Henderson Street is becoming a somewhat unlikely little haven of food interest. For years, the Plumed Horse and Sofi’s have been mainstays, but they’ve recently been joined by The Vintage and today’s lunch spot, the Flying Dog. In addition, there are plans for a new diner nearby, in the near future, too.
Interior
The Flying Dog is another example of pub gentrification, with the old Trafalgar Bar now reborn as a home to specialist hot dogs and Scandinavian open sandwiches.
I was joined today by Danielle, from Edinburgh Foody, for our last catch up of 2013, which has seen us visit the Water of Leith Bistro, La Cerise, and the Traverse Theatre Bar, among other places. As we sat, it was lovely to see my friend Pat, who’s one half of burgeoning new brewery, Pilot, based locally in Leith, about whom I suspect you’ll be hearing rather a lot, in the coming year.
Soup
From the large menu, we were immediately drawn to the sharing platter, which offered two open sandwiches, served with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I couldn’t resist trying their soup, unsurprisingly. I opted for carrot and potato, over tomato and butter bean.
We asked for things to arrive together, which slowed things down a little, and the soup ended up arriving early anyway. The soup was really impressive, with a rustic and flavour-packed broth providing oodles of deliciously hearty goodness. It was a very good start.
Sandwiches
When the sandwich platter did arrive, followed hot on its heels by the sweet potato fries, things looked good. We’d chosen one topped with herring and one topped with ham. These weren’t served in a way that really aided sharing, so that’s something for them to work on, but we muddled through.
Both were good, with the pickled herring packing a good punch, and the ham full of tasty sweetness. The soda bread, from Manna House (who also provide the gluten-free rolls for their hot dogs), was lovely. The sweet potato chips had good crunch, but much like the ones at the Bristo, they didn’t hold much flavour.
Sweet potato fries
So overall, the Flying Dog is full of potential, with a tempting menu that’s offering the district something a little different. There’s work to be done to refine things, but they have every opportunity to do so. I look forward to seeing how things develop over the coming weeks and months.
Scores
Blythe scores the
3.5/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20
We ate: herring lassie and shady maple open sandwiches; sweet potato fries; carrot and potato soup
I drank: appletiser; sparkly water
I wore: dotted scarf; black brogues
Total bill: £21.70
