CLOSED: La Tasca (Edinburgh)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 9 South Charlotte Street
Type of Meal: Dinner  


La Tasca isn’t anything fancy, but if you’re looking for reasonable prices and a low-key but not family restaurant environment, this UK chain is a great option. The menu is quite extensive with tapas, paellas, whole fish and simple salads; items we tried are unfussy and reminiscent of the tastes of Spain.
One of the better dishes of the night was the calamares (£4.60) a simple fried calamari dish.  Cut into thicker slices the squid tastes fresh and tender.  The crust is crispy and thin with just some sea salt, although the dish does have a spicy aioli sauce on the side if you need a bit more flavour.


The langostinos (£5.95) was a good value dish comprised of four large tiger prawns – heads on for some who may be squeamish.  Grilled on a flat top so that juices are retained but without charring the shell, the prawn is delicious and maintains its natural flavours.    
A dish with some kick were the empanadas de carne (£4.35) filled with spicy ground beef and regato cheese wrapped in a crunchy yet soft coating.
If you want something more filling the flatbread for two (£6.95) may be the dish for you – certainly sufficient for us to share even amongst a table of four.  Arriving on a wooden platter the bread is not exactly flat but rather like a thick crust vegetarian pizza. Topped with roast peppers, tomatoes, cheese and onion it’s a dish built for sustenance.
The gratinado verduras (£3.75) is for individuals who like their vegetables hidden under a layer of cheese and mixed into cream.  Garlicky creamed spinach sits on the bottom with a scalloped potato layer on top.
After my visit to La Tasca, I’ve learnt that “salsa” essentially translates to “sauce” - not the tomato Old El Paso variety available in mild, medium and hot but just “sauce”.  When the pollo con salsa (£4.95) arrived we were a little surprised that the chicken was sitting in a creamy sherry sauce, we should read the menu carefully. But, the dish was still good with the pieces of white meat mixed with mushrooms.
I enjoyed the variety of salads on their menu; by this point in the trip I was craving something simple and healthy. We ordered a regular green house salad (£2.95) as well as the beetroot, carrot and butternut squash salad (£4.80). Personally, I enjoyed the simple green salad more as I’m not a huge fan of sweet squash dishes.
La Tasca has a fair variety of beers and wine on their menu. Choice is abundant with wines offered in 125ml, 250ml, half bottle and full bottle options with a 250ml will glass setting you back about £6. So, if you’re tired after walking through Old or New Town, this is a good choice to stop for a bite where you can likely comfortably feed two with £20 without having to eat a burger.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
    •   

Champany Chop and Ale House (Linlithgow)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Linlithgow, Scotland
Address: Part of the Champany Inn in West Lothian (EH49 7LU)
Website: http://www.champany.com/chop-and-ale-house/
Type of Meal: Lunch  


Located in a secluded street in Linlithgow, Champany unfortunately doesn’t have a street address so if you're interested in visiting please either contact the inn or hire Discreet Scotland Tours to find more exact coordinates.



Aside from the Chop and Ale House, Champany Inn also houses a separate fine dining restaurant, a wine shop with extensive offerings (for consumption off premises) and an inn if you need a longer break. The Chop and Ale House is eclectically decorated with low ceilings, homely wooden tables, a seemly gigantic stone fireplace and trinkets galore on every surface possible.  Even their toilets offer an opportunity for discussion with its pull flush handles. 

But, the rustic environment isn’t what brings visitors to the Champany Inn; it’s the highly regarded steak and burgers that draws the crowds. I opted for their cheese burger (£13.50) made from with Scotch beef formed into a large plump patty.  The beef is juicy and tender but less flavourful than the Canadian Black Angus counterparts. Personally, I found the beef was overpowered by the generous amount of shredded sharp cheddar topping the patty; this isn’t necessarily bad just a matter of preference as to what you want to stand out. Overall, it was a good hearty burger and what may be thought of a “man’s” burger – simply made with a thick patty, tons of cheese and ketchup all on a soft sesame bun.

The burger is a filling meal served with a side dish of spring mix, tomato wedges & creamy coleslaw as well as a basket of chips (aka fries) to share amongst the table.  Not realizing that all burgers come with salad and fries, I had asked for my chips to be substituted for salad.  The outcome was another side of salad made with spring mix, cherry tomatoes and sunflower seeds, which was strangely called a Greek salad despite not an ounce of feta in sight.

