New from the folks behind the Bon Vivant and Pep & Fodder comes the Devil’s Advocate, a little wood and stone gem, buried in the heart of the Old Town, on Advocate’s Close

Interior

In their first few days of operation, I popped in for a spot of lunch. Given the emphasis is slightly more on their drinks than their food, it probably would have been smarter to visit at a time where I could have enjoyed a cocktail, but I resolved to visit later the same day to cover that.

For now, my focus was on their food menu, which has echoes of the Bon Vivant, with a strong commitment to local ingredients. The style is essentially pub grub with flair, with all dishes sounding tempting and accessible.

Soup

I opted for two starters, with leek and potato soup up first, then an ox cheek and sweet potato croquette to follow.

I sat in one of their neat little booths. The style is raw wood and brushed brick, which isn’t generally my thing, but this fits really nicely with the original fixtures and fittings of this character Old Town property, which has a post-industrial feel to it.

Croquette

My wonderfully friendly waitress soon brought my chunky soup, which looked rather smart. It was so chunky that it tread a fine line between being a potato pie filling, rather than a soup, but it was beautifully seasoned and delightfully flavour-packed, in any case.

The croquette wasn’t quite so good. It was a very bonnie dish, and the crumb casing had excellent crunch, but the filling didn’t pack much punch. There was the occasional good beefy note, but it just didn’t quite come together, which was a shame.

Exterior

When we returned for drinks, I was able to verify that their pisco sour was absolutely first rate. I ran into Aoife from Jelly & Gin, too, which is always a pleasure.

So overall, the Devil’s Advocate has all the style and elegance of the other places from the Bon Vivant’s stable. There’s some room for improvement on their menu, but that’s not unexpected from a new venue. I’ll certainly be back, and would recommend it to you, as it’s an impressive place, which I suspect will become a firm favourite.

Scores
Blythe scores the Devil’s Advocate
3.5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 15.5/20

I ate: leek and potato soup; ox cheek and sweet potato croquette

I drank: water, espresso

I wore: blue and red

Total bill: £10.50