The Malt Shovel, Edinburgh

Fish and chips since 1860. That is the remarkable, not to say incredible, boast which you'll find on the window of this establishment, and indeed most others trading under the Belhaven brand. In fairness both Belhaven Brewery and its current owner Greene King were in existence then. The former was set up in 1719 by one John Johnstone, taking its name from the ancient port of Dunbar. The latter is a Johnny come lately, founded in Bury St Edmunds in 1799.

Anyway, Belhaven, while you might have been around, you sure wouldn't have been purveying fish and chips. Why? Let's put to one side the history of when food started to become available in pubs. The idea of serving fried fish alongside fried potatoes didn't take root until 1860. There are rival claims as to who founded the first fish and chip shop. They are variously attributed to a Joseph Malin in the east end of London and a John Lees in Mossley, Lancashire. I just don't think Belhaven were on the bandwagon that quickly.

But of course, fish and chips are on the menu. In the UK we consume an estimated 600 million portions each year. I've yet to sample them here, but it was spying good looking examples which made me choose this place to lunch with CB, a long lost lawyer pal from Fife. One criterion was convenience for public transport, the other being a place I hadn't reviewed. This pub is near the end of my Festival Guide tours, and has become a watering hole to restore the soul and the feet. Thus far they have declined my requests to provide a discount for knackered tour guides, but it is still a cheery place.

Cockburn Street

Now we have nothing against pub grub, but you have already clocked that it's a chain. Are low expectations setting in? Well, come with me. It's at the foot of the wonderfully quirky Cockburn Street. That was created in the mid 19th century to provide access to the newly built Waverley Station. Many of the buildings bear the date 1860. It's a slightly more gentle gateway to the Old Town than the steps up Warriston Close.

We are warmly welcomed by Liz and Pauline. I hope they won't mind the description of ladies of a certain age. I also hope you have clocked an important plus point, namely service by real people. I have been in Greene King places down south where not only were you told to order using a QR code, service by any other means was not an option. Good start.

The menu is sensibly compact. The choice is of four starters and six mains, plus a couple of lighter options, and a choice of burgers. For your sweet tooth, also a selection of four. Side dishes are more or less what you would expect, with two exceptions. Nice to see hispi cabbage appear. The one you wouldn't have anticipated is the Invisible Mac(millan) and Cheese, incredibly cheap at a quid. For that you'll not receive a dish of any sort, but you can enjoy making a £1 donation to Macmillan Cancer Support. So much nicer than these presumptuous "optional" additions to your bill. You might not support the campaign in question, but you leave either feeling slightly conned or, alternatively, like Scrooge because you declined to pay.

Pea and mint soup was bright green and fresh, garnished with pea shoots. You don't see potted crab all that often in pubs, and any crab dish priced in single figures is worthy of note by itself. Rather nice it was too. CB had the other pub standard, steak and ale pie. Tasty, with decent meat. Properly cooked and seasoned, though some might prefer more gravy. Then, sadly, the wheels came off. Retro lovers rejoice in the return of Chicken Kiev, or Kyiv as we must call it these days. While there are various ways you can make it, stuffing is de rigeur. What arrived were two ungainly chicken schnitzels, crudely breadcrumbed and, I think, deep fried. There were a couple of smears which may have been garlic butter. Oh dear. They had been doing so well up to that point.

Actually, don't let the score put you off: 72% is not to be sniffed at anywhere. A chain pub can only have a certain maximum score unless miracles happen. Look for a pub meal and you can do much, much worse. It's a nice  venue. Three dishes out of four were pretty decent. Liz and Pauline are lovely. Oh, and the fish and chips look good.