The Chop and Ale House offers reasonably priced drinks with pints at about £3.70 and a glass of wine for £5.  Surprisingly, this is almost the same price as the coffee which is £2.95, comparatively.

Although a very decent burger, it’s not one that’s worth the drive.  But, if you happen to be in the area it’s a great pit stop, especially since nothing else is in sight.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10

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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


CLOSED: Drake One Fifty (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 150 York Street
Type of Meal: Lunch and Dinner

This isn’t the type of restaurant you’d expect to find in the Financial District.  A white vacuum tube sculpture adorns the doorway and there are colours galore! At the entrance are an impressive 60-foot feature bar and a photo booth, which could be an interesting combination for corporate holiday parties.


The Drake One Fifty is a good drinks venue. There are tons of choices and they’re an impressive size - I’m so accustomed to the small five sip cocktails across Toronto nowadays that it’s a pleasant surprise when it arrives in a tumbler.  The lavender lemonade ($12) was quite simple made with vodka, lemonade and lavender syrup. To be honest, to me it just tasted like lemons as the lemonade was so overpowering that you couldn’t taste the lavender or the vodka for that matter. 


Having had an opportunity to visit the venue twice in a week, lunch and dinner, this post encompasses both experiences. The lunch was much more successful as I thoroughly enjoyed the one fifty burger ($21).  Made from 30-day aged short rib, the patty was richly flavoured from the fattier cut of beef but didn’t feel heavy. Moreover, although it was cooked to a perfect medium, its structure was retained and didn’t become too soft. The thick cuts of bacon added some saltiness but wasn’t excessively smoky to overpower the taste of the meat and there was just enough cheddar cheese to seal in the juices.  Toppings include buttery bibb lettuce, a spicy mayo and pickled red onions which provided a bit of tartness without using ketchup.

The fries, which had to be double if not triple fried, were crunchy and hot. Using whole potatoes they were flavourful, especially with the addition of fragrant fried rosemary (I love when rosemary is combined with potatoes) and a liberal coating of sea salt. 

On the other hand, the dinner was disappointing and really could be improved if better quality ingredients were used (similar to the burger and fries). The seafood pasta’s ($26) squid ink spaghetti was great in terms of flavour and doneness. But, the seafood itself seemed like it came out of a bag of frozen medley from a budget grocery store. The clams weren’t in the shell making them hard to distinguish (I only found one), the calamari although cooked well were sliced so thinly they resembled rubber bands and the scallops the tiny bay variety. Other than a small amount of bottagra caviar sitting on top of the pasta the ingredients was dismal. Really, this could have been so much better if they just purchased clams in shell, cut the calamari into thicker slices and added a prawn on top. The pasta itself was good and had a lot of good seafood flavours, but the toppings just ruined it.

Similarly, the roast lamb ($28) had all the right flavours but the cut of lamb was so fatty and grizzly it became unpleasant. Certainly, it arrived looking delicious with a nice crust on the meat and rustic sides of roasted baby eggplant, fingerling potatoes and green beans adorning the plate. But, as soon as you cut into the lamb, you realize most of it consisted of fat and skin.  So, even though the seasoning from the rub and the creamy chili yogurt condiment was tasty, you couldn’t really enjoy it.

The mixture of coloured leather seating looks great but the dining room is used poorly.  On both occasions I sat on the side under the pergola where the tables are very closely placed. Because the Drake One Fifty places extra chairs around the banquettes it completely blocks the pathway and people have to squeeze by constantly bumping whoever is unfortunate enough to sit in the aisle. I’d highly suggest for the sake of your customers and staff, please stop stuffing people in! Those banquette tables aren’t designed for more than four people.

All in all, the Drake One Fifty’s dishes seem to be a hit or miss.  It’s weird since if I based my mark on lunch it would have been an 8 but with dinner a 5.5; we’ll average the scores for a 6.5.  But, it means you need to order carefully when you come here.  Based on what I saw others order, the burger, pizzas and sandwiches were most popular.  So, my suggestion is to stick to the simple things, at least until the food purchaser invests in some better ingredients.
Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10


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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Tigerlily (Edinburgh)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 125 George Street
Website: http://www.tigerlilyedinburgh.co.uk/edinburgh-restaurant/
Type of Meal: Dinner 
While visiting Edinburgh, we stayed at Tigerlily, a modern boutique hotel situated in New Town within walking distance of most sites. Located on the quieter end of George Street, the hotel was generally pretty calm until the weekend rolled in and the lobby becomes a swanky lounge and the basement a nightclub. 

