After a long Friday, featuring a trip to St Andrews to bask in the glory of Joe Temperley’s baritone sax stylings, the inevitable late Friday night question was asked: “chinese or chippy?”
Exterior
Chippy was quickly adopted as the mode of choice. Haymarket isn’t blessed with particularly fine examples of this cuisine, since the demise of Brattisani’s, but the Clifton is handy, so it was to there that we turned our attention.
After playing with the traffic, with near fatal results, we entered the familiar surroundings. This place has gone through many incarnations over the years, since it ceased being a butcher’s shop, in the late 80s. I recall it being quite a good pizza shop, at one time, but it’s been a chippy for a decade or so.
Fish
We adjourned home and unwrapped our offerings from their neat paper parcels. Given that I hadn’t eaten for around ten hours, the battered haggis barely touched the sides as I wolfed it down. It wasn’t great, but it did the job.
The chips were a bit sad, too. The brown sauce was the fruity high-point, but couldn’t save the chips from being rather mediocre.
I had a little under half of the “whale” sized fish to munch, too. The fish was a little dry, with the batter a little soggy, so all round the wrong way!
Haggis supper
Overall, the Clifton wins for proximity but not for quality. When chippy longing sets in, this is often the way. In future, I’ll aim to point my deep-fried lust in the direction of L’Alba D’Oro or La Campagnola, both of which are excellent. My hunger was well and truly destroyed, but it was not a terribly satisfying experience. I look forward to more successful “retoxing” missions, this February.
Blythe scores The Clifton
2/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
2.5/5 for setting
3/5 for service
giving an overall 10.5/20
Today’s quester was: Blythe
I ate: single fish, haggis and chips
I drank: a cuppa, made by my own fair hand
I wore: brown brogues
Total bill: £8.50
The Clifton
10 Clifton Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 5DR
0131 346 8723