Edinburgh Festival. Brilliant fun for everybody that doesn't usually live in Edinburgh.
I, like every man, his dog and his woefully inept street theatre group head up to Bonnie Scotland for the fringe. Due to a galloping lack of comic/theatrical skills it is purely as an observer but aside from the shows it is a great opportunity to experience Edinburgh's cocktail bars and gastronomic treats.
This weekends visit was one of new discoveries. I happily stumbled upon Barioja http://www.barioja.co.uk/barioja/ the tapas bar that adjoins Iggs on Jeffrey Street. A traditional Spanish bar, it was heaving when I arrived but the staff were superb and had me settled at the bar, menu in one hand and juicy rose cava in the other before I knew it. I ordered my personal favourites of croquetas, cured meats and garlicky tomatoes on bread. All arrived without too much of a wait and were superb. For an un-pretentious but highly enjoyable feed this is well worth the visit next time you're in town.
I asked for recommendations and they were more than forthcoming. One of the places that scored highly on an Australian's must visit list was Maison Bleue . http://www.maisonbleuerestaurant.com/. The restaurant is in a fairly similar vein to Barioja in that it does what it does very well and without too much pomp and circumstance. The joy of eating out when travelling alone is to find an establishment that doesn't scream "You've got no mates, so we shall give you a terrible table to highlight your lack of dining companion!".
I think the highlight of a rainy early evening on Saturday has to have been my extended cocktail hour. Just a hop and a skip away from the melee on Princes Street, is the divine basement bar of Bramble http://www.bramblebar.co.uk/. Situated on the corner of Queen Street and Hanover Street is the blink and you'll miss it joy of a proper cocktail bar. As a rule the grape and the grain don't mix but I do enjoy flitting between the two and indulging myself in the spirit world.
The bartenders were attentive, highly skilled and very friendly. My violet infused cocktail come with a glass of water to aid appreciation but not over-indulgence and when asked for directions to my next watering hole, my bartender drew me a map and told me I would be well looked after there.
The "there" in question was recommended to me by my personal cocktail god Mr Angus Winchester. The poster boy of the gentleman bartender, Angus is and always will be my go to guy on all things bar related so when he recommended I drop in to see the folks at The Raconteur http://www.theraconteuredinburgh.com/ I didn't hesitate.
A 15 minute walk away from the town centre this kind of place is bartender porn. Classic cocktails, speakeasy uniforms, impressive back bar, dark wood and jazzy tunes. I was in some kind of heaven. Again the team were superb, glass of water with my Champs Elysee and possibly the best Sidecar I've had in years. If I hadn't defected to the grape I would have been itching to get back behind the bar. Sadly I had to tear myself away from my little cocoon as I had places to be but couldn't have picked a better spot to while away a few hours.
Although you may think otherwise, I didn't just eat and drink my way around town, I did manage to dodge the street theatre to see a few shows whilst I was there...
John Bishop-Funny
Reginald D Hunter-Funny and a little bit rude.
Just the Tonic late Show-Funny and very, very hot in that cave
Ross Sutherland-Funny but too much poetry (hate poetry)
As is my way, I wrapped up another fun visit to Edinburgh by ducking into Harvey Nicks for a glass of champagne before I got on the train but that is another story entirely...
