Caesar Caesar

Classic Caesar salad with crisp romaine, creamy dressing, Parmesan, and garlic croutons.

Angels With Bagpipes

Angels With Bagpipes

343 High Street, City Of Edinburgh EH1 1PW, United Kingdom

Bars • British • Scottish • European


"Situated on the Royal Mile, Angels with Bagpipes manages not to offer the usual tourist fare. The restaurant was low lit with twinkly lights and was full of glossy, polished surfaces adorned with discreet cushions. The room was about half full, which was about expected at this time of the evening. The a la carte menu was relatively short but packed full of variations on classics. I opted for the beef tartare followed by the pollock. My dining companion chose the goats cheese followed by the Ross-shire lamb. The starters arrived relatively quickly. The tartare looked pleasing to the eye. I had spotted that it was beef rather than steak tartare, possibly indicating an inferior cut of meat. If this was the case, I certainly couldn’t tell. If tartare is on the menu I do like to give it a try. The meat had an amazing freshness to it and the egg oozed perfectly. The proportion of the quail egg to the meat was just right. The capers were not chopped up finely but somehow this added extra zing and bite to the dish. My dining companion enjoyed the goats cheese with beetroot but commented that it would be difficult to go wrong with this combination. The mains appeared not long after. My pollock looked really appetising. The extra side of thin cut chips was a good call, with a balanced crunch –to-fluff ratio and just the right amount of salt dusting. The fish itself was cooked well and the skin was perfectly crispy. The veg alongside was adequate but nothing special. However, the star of the dish were the pickled mussels. Only a scattering of them appeared on the plate but seriously, I could have eaten a whole bowlful of those on their own. My dining companion had dithered a little over ordering the lamb as she is still a little worried about meat coming a little rarer than her liking. She was advised by staff upon ordering that it would come medium rare. I would say it was closer to the rare side than medium but my friend soldiered on. She enjoyed the dish but again, the meat was not the star. High praise was offered for the accompanying lentils. We were automatically given the menu for dessert without being asked if we actually wanted any. Perhaps it was just the look on my face that said I was in the mood for a dessert (which is the course I am most likely to forgo). I went for the parfait and my dining partner chose the cheesecake. My parfait was tonka bean with caramel swirls, scattered peanuts and a caramel dipped hazelnut. Along with that was a Granny Smith apple sorbet. Both parts were excellent. The parfait was firm but creamy and the caramel complemented it. The sorbet was sharp and packed a punch. However, they did not go together. So I ate them as if I was eating two separate desserts, one after the other. My dining companion was a little underwhelmed by the cheesecake. The pear seemed lost in the honey and didn’t appear to have anything that made it stand out. She felt that ‘it did what it said’ but it didn’t wow. So, overall we had a lovely time and the food was of a great standard. There were just a few bits here and there that took some of the shine off what could have been a truly astonishing meal."

Smiths Of Bourton

Smiths Of Bourton

Victoria Street, GL54 2BT, Cotswold, United Kingdom

Full • Wine • Burgers • Bar-lounge


"Having stopped in Bourton on the Water and thought I would grab something to eat to save sorting something out later that evening. Having a quick scan on Tripadvisor I thought I would give Smiths a try. Entering I was given a choice of table so opted for one by the window to watch the world go by! I ordered the Smiths Classic Burger, Truffle and Parmesan Fries and thought I would give the Limoncello Spritz a try. Some reviews on here say that there is a wait for the food to arrive and yes there is and to me that is a good thing. If you have to wait it means that the food you have ordered is cooked freshly for you. The burger was well cooked and flavoursome with just the right amount of extras inside to make it something easy to pick up and eat. The truffle and parmesan fries again were very flavoursome. The Limoncello Spritz has a bold claim on the menu in saying that they make Limoncello better than the Italians but to me personally Sorrento Limoncello is superior but Smiths Spritz is still very drinkable. Family run and friendly had a nice conversation with Seb about other places locally to visit and with mum (sorry I didn’t catch your name) about how they came to Bourton and the history of the tea room to burger restaurant change. Yes there is a service charge, yes the mention it when paying and ask if that is ok. To me yes that is fine. Visit other restaurants (not cafes or fast food) and you’ll find that they also charge a service charge. Maybe it should be printed on the menu, maybe it shouldn’t. Everyone has their own opinion. Would I go back again? Would I go with friends? The answer to both of these questions is……. Yes without a doubt!"