Review: Usquabae, West End, Edinburgh

Whisky lovers, there's a new playground in town!

Usquabae is underneath Ryan's Bar in the West End. The door is on Hope Street, across from the Angel's Share if you don't want to walk through Ryan's.

I'd heard about this new whisky bar last year and had been eagerly awaiting its arrival. After having drinks in the West End with friends, I thought I'd pop down and see if it might have opened while I was away. I was glad to discover they'd been open a week already.

At 9ish on a Friday night, there were a couple of groups in already. We sat at the bar and I found it a little noisy and hard to have a quiet conversation. 

There are plenty of low tables as well as little booths to sit in which might have been a better choice.

They also have two whisky rooms which would be quite fun for an intimate tasting or just hanging out for a couple of drinks.

The main draw is the 400 whiskies they have. There's also a few gins and a selection of beers on tap and in bottles.

I can see this place being popular with the after work crowd in the West End. They also have a menu full of Scottish food, from cullen skink, to Balmoral chicken and cranachan. 

I look forward to coming back at some stage soon for a meal and to try some more of the whiskies on offer.

Review: Ox184, Cowgate, Edinburgh

Already a fan of Holyrood 9A and The Southern, I was excited to hear Fuller Thomson had opened a new venue in the Cowgate. I had been warned that it was 'very red'. It did not disappoint!

I was surprised there were only a couple of people there when I arrived at 7pm on a Thursday. The large cavernous room felt empty and I was worried it would lack atmosphere. I needn't have worried; it steadily filled up with a good mix of big and small groups. The vibe was very laid back and the volume stayed at a low hum, so while it got busy, it never got too loud to have a conversation.

Service was polite and attentive. We were seated by the window which seemed like a great idea, but made me feel a bit like an animal at the zoo with lots of Cowgate's foot traffic peering in.

We ate bacon and corn muffins and pork cheek nuggets from the bites menu, the muffins were mini morsels of fluffy, bacon'y deliciousness. I felt the coating on the nuggets were a little too hard but the pork cheek filling was tasty and my dining companion had no complaints.

Next came lobster and pork belly burger along with the smoked chicken waffle sandwich from the mains menu. I prefer my waffles with a bit of crunch but otherwise couldn't fault the light airy batter. The sweetness of the dough worked well with the slightly spicy sauce and I got my crunch from the fried chicken which I felt was a little dry. No complaints about the lobster and pork belly burger though and the brioche bun really stepped it up a notch.

Due to a slight error, I also ended up with the vege option of the waffle sandwich which has a mushroom and spinach filling. I'd let it get a bit cold before I got to trying it so I'm surely not doing it justice, but I thought it needed added texture.

Our mains were accompanied by cheese fries and charred corn. The corn was done to perfection and the home made cheese sauce on the mountain of fries had a nice spiced kick. We also tried the burnt end beans which I found too salty but can see them doing well with big flavour drinks.

Draft beers come in 1/3, 2/3, pint and demijohns (8 pints). I took full advantage of the mini servings and tried three different beers from Tempest brewery. The companion had a Bristol Vice then a New Zealand sour wheat beer. Draft beers are rotating and are accompanied by a large selection of canned beers as well as a spirit list that spans two pages. They also offer a selection of whisky flights which I'd love to try.

The meal was concluded with the Smoked Banoffee, I was absolutely full to the brim but too intrigued not to order it. I have no regrets. The bruleed banana slices on top were revolutionary. I only want to eat my bananas bruleed from now on! The homemade gingerbread is soaked in house made toffee to absorb lots of caramel'y goodness before being popped in a jam jar with smoked banana which is puréed. It's rich, it's decadent and it absolutely defeated me.

The bathrooms are upstairs and you get to walk past the open fire pit and grill where a lot of the food is cooked. It's definitely worth checking out and stop for a chat with Greg the sous chef if there's anything you want to know about the food. There's also little nooks and booth seating upstairs which would be great for small and large groups.

We had a fantastic time and look forward to returning with a group so we can try the rest of the menu and order demijohns of beer! They're open until 3am and serve food until 2.30am. Which I'll be taking full advantage of at some stage!!

Overall, I feel like there's still a few things still to tweak and the menu is ever evolving, so I look forward to many trips back and having new things to try all the time.



[On this occasion we were guests of Ox184. Many thanks for their hospitality. All opinions are my own.]

