Where the Pop In Canteen traded for a remarkably short time, Reekie’s Smokehouse has recently taken up residence. Just over the road from Holyrood 9A, I popped in for a visit to see what it was all about.

Focussed squarely on putting a Scottish twist on American barbecue classics, the interior is decked out heavily in wood, with rustic tables and benches.

Their menu is all about slow-cooked, smoked meats. I was tickled to see the vegetarian options included a smoked veggie haggis, which sounded rather intriguing.

However, I settled upon sampling the meaty delights, sourced from East Lothian butcher J Gilmour. I opted for a tub of burnt ends (essentially extra-smoked brisket) with sides of fries and baked beans.

Everything, including the range of condiments, is made on the premises by the friendly and chatty counter folks.

Items arrived without delay, neatly presented in Vegware tubs. The chips were crunchy to the point of just being shards, rather than containing any soft potato filling. They reminded me of Chipsticks so I really rather enjoyed them, but I’m not 100% convinced they were supposed to be quite that crunchy.

The brisket had good flavour and the gravy was really tasty. Some of the chunks of beef could have been a little more tender, so there was some room for improvement, but it was a satisfying eat. The beans were pretty good, too.

The highlight, though, was the condiment selection, which was genuinely impressive. The tomato ketchup was excellent and both of the comedy Scottish sauce twists, the Irn Bru BBQ sauce and the Buckfast brown sauce, worked really well.

So overall, I enjoyed my visit to Reekie’s Smokehouse. It’s starting life from a good position and there’s an opportunity for them to build a really compelling offering. Aside from their quirky opening hours, my only major concern is that this is a notoriously tricky location. I’ll be back for another visit, soon, so I recommend that you give it a try and see what you think.

Scores
Blythe scores Reekie’s Smokehouse
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

I ate: brisket burnt ends, baked beans, fries

I drank: water

I wore: black brogues

Total bill: £11