Katie’s Diner

Posted on April 8, 2015 by BKR

Exterior sign

Exterior sign

Katie’s Diner is a place I’d had on the list for a visit for a very long time, but for one reason or another I’d never made it there before I chanced upon it after a very long day at the office. I popped in, in search of simple and hearty fare to chase away the rumbling from my tummy.

The carpeted interior has a very homely feel. There’s a sense of the place having been trapped in a time bubble for some time. The menu echoes this, somewhat, with a rather limited selection of starters that didn’t really thrill me.

Burger

Burger

The real strength of the place lies in its steak and burger main courses. I chose one of the latter, opting for their classic cheeseburger. This came with chips, slaw and the usual cheese, pickle and salad topping.

Promptly brought by the very friendly owner/waiter, the burger was served open, so you could augment the cheese topped burger with the various toppings, or eat them separately. I opted for a little of both, so that I could create a pickle topped burger that looked achievable by the shove faceward method of eating.

Interior

Interior

The burger proved to be very good indeed, with abundant flavour and succulence making for really good eating. The skin-on chips were really good, too, and satisfyingly deep fried. I was very pleased with things.

So overall, Katie’s Diner is a little folksy around the edges and could use a major spruce of its starter selection, but is serving really good burgers at the heart of its menu. After the grim recent offerings from 56 North and Frontier, it was great to be served a heartily juicy burger packed with flavour. Give it a visit next time that is what you’re after.

Scores
Blythe scores Katie’s Diner
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 14/20

I ate: cheeseburger and chips

I drank: sparkly water

I wore: Stones of Scotland tie from www.tieclub.co.uk

Total bill: £11.50

Katie's Diner on Urbanspoon

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Pizza Mafia

Posted on April 7, 2015 by BKR

Shop front

Shop front

I’d had a somewhat unproductive time in Glasgow, which culminated in getting on the train back to Edinburgh without having adequately fed myself, so when safely back in the east I took the unorthodox step of entering the Princes Mall food court.

I’d previously visited this rather grimly appointed shopping centre to try the now departed Harry Ramsden’s and the continually flourishing Spud-u-Like. I had a feeling there was at least one of their food outlets that I hadn’t tried, and so it proved.

Pizzas

Pizzas

Pizza Mafia is a newish little counter, showcasing large pizzas served by the slice. With four different toppings available at any one time, this looked like it would serve my needs very nicely.

The friendly counter woman explained their deals, which included three slices and a soft drink for a fiver, which sounded pretty good to me. She asked whether I would like my slices of choice – mushroom, pepperoni and ham – on different plates or stacked althogether. I was happy with the latter.

Slices

Slices

Taking a seat next at one of the soul-sappingly dull tables, I tucked in. The pizza proved to be beyond surprisingly good and solidly into the realm of really pleasing. It made me sorry that they’d chosen such a horrid location to open their shop.

So overall, if you’re looking for quick, tasty and cheerily cheap in the city centre, you will be amply served by popping to Pizza Mafia. I was heartily impressed with the herby goodness of their pizza slices. I’ll definitely be back.

Scores
Blythe scores Pizza Mafia
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
2/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 13/20

I ate: pizza slices

I drank: sparkly water

I wore: www.tieclub.co.uk tie

Total bill: £5

Princes Mall
http://www.facebook.com/pizza.mafia.edinburgh

Posted in City Centre, pizza, Take Away | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wilson Street Pantry

Posted on April 6, 2015 by BKR

Exterior

Exterior

Where Berits & Brown once traded, the Wilson Street Pantry has recently opened. With a few minutes more in hand than my usual Glasgow breakfast roll dash permits, I toddled along to the Merchant City premises for a relaxed breakfast.

The place is much changed from previous incarnations. It has a sense of being design-led with a really smart interior in black and white. It was bright, airy and very impressive.

Eggs

Eggs

The friendly counter man/waiter/owner was soon in attendance and brought espresso while I pondered my eating requirements. The espresso, by Glasgow roastery Papercup, was very good.