From Sunday – Friday, Tigerlily offers a 2-course dinner menu for £15 with a choice of five appetizers and six mains.  Not feeling like venturing very far one night, I decided to try out this deal.

Starting with the Shetland mussels, I was pleasantly surprised with the quantity you receive as an appetizer. The Thai styled sauce is made with fragrant green curry, coriander, ginger, chilli, lime and enriched with coconut milk.  The mussels were fresh and cooked well with the sauce adding a great flavour to it.  Since the Thai sauce was a little thicker, it stuck on well to the mussels.
On the other hand, the piri piri salmon baked on cedar wood was a bit of a miss.  The salmon itself was good – fresh, flaky and tender. Unlike Atlantic salmon, I found this to be leaner and consequently lighter tasting since your tongue doesn’t get coated with fish oil. Where it fell flat was the awfully bland piri piri sauce which little flavour it offered was gross.  Luckily, I still had the mussels so I was able to scrape off the piri piri and replace it with the delicious Thai sauce.   Tigerlily should really consider switching the accompanying sauce to its Thai sauce, which also goes well with the steamed jasmine rice and crispy green beans. 
Overall, Tigerlily offers a modern environment with friendly and helpful staff.  On the weekend, it’s bustling with locals and tourists alike hanging out on its plush seating with drinks.  But, week nights are also a great opportunity to stop by for a relatively tasty and affordable dinner.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10


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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Mums Great Comfort Food (Edinburgh)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 4A Forest Road
Website: http://www.monstermashcafe.co.uk/
Type of Meal: Lunch  


Mums Great Comfort Food, the name pretty much sums up what this restaurant is all about.  Here they serve up Scottish/British classics using local produce, in good sized portions and at reasonable prices. Even their beer is home-grown offering various microbrewed options from Tempest Brewing, Thistly Cross Ciders and Knops Beer Company.  


I was advised I couldn’t visit Scotland and not try a steak and ale pie (£7.95). So, when I saw it on Mums’ menu I had to order it. When it arrived just the sight of it was astounding – the pastry crust is BIG.  As the waiter brings the towering pie to the table, I’m giddy like a child excited to break through the crusty exterior.  The crust is very airy with the middle separated into layers of soft supple dough with crispy edges. Since it wasn’t too buttery, the significant amount of crust wasn’t over powering but rather light tasting enough to be enjoyable (I almost finished the whole thing).  Deep inside on the bottom are tender chunks of steak, carrots, onions, mushroom and turnip slow cooked together in a delicious ale-laced gravy.  No pot pie will ever be the same for me after this experience. 

This was also my husband’s chance to try the famed bangers and mash (£6.95 for two).  Ordering this is no simple task as Mums dedicates a whole section of their menu and chalkboard to it - the combinations and choices are endless!  Their sausages are supplied by O’Hagans who prides themselves with using no additives and natural ingredients.  From the choice of seven he ordered two different styles (unfortunately names long forgotten), I tried a piece and it was delicious despite me not being a sausage fan.  Perhaps if all sausages tasted this fresh I would enjoy them more. Unlike the ones I’ve previously tried, they weren’t fatty tasting, had great herb and spices mixed throughout and not overly salty.

From the 16 (yes you heard right) mashed potato options he ordered the cheese and onion.  It was fluffy, buttery and absolutely loaded with cheese and onion; so much so that some of the onions had to be taken out because it was overpowering.  He selected for the classic brown gravy (from three choices), which arrives in a small jug allowing you to drown everything to your heart’s content.

Not pictured is the soup of the day (£2.75), on our visit I believe was butternut squash. I didn’t get a chance to try it so can’t comment on the taste but was a decent portion accompanied by a hunk of bread. Certainly, it could be a meal in itself if you just wanted something small.

Mum’s belief that “’gourmet’ can and should be for everyone” was certainly fulfilled on our visit. This is another great example of a restaurant in Scotland that is delicious, satisfying and won’t break the bank.
Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10


Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
    •  

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