A delicious taste of the Orient in Leith

If you are in dire need of some deliciously fluffy pulled pork bao buns and quirkily named cocktails (my favourite being ‘Obi-Wan Negroni’), then Miss Woo’s in Leith is for you. So what did we have to eat? What didn’t we eat is more like it… The Japanese ramen, spicy Korean wings and succulent dumplings…

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Every small market town needs a no-nonsense eaterie

I’ve always had something of a soft spot for Biggar, a town I used to drive through a couple of times most weeks en route from Thornhill to Edinburgh. It was the sort of place where you could always get a decent bacon sandwich, a pie at Gibson’s the bakers, something vaguely healthy at the…

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Local food and drink is a winner at the Plockton Inn

I was on a recent journey to visit the eight miles of the Munro-rich Glen Shiel in Wester Ross, a glen which as well as the Five Sisters of Kintail contains a further eleven munros, the highest concentration of peaks over 3,000ft in Scotland. As many city-based walkers tend to leave early and drive the…

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Book review – The Ghost of Helen Addison

What’s the story? Leo Moran isn’t your average private detective. His most pressing day-to-day activities usually involve deciding what vintage of wine to pair with the finest organic steak, but at times he has more unsettling concerns: visions of violent crimes. After the ritualistic murder of a young woman in Argyll Leo decides to help…

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Make sure you book ahead if you want to dine here

Malvarosa Malvarosa has a hugely loyal local following. There are some off-piste tapas options, but the menu is dominated by the usual suspects (boquerones, patas bravas etc), with its paella the pick of the mix. The £17 party menu is particularly popular with regulars. The only downside is that its popularity with locals means you…

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Bistro capitalises on its shoreside location

A Room in Leith A Room in Leith is a Scottish bistro set in the popular shore area of Edinburgh. The restaurant is located on the site of the former Skipper’s Bistro and is the perfect place to enjoy great quality food that is made from only the best fresh local ingredients, with a particular…

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Excellent lunch offer is ideal for the weekend

Dine Weekends just got even better with Dine’s famed Dine with Wine lunch offer. The award-winning brasserie’s renowned weekend lunch offer, inclusive of a three course meal and bottle of excellent house wine, is still £42.50 per couple. Diners can also upgrade to a bottle of Prosecco for an extra £10. Dine with Wine is…

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El Quijote perfectly captures a little slice of Spain

El Quijote El Quijote was established eight years ago by a bunch of Spanish pals who moved to Edinburgh in 2003. This fantastic little tapas restaurant strives for authenticity, so there’s no paella, tortilla or Spanglish flourishes, just the sort of dishes you’d find down a backstreet in Andalucia, with a huge accent on the…

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Tasty options and a good atmosphere make Tapa a hit

Tapa This Leith eatery in a converted warehouse tucked away just off The Shore in Leith is where we often go as a family for a lazy Sunday lunch with friends. It’s relaxed, child-friendly, able to cope with big groups and there’s always space. The £15 set lunch is good, but we like the costillas,…

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There’s far more than meats the eye at Fazenda

Fazenda ‘Would sir like some more meat with your mountain of meat? Or perhaps I could instead interest you in a tsunami of steak?’ Except for a steakhouse in New Zealand’s art deco capital, Napier, where I unwisely took on their gut-buster challenge back in 1990 and ate a pizza-sized 90oz steak (I was ill…

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