No mis-steak
Food writer Juliet on Hawksmoor at Home
ONE MEAL that certainly cannot be beaten in my book is steak and chips, so for Father’s Day I was delighted to be able to share a Hawksmoor At Home box with my darling daddy. And what a feast it was.
We started with Belly Ribs and Pickled Slaw that were unctuous in their sweet fattiness. The main event involved a dry aged Porterhouse steak, garlic mushrooms, creamed spinach and peppercorn sauce. If the steak was the star of the show, “Matt Browns Ultimate Oven Chips” definitely won the best supporting actor gong. Cooked in beef dripping, I consider them the tastiest and crispiest chips I’ve ever munched, and if I’d created them I’d probably name them after myself too. With a couple of Johnnie Walker cocktails and a sticky toffee pud to finish, it was a meal to remember. Although I value the restaurant experience, our At Home box meant Dad could listen to as much
Dire Straits as he pleased. It’s only once a year, after all.
When I heard that Campbell Mickel and his lovely wife, Giselle, had taken over Eddie’s Seafood Market in Bruntsfield I was excited to see what they would do with the business.
Their latest offering is such a damn good idea it’s a wonder nobody has thought of it before. Eddies is now offering beautifully presented seafood platters and lobster cocktail. These creations look delicious and are perfect for both intimate dining and parties. It’s heartwarming to see a couple bring such talent and initiative to their business.
I’ve been trying to think up a suitable punishment for people who make bar and restaurant bookings and don’t turn up. The Guillotine, the gallows or the chair? None seem harsh enough. Every day Edinburgh restaurants are bemoaning the frankly ridiculous amount of no-shows. These sort of people no doubt share their special corner of hell with the types that justify their existence writing their heinous reviews on Trip Advisor. These amateur restaurant critics rarely know anything about food or service and couldn’t organise an orgy in a brothel never mind run any sort of hospitality business. Will someone please start customeradvisor.com? Seriously, why shouldn’t members of the public have a rating? It might encourage better behaviour.
Would you like to hear a nice story? I thought you might. I was recently told about a Tinder date gone wrong. One minute the young lady of our tale is sitting in the Innis & Gunn Brewery Taproom on Lothian Road, when her date tells her it’s “not happening” for him and high tails it out. Charming. Sensing her shock, two of the staff take it upon themselves to cheer the poor girl up, seat her in a more private booth and bring her a cocktail and dessert. Buoyed up by their kindness, the young woman replies to a message from another potential suitor who gallantly whisks her off for a pleasant evening and they are still dating weeks later. Whoever you are, lovely Innis & Gunn staff, consider yourselves Employees of the Month.