Lunch at Link : 麟手創料理

A couple of weeks ago, Mum and I spent about a week in 宜蘭縣 (Ilan County), visiting my great aunt & uncle.. (my gran's sister and her husband).. On the way there, we stopped for lunch at Link : 麟手創料理.. Mum had been there before and thought it was quite interesting and wanted to take me there... We arrived close to 1pm and without a booking, but were told they had seats, tho only the NT$1200 menu was available.

We were taken upstairs and shown to a beautifully set table.. (the table was also HUGE, tho you can't tell in this photo..)

Ginseng tea was quickly served.. in this quirkly little teacup...

{In case you don't know already... PHOTO HEAVY POST to follow!!}

Mark Greenaway @ No.12 Picardy Place, Edinburgh

On Tuesday, SW and I had a fabulous lunch at Mark Greenaway, which is housed in No. 12 Picardy Place formerly known as Hawke and Hunter.  I was a bit confused when I walked in the door and was greeted by a receptionist behind a desk... had I stumbled into a hotel or something? I was swiftly led around the corner and into the stylish dining room.  SW already had water for the table and a "Market Menu" as well as an a la carte menu were delivered without fuss.  I'd already had a peruse online, so pretty much had my heart set on what I wanted.  I was very happy to see that the things I wanted off the a la carte menu were pretty much all present on the set priced Market Menu.

Confit Gressingham Duck Leg - 

Hot Orange Jelly, Beetroot Carpaccio, Sakura Salad, Raspberry Dressing

 Beautifully presented and an absolute delight to eat. 

The Orange Jelly provided just the right amount of acidity to the confit.

The main dining room was our private dining room for the meal and we had a lovely corner table under a big window overlooking the Secret Garden. The table was well presented with an oil lamp, fresh flowers and butter and rock salt.

11 Hour Slow Roasted Clash Farm Pork Belly - 

Spiced Fillet, Pomme Puree, Savoy Cabbage, Toffee Apple Jus

The crackling was a bit impossible to cut through and a bit sticky on the teeth.. but the top was just crunchy enough for a bit of texture, the pork belly was melt in the mouth tender and the puree was rich and smooth. The cabbage was a nice balance to the richness of everything else on the plate. I struggled to get through the mash, but SW has no problems polishing off his plate!

SW was torn between choosing a dessert off the Market Menu or the Chocolate Fondant which was in the a la carte menu (which actually shows on the Market Menu on the website... shhhhh!), but after some debate and deciding that the fondant would be too rich after the Pork Belly, we decided to stick with the trend and order the same thing...

 Broken Lemon Tart -

Yuzu Parfait, Frozen Shortbread, Pistachio Puree, Compact Watermelon, Coconut Jelly

We agreed that this Lemon Tart was definitely "Broken"! We both looked a bit doubtfully at it on the plate...  (confusion about where to start perhaps!?!) I decided to try a bit of the lemon curd and all doubt was immediately dissipated... It was creamy and tart with just a hint of sweetness - perfection! The pistachio puree was a bit strange on its own, unlike the coconut jelly and yuzu parfait which were both delightful, but when all the elements are combined and eaten together, the result was a little party on the tastebuds. 

You could see our reflections on the plates when we were finished and SW declared he could eat another whole plate right away! No small compliment coming from someone who's career is hospitality and dining!

Our 3 courses set us back £20 each, our wine (a lovely Vionier, I trusted SW to order) was £20 and a bottle of fizzy water for the table a fairly reasonable (for a restaurant) £3. Making our total bill £70 including tip. So £35 for 3 course lunch with a bottle of wine = absolute STEAL!!

 View from our table into a Private Dining Room with a wine cellar.

 View looking into the rest of the main restaurant, another PDR through the doorway on the left. Waiter's station on the right, doors where you enter the restaurant on the right wall.

After lunch we had a nosey around the property, I've been downstairs to the Green Room before for an event but had never seen the rest of the building.

A huge display of my favourite flowers on the landing on the way upstairs to the Cocktail Bar

Cocktail Bar

Private Room off the Lounge of the Cocktail Bar

Main Lounge Area of the Bar

Funky Artwork

Chaise Lounge in the Ladies Bathroom

More Funky Artwork ( I love this... I want it!)

Trendy MDF/Wood Deer Head on Downstairs Wall

The restaurant (along with many others) is taking part in the Yelp Eats! Dine Out in Edinburgh next week, where you can have two courses at some of the city's fine dining restaurants for £15 (on a prix fixe menu).


