Mac v Pizza at McSorley’s

Edinburgh’s a pretty small place and barely a week goes by without this being illustrated in fairly direct terms. Today’s confirmation came when an old school friend emerged from the kitchen to deliver my dishes in McSorley’s. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

McSorley’s is the latest incarnation of a pub premises on Clerk Street which has been there for as long as I can remember. I’d been in before, but probably not for around fifteen years.

The interior has been given a fresh makeover and feels fairly smart, if a little generic. There was a pretty mental pub bulldog that entertained the customers by chewing in a skateboard, during my visit. Frankly the little blighter scared the shit out of me, but then I’m not much of a dog lover.

Their menu focuses on “Mac v Pizza” with a selection of macaroni cheese combos and pizzas. Although I suspected I was over-stretching myself, in the interests of research I ordered one of each, with a classic mac and their hangover pizza, which featured a full breakfast selection as topping.

These were promptly delivered by the aforementioned old school pal, Iain Sim, who has been working on various projects around the city, focussing on getting new menus up and running for places including the Jolly Botanist.

It was clear from first sight of the items that I was in for a considerable eating challenge. The mac wasn’t a looker and was presented in a modish takeaway box. It did, however, pack excellent flavour and whilst a hefty portion was surprisingly light.

The pizza was a notch better, with a lovely soft egg at the centre, then cubes of lorne sausage, black pudding and haggis as topping. The baked beans and hash brown on the side were probably a step too far, but did add to the general craziness. It was extremely tasty, but the last slice was a little bit of a struggle. I made it, though, for two clean plates.

So overall, while I wasn’t overly taken with the place, I was a big fan of the food, both in terms of the idea and the execution, at McSorley’s. It represents pretty good value, so I can imagine it being quite a hit with the profuse nearby student population. I’ll visit again and would be happy to point you in its direction.

Scores
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20

I ate: classic mac n cheese; hangover pizza

I drank: McSorley’s ale

I wore: camel coat

Total bill: £11.50