Posts by Tom Johnston
Old Pal Bar & Kitchen, Edinburgh
Old Pal Bar & Kitchen 28 West Maitland Street, Edinburgh EH12 5DX 0131 305 1981 www.oldpal.uk The Bill Small Plates £10.00 – £12.00 | Sliders £7.50 Mains £16.00 – £22.00 | Desserts ? The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 Total 19.5/25 Not what you expect, and not where…
Read MoreSandwich Makers of the World Unite – Part 3 Viva Italia!
Last week I advanced the proposition that the American sandwich as we know it today has its roots in Italy. An Italian food lover would, I suspect, turn up his nose in disdain at the transatlantic fare, choosing instead to marvel at what his country has to offer. Let’s explore. Tramezzini In the past couple…
Read MoreFood Alphabetical: D is for Dal/Dhal/Daal
If you go to an Indian* restaurant and don’t have a side of dhal**, you are really missing the point. It’s a dish which most Indians other than the poorest will eat probably twice a day. At its best, it’s sublime, but there are inherent dangers. Singed lentils, for example, are disgusting. As when you…
Read MoreSandwich Makers of the World Unite – Part 2
Properly let down I am. Disappointed, nay, betrayed even. After last week I was expecting an inbox filled to the brim with your inspirations for The Great Tom’s Food! Sandwich. One miserable response! (Thank you, GS.) You will all be familiar, I’m sure, with the story of how today’s hero came to be. The 4th…
Read MoreFrenchie, Edinburgh
Frenchie 14 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3RH 0131 556 5333 www.barfrenchie.com The Bill Bites £5.50 – £13.50 | Bowls/Salads £7.50 – £18.50 Plates £17.50 – £23.50 | Desserts £3.50 – £11.00 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 Total 21.5/25 Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. I…
Read MoreA March Miscellany
Unfortunately, my guest contributor who was scheduled to fill this week’s Food Producers column has been ill. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. So instead, some food snippets for your information, delectation and delight. Wild Hearth Bakery, Comrie John Castley, Wild Hearth Bakery You may recall that the other week I mentioned them and their…
Read MoreSandwich Makers of the World Unite – Part 1
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich If, come the Day of the Dead, you are able to bring back for one day a lost one who died in the 1970s, what would amaze them most? There are many possibilities, obviously, but here’s one you may not have considered. Take them to a supermarket and watch…
Read MoreDomenico’s, Leith, Edinburgh
Domenico’s/Domenico/Cafe Domenico/Cafe Domenico’s 30 Sandport Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6EP 0131 467 7266 www.cafedomenico.co.uk The Bill Starters £5.50 – £11.50 | Mains £13.50 – £24.00 Desserts £5.50 – £8.50 The Score (LW’S meal) Cooking 6/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 Total 18.5/25 The Score (TJ’s Meal) Cooking 2/10 | Service 3.5/5…
Read MoreMore Books For Food Lovers
I finally got round to using a Christmas Waterstones voucher. Not unsurprisingly, the food section drew me in. While my embargo on buying more cookery books is holding up quite well, that doesn’t apply to other works in the genre. Here are three diverse books which I’ve enjoyed recently. Only one of them is a…
Read MorePizza At Home: Why Not?
