Dinner at Martin Wishart - 24/02/12

Tegan and I ventured to Edinburgh for a one night stay to celebrate her 21^st birthday. The purpose of this over-night stay? Eating of course! I’d decided not to buy her a stereotypical 21^st birthday present, but instead, because she’s as bigger foodie as I am, treat her to a Michelin starred dinner in Edinburgh. We were both Edinburgh ‘virgins’, a title I’m ashamed to have held for twenty one years, especially after discovering the restaurants it boasts. I gave her a list of restaurants that included; Kitchin, Castle Terrace, 21212 and Martin Wishart. After a little menu research she decided on Martin Wishart. I booked a month ahead and was only able to reserve a table for 6.30pm. This suggested that it was likely to be the ‘gem’ the Good Food Guide had described it to be. It also suited us as we were planning to visit Hotel Missoni, on the Royal Mile, afterwards for cocktails (a place I highly recommend, imaginary cocktails and a super funky bar).

Restaurant Martin Wishart is located on ‘The Shore’ in Leith. The food is a combination of French and English cuisine. The restaurant is stylish and spacious (we weren't packed in like sardines). The ratio of staff to customers is apparently one to two. This was noticeable! Wherever we turned there was a member of staff to attend to our every need, which even included opening the door to the toilet (maybe a little OTT). However, it made for outstanding service.The majority of staff are French, this pleased Tegan greatly. She has a phobia of French men, it’s the accent apparently. I think she felt somewhat desensitised by the end of the evening!  The atmosphere in the restaurant is particularly formal. We spent about an hour talking in hushed whispers. However, we were early diners and as the restaurant filled up the atmosphere became a little more relaxed. Despite the formalities the staff are friendly (as well as humorous at times) and knowledgeable. It's what I'd describe as an elegant dining experience. The food, the wine, the service and the bill I had to pay told me so. 

We wanted to make the most of our experience at Restaurant Martin Wishart as it was a special occasion. Therefore, we opted for the six course tasting menu. Six courses for £65, perfectly acceptable! We decided against matching wines and instead opted for a bottle of New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc called 'Little Beauty'.To say the wine list is extensive is a huge understatement. I felt like I was being handed a bible, not a wine list! A six course tasting menu turned into eleven courses! This was due to a cheese trolley and the extra little culinary treats we received. I definitely wasn’t complaining though, they were eleven heavenly courses. However, I did have to loosen my waist belt around about the seventh or eighth course for fear I might explode out of my dress.

Our evening began with two delicious canapés. The first, a beetroot and horseradish macaroon. The second, a crisp piece of banana coated in peanut and piccalilli. Both of these teased our taste buds.

Amuse Bouche - apple granita (left) and apple jelly and consommé (middle). Unfortunately, we didn't catch the waiter's description of the third item, this was either due to our eagerness to eat or because of his dodgy accent.

Ox Tongue and Norwegian Stone Crab with a celeriac veloute. 

Ceviche of Gigha Halibut with Mango and Passion Fruit (Tegan opted for the Loch Ryan native Oysters and Mackerel Tartare with Avocado Cream, Sauerkraut and Caviar D'aquitaine).

Veal Sweetbread and Langoustine with Orange Glazed Chicory, Sauternes and Curry (this was our favourite starter). 

Roasted Orkney Scallop and Poached Squid with Winter Cabbage and Truffle Cream (biggest scallop we've ever seen).

Loin of Borders Roe Deer with Braised Gem Lettuce, Goat's Cheese Gnocchi and Sauce Grand Veneur.

Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cylinder with Guanaja Chocolate Cremeux with Coffee Ice-Cream. 

Our Selection of Cheeses from the Cheese Trolley. 

Home-made Chocolates - Raspberry, Blackcurrant, Praline, Salted Caramel and Passionfruit.

The Fat Hippo and Archers in Jesmond - 03/03/12

I've lived in Jesmond for nearly six months now and it's taken me this long to venture to The Fat Hippo and Archers Ice-Cream Parlour. I can honestly say, after paying them both a visit, that I'm utterly disappointed in myself. I should have visited these little gems months ago!

The Fat Hippo is a tiny but kirky restaurant situated on St. Georges Terrace in Jesmond. It's a busy little place with informal service. It's all about the burgers at The Fat Hippo. There are alternatives like; clubs, salads, steaks, moules, ribs and chicken burgers, but their beef burgers are what they're renowned for. Their burgers are hand-crafted and made from 100% Northumbrian beef. There are currently eleven beef burgers to choose from, and you can make your own, so Tegan and I found it hard to decide which to choose. I went for 'The Fat Hippo' - burger with bacon, chorizo, pepperoni, melted cheese, caramelised onions and onion rings, it was my first visit so it had to be done. Tegan went for 'Stinky Pete' - burger with caramelised onions, jalapeños and blue cheese. What arrived in front of us was 1/2 a pound of juicy beef burger, which was pink in the middle, served in a square ciabatta on a wooden board with a side of hand-cut chunky chips, home-made coleslaw and a salad garnish. My burger was HUGE, I didn't know where to start. They were bloody delicious though! Top class burgers! I was determined to demolish the lot ... mission completed! This was washed down with a yummy chocolate milkshake. I'm already planning my next return - I want to try their 'Surf 'n' Turf' burger, their 'Danger Mouse' burger and their 'Texas BBQ' burger.

Thanks to me 'checking-in' at The Fat Hippo on facebook I have now landed myself the name 'Hippopotaness'. The Fat Hippo's menu defines a 'Hippo' as - a large mammal, which spends its days grazing, drinking, wallowing and socialising. No wonder my brothers friend thought the restaurant had been named after me!

The Fat Hippo also serves breakfast and does a 'Hippo Hour'. 1 course £6.95, 2 courses £8.95 and 3 courses £9.95. I was absolutely stuffed after that burger so God knows how anyone fits in a starter or a pudding.

After a cheeky cider, and a digestion break, on Osbourne Road we decided to pop into Archers Ice-Cream Parlour on Acorn Road and check out what all the fuss was about. We chose to sit in as the sun had decided it wasn't coming out to play. I chose three scoops - peanut, cookies and cream and hokey pokey. Tegan chose the same but instead of hokey pokey she chose apple crumble. It was the most gorgeous ice-cream. Really creamy! You can eat it out of a glass, out of a tub, out of a chocolate cone or a hundreds and thousands sprinkled cone. I liked the ice-cream so much that I got three scoops to take-away - apple crumble, raspberry pavlova and black cherry. There are sixteen flavours of Jersey ice-cream on offer at one time. It's a kiddies heaven! Especially with an ice-cream named 'kids chaos' on offer. However, you're never too old for ice-cream, especially when they have a gin and tonic ice-cream, it wasn't there this time but I HAVE to try it. I watched someone have their ice-cream rolled in hundreds and thousands which reminded me of my childhood. I think I may have to try this just once so I can re-live my childhood for five minutes.

I am most definitely going back to try one of their ice-cream milkshakes and their knickerbocker glory. Hopefully their gin and tonic ice-cream will be making an appearance soon as I really am desperate to try it.