I settled upon a dish of “eggs black” with the ham of eggs Benedict replaced with black pudding. This was prepared to order by the chef in the open kitchen.

Interior

Interior

Arriving promptly, it looked very neat and tidy. It could have used a little more hollandaise, but aside from that it was a highly accomplished dish. The yolks of the poached eggs had well-judged ooze and the black pudding was of pleasing quality. I was thoroughly impressed.

So overall, the Wilson Street Pantry looks like a cracking new addition to the Glasgow dining scene. I can see it being very popular as a brunch and lunch spot, so look forward to many future visits, and will make a point of returning to try their house blend coffee roast, once this moves from idea to reality.

Scores
Blythe scores the Wilson Street Pantry
4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 16/20

I ate: eggs black

I drank: espresso, water

I wore: current favourite suit

Total bill: £8.50

Wilson Street Pantry on Urbanspoon

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Everest

Posted on April 5, 2015 by BKR

Exterior

Exterior

I’ve been on something of an Indian food bender, of late, and with the scent still in my nostrils, I toddled along to Everest, in Tollcross, to check out their offering.

While the place was quite sparsely populated on my visit, it seemed to be doing brisk business with delivery and takeout, so is clearly a well known spot with the nearby residents. I was pleased to be sitting in, as the interior was really rather smart.

Starter

Starter

As the name suggests, the emphasis is on Nepalese dishes. The menu features a number of specials, including a good looking thali selection, but still has a familiar feel with most of the classic bases covered. I ordered the prawn puri to start, then followed with the mixed biryani.

The starter arrived looking quite neat. The profuse prawns were very tasty, but the bread and salad a little more routine. Still, it was a solidly good opener.

Biryani

Biryani

The main course biryani showed some accomplished cooking, with all the various meaty elements very good. The accompanying curry sauce was chunky and packed with flavour, so that was good news.

So overall, Everest is a firmly decent curry house, serving a pleasing range of tasty dishes. I’m not sure much heather was set on fire during my visit, but it’s definitely one to note for when tasty dishes in this style are required. I’d be happy to visit again.

Scores
Blythe scores Everest
3.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20

I ate: prawn puri; mixed biryani

I drank: lager, water

I wore: full questing pinstripes

Total bill: £16.85

Everest Nepal Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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Caffe Nero

Posted on April 4, 2015 by BKR

Exterior

Exterior

Certain situations prompt me to actions I wouldn’t normally take and this was the case today, with an early departure from Waverley station necessitating a trip to Caffe Nero. I stopped in for a breakfast bite and coffee.

I’d visited when compiling the Espresso 100, way back when, and had been thoroughly underwhelmed by their coffee. I gave their espresso another try and it was sadly just as bitter and burnt as before.

Breakfast item

Breakfast item

Their breakfast options included a couple of filled muffin options, so I opted for the ham and egg over the bacon and ketchup. This was heated by the friendly and efficient counter staff.

Soon enough, I was on my way with a defeated looking, squished breakfast muffin in hand.

It was one of the poorest items I’ve been served in all of our quests. Lightly filled with egg mayonnaise and two small, thick triangles of ham, it was a sad effort at breakfast sustenance. The outer casing was like plywood. A couple of hours of southward train journey and I had to eat again, so it didn’t even do the job of addressing my morning hunger. It was complete and total in its failure.

So overall, while Caffe Nero runs an efficient ship that quickly manages down the commuter queues, the fare on offer is dispiritingly poor. Bagel Factory aside, Waverley could, in general, use a refresh of its food options. Caffe Nero needs a major rethink of their breakfast options as what I sampled today was shockingly bad.

Scores
Blythe scores Caffe Nero
1/5 for food
2/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 9.5/20

I ate: egg and ham breakfast muffin

I drank: espresso

I wore: brown suit

Total bill: £4.35

www.caffenero.co.uk

Posted in Breakfast, City Centre | Tagged , | 3 Comments