is once again busy and bustling. New owners have picked gentle paint colours and muted tartans, and recruited chef Andy Rees, formerly of the Atrium in Edinburgh. The menu is a showcase for the riches of the East Lothian countryside, from Ballencrieff Rare Breed pork to Knowes Farm vegetables and Colstoun estate pheasant and venison. Lunch is fixed price or a roster of well-prepared snacks, sandwichs and pub classics. Dinner brings imaginative dishes and refined presentation, with pastry crisp, Borders Scotch beef and Newmilne lamb tenderly toothsome and salads and vegetables fresh and appetising. Vino Wines provides a decent wine list and stocks the bar with a browse-worthy selection of 30 bottled beers.

• High point: Relaxed sophistication in a lovely setting
• Low point: Desserts lag just a tad behind the rest