The Year in Review – September 2012

September held some real treats. The Meadowood Café was ace, with excellent Chinese treats served at an extremely reasonable cost. If you haven’t visited yet, and you’re a fan of exquisite, freshly made dumplings and lovely soup, head there, immediately. They have a bubble tea machine, too, which is also an experience worth sampling.

The Grain Store was bloody impressive, too. It offers really good lunchtime value, with two courses for £12.50. Showcasing locally sourced produce, the place has a wonderfully understated charm.

Zucca, the Italian next to the Lyceum Theatre, served me an outstanding meal. Their signature pumpkin risotto is an absolute triumph, and the top risotto I sampled in 2012.

We had our first visit to Timberyard, this month. As with Gardener’s Cottage, it’s a place that’s hard to reach verdict about on one visit, so we visited again in October. Our review will be published on 7 January 2013.

The lowlight was, for sure, Subway. Their hot sandwiches were profoundly nasty, with the spongy bread particularly horrific.

Most popular review of the month was the Wee Boulangerie, on South Clerk Street. Offering a simple range of lunchtime goodies, including Union of Genius soup, their fougasse is worth the visit, alone. Beautifully soft bread wrapped around an ever-changing selection of fillings, these items are almost irresistible.