The Royal McGregor - Edinburgh

 

 

On Sunday night in Edinburgh, Dan and I ate at the Royal McGregor. Our server at another place recommended it, so we thought we would give it a try. We arrived around 7 PM and were seated in the small pub. The service in this place was incredible, 2 women running the place and having a great time in the meanwhile. We listened to some festive Muppet carols, much to our servers disdain, but with much joy in my heart and some other good Holiday tunes.

 

 

I started with a pint of Stewart's Christmas Advent Ale (3.65) and Dan had a 1/2 pint of Tennents Lager. My cask ale was so good, that I had to order another. For dinner I ordered off the Specials Menu and had the Roast turkey (12.95). This was a plate o'food with veggies, cranberry sauce, sausages and a wonderful roast turkey. There was also something that slightly resembled haggis, which I tried, but could not handle the consistency. Dan ordered the Steak and Ale pie (10.50), which was amazing! The chunks of beef were cooked to tender perfection and the plate also came with a nice helping of potatoes and green beans.

For dessert I ordered the wonderful Sticky toffee pudding (4.75) that was warm, sweet and gooey. Dan ordered a Scotch Whiskey Flight (13.95) that came with four regional whiskeys, water and dark chocolate to eat between the different ones. The bartender gave him a lot of info on what he was drinking and I helped with a few drinks of my own.
Wonderful meal, wonderful service and really good food helped to make this a night to remember. I was feeling so good, that I felt I needed to do the touristy thing and pose in one of those red phone booths!!

 

The restaurant is located at 154 High Street Edinburgh EH1 1QS 0131-225-7064

 

www.royalmcgregor.co.uk

Christmas in Edinburgh

 

A little holiday cheer in Edinburgh, Scotland

Jamie's Italian - Edinburgh

On our first day in Edinburgh, the weather started to turn nasty in the afternoon with huge wind gusts and rain. It was the kind of weather where you saw the trash bins and sidewalks littered with the remains of broken umbrellas. We were already in the "new town", which faces the "old town". New town was built between 1765 and 1850 and many of the original buildings still stand. Our hotel was a bit of a walk from there so we decided to find Jamie's Italian while there. I had made a 7:45 PM booking and we thought we should see where it was before making the trip back up the hill in the weather. We decided it was not that far of a walk and we could always grab a taxi if the weather remained bad. After cleaning up in our room and taking a short rest we were ready to brave the weather and head back to Jamie's. Once outside, the weather had changed, the sky was clear and the moon was almost full. It was a beautiful evening for a stroll.
We arrived at the restaurant at the appointed time and had to wait for about 15 minutes for our table. The place was packed and the staff was hopping. The bar here is larger than the one in Leeds and we scored a table without stools. Dan tried to order beers at the bar, but they were very busy and he gave up knowing we would get buzzed as soon as he ordered. We were finally seated and were happy with our table. The restaurant is much larger than Leeds, with three levels of dining in an open space.
Our waitress took our beer orders, Messinas (3.95 pounds) for both of us and our starters. Dan ordered a meat plank (£6.85) that had fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto & schiacciata picante, buffalo mozzarella with chilli & mint, pecorino & amazing chilli jam, green chillies, best green olives, Gaeta & caper berries and a salad of  shaved carrots, beets, lemon and mint. I ordered the Tuscan Bean and Capezzana Olive Oil Bruschetta (3.75 pounds) which was braised beans & creamy mozzarella on grilled sourdough, drizzled with stunning Capezzana Special Reserve 2013 olive oil. We also ordered the  Italian Bread Selection (3.75pounds) with homemade rosemary focaccia, sourdough, crispy "music bread", ciabatta & tortano with olive oil & balsamic . All were amazingly good.

 For dinner Dan ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese (9.95) a ragu of British beef and pork, with herds, Chianti, Parmesan and crunchy breadcrumbs. He also ordered a glass of the House red for 6.95 pounds and I ordered another Messina. The sauce was incredible with the house made pasta. I ordered the best meal though. The Turkey Milanese (12.25) was one of the best things I have ever eaten! A large fried  turkey cutlet stuffed with prosciutto and fontal cheese, topped with a fried free-range egg and a generous amount of shaved truffle! The flavors were so perfect together, the lemony crunchy turkey and black truffles dipped in the egg yolk was out of this world. I also ordered a side of the yummiest Braised cabbage (3.45) with crispy pancetta and Parmesan crust.
At this point we were stuffed and I remembered I had not shown the waitress my Gold Jamie's Card. With the card she brought us a couple of tasters and some chocolates for Christmas. I even got 10 pounds off the meal for using it the first time. It was a perfect meal, with great food and good service!
They are located at The Assembly Rooms 54 George St. Edinburgh, EH2 2LR  911-9131-49
 

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Edinburgh Castle

The Elephant House - Edinburgh

 

After a beautiful , but strange train ride, Dan and I arrived in in Edinburgh, Scotland just before noon. The countryside and ocean views from our window were amazing, as was the family of 8 adults that sat right in front of us. They boarded the train at 9 AM in York, with 2 bags of beer and what I can only assume was more in their bellies. They were loud and obnoxious and after a couple of hours we were finally able to move seats and enjoy the scenery.
We checked into our hotel, a Marriott Residence Inn, which was new and modern with an amazing view. Dan did not even consider changing rooms! We journeyed out into the blustery, cold to see the sites and get a bite to eat before our tour of the underground city of Mary King's Close. We came across The Elephant House and liked the vibe and the menu, so we decided to eat here. The staff was friendly, young  and efficient and helped you to find a seat and brought the food out when it was ready. Both of us ordered a Chorizo, Pesto and Mozzarella Panini that came with a side salad, Dan had a pot of tea and I enjoyed the wonderful Mallow Delight. The Mallow Delight turned out to be a wonderful hot chocolate covered in a mound of whipped cream and marshmallows. The food was good and just what we needed to get started. In fact, we liked it so much that we returned on Monday afternoon for a late lunch before our train ride back to Leeds. This time Dan ordered the same thing, but I ordered the Bacon and Brie Baked Potato. The potato was very good, with that brie gently melting into the warm potato and the English version of bacon.

When I used the restroom on the first visit, I noticed the walls were covered in Harry Potter graffiti. I thought it odd, but they were all nice and a lot of them were thanking J.K Rowling for writing the books. I did not think much about it after that, but last night Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came on the telly and I remembered the graffiti. I went over to the computer to look it up and found out that J.K Rowling spent some time here writing her books. That explained all of the graffiti and young people taking pictures out front! Harry Potter or no, it was a very nice place to eat and warm up from the cold.
They are located at 21 George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EN  www.elephanthouse.biz .