Believe it or not, I do attempt to have some themes for these columns, some thought even. Today’s inspiration went something like this. We have, in case you haven’t noticed, been on a bit of a bread thing of late: a pizza base is basically bread dough: and with the Easter holidays not that far…
Read MoreLa Riotte, Paris
La Riotte 10 Rue de Castellane 75008 Paris France +33 1 40 55 91 71 www.lariotte.com The Bill (Euros) Starters €11.00 – €25.00 | Mains €22.00 – £39.00 Desserts €3.00 – €14.00 The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 19.5/25 There seemed a certain symmetry to dining here.…
Read MoreBread: Judge and Learn
Photo by Douglas Scott A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Scottish Bread Festival which took place at Bowhouse, near Elie on the 28th of February. I went on the 27th. No, I didn’t get the date wrong: I was a judge. This may come as much of a surprise to you as…
Read MoreSorry, Veggies, We Did Try
Our diet of late, I reflected, had been fairly meat heavy. Chicken is always a staple here, and it’s hard to resist the deer blandishments available from our chums at Castle Game. When the young came up for the rugby I reprised the Caribbean Jerk Chicken. I also made for the first time in ages…
Read MoreThe Captain Darling, Edinburgh
The Captain Darling 16 – 18 Hamilton Place. Edinburgh EH3 5AU 0131 563 0404 www.thecaptaindarling.com The Bill Worker’s Lunch Lunch £12.50 Starters £8.00 – £10.50 | Mains £13.00 – £27.00 Desserts £7.50 The Score Cooking 6.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 21/25 Well the Captain had had his plumbing fixed,…
Read MoreThe Scottish Bread Championship
Fond of your daily bread? Do you enjoy your loaf as well as using it? On Saturday a treat awaits. Get yourself to Bowhouse, between Elie and St Monans in Fife, for the Scottish Festival of Real Bread. There will be bread stalls, there will be workshops, there will be events for children: and there…
Read MoreMontrose, Edinburgh
Montrose 1- 7 Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5DU 0131 605 0088 www.montroserestaurant.co The Bill Set Lunch £35.00 per person Sharing Menu £85.00 per person Snacks £4.00 – £8.00 | Large Plates £12.00 – £38.00 Desserts £8.00 The Score Cooking 8.5/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 23/25 What’s sauce for…
Read MoreBraised Venison Shanks with Juniper
Another delight inspired by a visit to my chums at Castle Game. I’ve cooked venison most ways, but it had never occurred to me to use the shanks. By that we mean the lower part of the leg, the calf if you will. It’s a hard working muscle, and great value. It obviously requires a…
Read MoreNational Heroes: D is for Delia
So you want to become Britain’s best known food writer and TV presenter? Build up a chain of restaurants (and possibly watch them crash spectacularly)? Go on TV and swear a lot? Or, in this modern age, get three million followers on social media? In the 1970s and 80s, the answer was, none of the…
Read MoreDuck Breast a l’Orange
Sometimes the stars or, more accurately, the random contents of your fridge can lead you to unusual culinary destinations. I’m not sure if I had ever cooked duck breasts before. Duck legs often: a regular favourite and unbelievable value. So for a wee while, the pack of mallard breasts from Castle Game had lain untouched…
Read MoreKa Pao, Edinburgh
Ka Pao St James Quarter, Edinburgh EH1 3AE 0131 385 1040 www.ka-pao.com The Bill Sharing Menu £38.00 per person Small/Medium Plates £4.50 – £22.00 | Large Plates £28.00 – £35.00 Desserts £5.50 – £7.50 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 22/25 When you go to an established…
Read MoreThe Food Alphabetical: C is for Cabbage
Cabbage. Cabbage. Such a dull word, is it not? A word to insult a stupid person. Redolent of school dinner halls and hospital kitchens. But I pose the question – is cabbage making a comeback? But perhaps the better question is to ask if it ever went away. Certainly not in Russia, where the average…
Read MoreOxtail Stew – Caribbean Style
When I first discovered that oxtail stew is a great favourite in Caribbean cuisine, I confess to being surprised. But then I stopped to ask myself why? After all the Creole kitchen doesn’t abound in prime cuts. Think of any area where there is a need to make much from not a great deal. Rome’s…
Read MoreRavintola Teller, Helsinki, Finland – Guest Reviewer Carol Main
Ravintola Teller Fredrikinkatu 71, 00100 Helsinki, Finland Phone: +358 10 2073001 www.ravintolateller.fi The Bill (Euros) Menu Teller (5 courses) €68 A la carte Starters €14.00 – €65.00 | Mains €25.00 – €47.00 Desserts €6.00 – €14.00 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 19/25 Carol Main Sometimes,…
Read MoreThe Young? No Staying Power
Not even two and a half years since I ranted about The Sunday Times and its choice of restaurant reviewer. Or to be more accurate, about giving my job to someone else. (See Tom Eats! A New Restaurant Critic published in October 2023.) I was then forced to concede that new kid on the block,…
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