I'm pretty gutted I'm not in town to take full advantage, though my wallet probably appreciates that fact far more than my belly! If you're in town, you should definitely check it out!! Even if you miss out on the Yelp Eats! Week, I still think Mark Greenaway offers fantastic value for the quality of food if you order off the Market Menu.  Otherwise it would be a nice treat for a special occasion!!


Happy Eating!!

Canoe Brewpub, Victoria, BC, Canada

It was a long weekend a couple of weeks ago and three of us made the most of the 1st August on the patio of "Canoe Club", Brad was already there and advised against the chicken breast sandwich... but even with that off the list, there was still plenty to choose from...

I started with a Caesar (I was on a mission to only drink Caesars when I was out during my entire Canadian holiday....) - they garnish their Caesars with a mini pepper and cocktail olive...

Gareth & I shared the Ploughman's Platter ($16.50) - Oyama York Prosciutto, Dry Cured Salami, Duck & Pork Rillettes, Hilary's Cheese, Pale Ale Cheddar, House Pickled Veg, Onion Jam and Toasted Bread .. we were originally going to order just the Pork & Duck Rillettes ($6.50) (what you see in the ramekin) but our server suggested the Ploughman's instead and we were stoked to have gone with his suggestion... the soft cheddar was super yummy.. we needed an extra side of bread ($1) to go with all the yumminess on offer!

I had to switch to Mojitos after two Caesars as the salt content in the Caesars was just too much on a hot sunny day... their house Mojito is made with Havana Club and hibiscus syrup and on Mondays is on special for $6 (2oz pour)... I had absolutely no trouble downing a couple of these!!

At about the 4 hour mark, we decided we were all still a bit peckish so decided to get the Flatbread to share among the three of us...  we went for the Galloping Goose Italian Sausage & Cherry Bomb Peppers option ($15) and it was the perfect amount to nibble...

As the sun started to dip below the horizon I wanted a sweet treat to wrap up our fabulous 6 or 7 hours spent in the sun, we had seen plate after plate of the Ice Cream Sandwiches go by but they were huge and I wasn't in the mood for that much sugar after a couple of Mojitos, the server gave their Creme Brulee ($7.50) the thumbs up and that was all the encouragement I needed.. the sugar top was toasted to perfection, crunchy with a bit of caramalisation without being burnt..  I wrangled Gareth into sharing and it was the perfect amount to satisfy the sweet tooth!

I think the fact we were there for about 7 hours is testament to how enjoyable it was to spend a sunny day on their patio! Add my 4 cocktails and Gareth's 5 or 6 pints and our final bill came to just over $100 after tax.. throw in 10% tip, $55 each for 7 glorious hours of great service and fantastic food = well worth it in my mind!

If you find yourself in Victoria on a hot sunny day, definitely check out Canoe Brewpub!! Even on a not so sunny day, drop by and dine in the "designated heritage building that underwent a $6,000,000 renovation in the late 90′s. The soaring timber frame and rustic brick architecture create a vibrant atmosphere and provides a setting just as beautiful, albeit different, than the patio outside." - extract taken from Victoria Explorer's review on Canoe.

Ping Pong, SoHo, London

So, here is a very belated part 2 from my trip to London earlier this month... lunch at Ping Pong... we were going to lunch at Princhi, but there were no seats and I wasn't taken with any of the food... and even tho Ping Pong is a chain, it served up some delicious dim-sums!!

Beautiful Sok with her lemongrass iced tea...

My watermelon iced tea which they both drank from before I even had a chance!
It was SOOO SUPER delish!!

C & C

Crazy basil cashews...

Pineapple BBQ pork buns... NOMMY!!

Squid & Spring Rolls

Coconut Sticky Rice

Char Sui Bun (BBQ Pork Buns)

Chicken & Cashew Nut Dumpling... YUMMMY!

Seafood Dumpling in a Carrot skin... couldn't really taste the carrot tho...

Damage was £55 including gratuities for 3 of us to eat all that food and a virgin drink each... we all left happily full.. so, not too bad for Londontown!

There was a bar around the bit steamer and high/bar tables upstairs at street level but we chose to sit downstairs, it was well lit with an open atrium at one end that let in lots of natural light... service was pretty good tho hard to get the server's attention at times as we were seated at the far wall...

Thanks PingPong!! If you're passing by one and wondering to go in or not.. go ahead, it's yummy and not overly hard on the wallet.. Atmosphere is casual and laid back and it's not a bad place to hang out and catch up over some tasty morsels!