Kale Salad Kale Salad

Fresh kale tossed with lemon vinaigrette, topped with almonds and parmesan.

Le Monde

Le Monde

16 George Street, City Of Edinburgh EH2 2PF, United Kingdom, Edinburgh, City of

Food • Steak • 4-star • Lodging


"My husband and I were given a Le Monde Luxury Afternoon Tea voucher as a gift so I booked a table for the afternoon of the day that suited us. The sandwiches, cakes, scones etc were nice enough but the service that we received was terrible. On arriving the waiter asked if he could get us a glass of Prosecco and when I said that it stated on the voucher that it was to be Champagne he said that he would go and check taking the voucher with him. He came back and we were given our two glasses of Champagne. Later we were served our cups of tea, coffee etc. At no point were we asked if everything was ok. The restaurant was not busy as there were only another two tables occupied. We have had afternoon tea many times before in various hotels and restaurants including The Dome next door and have always been asked if we would like more tea or coffee and it does state on Le Monde’s website that Afternoon Tea is served with plentiful tea or coffee. As we had only been served one cup at the start I asked the waiter when he came back to clear the table if we could have another coffee and tea. He came back with the coffee and a glass cup of tea (no saucer) with a teabag hanging over the side of the cup and milk not in a jug but in a small tumbler. Not what you expect to get with afternoon tea and certainly not a luxury afternoon tea!It was very disappointing considering the giver of the present wanted us to have a really nice time. Although we have enjoyed several visits to Le Monde in the past which we have enjoyed we will not be returning. I was there in December with a friend and again the service left a lot to be desired and we were also overcharged but we managed to get that rectified."

The Drouthy Cobbler

The Drouthy Cobbler

48A High Street, Moray, United Kingdom

Kebab • Cafés • Pizza • European


"Genuinely couldn't fault the experience. When I heard that the Drouthy had a new menu focusing more on a veggie and vegan base, I knew I had to give it a whirl. The starter of hot Smoked salmon with lemon creme fraiche and oatcakes was simple yet packed full of flavour. I could have easily have had 10 plates of that and been happy to give it 5 stars. My partner had the smoked duck and even though I have given up meat, I was salivating at the look of their dish. They assure me that it was as delicious as it looked. Served with lavender roasted potatoes (which I'm told were amazing and charred salsify. The mains were more than a match for the brilliant starters. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be get the beetroot risotto. Not being a massive fan of beetroot, I wasn't too sure about it. But the incredibly warm waiter (for my son's, I never got his name. I only hope he can forgive me if he reads this! assured me it was tasty. He was not wrong. Beautifully cooked vegan risotto with balsamic beetroot chunks, shiitake mushrooms and rocket, it was simply divine. WHEN I go back, I'll be hard pressed to go for anything else because it was so delicious. It was creamy, packed full of flavour and cooked absolutely perfectly. Just the right amount of bite, nowhere near being mush like you get in a lot of other places (who charge a lot more, by the way . Superb. The highest of compliments to the chef. I was so taken by my dish I forgot to ask how my partner's was until I had eaten all of mine. But their home made vegan tagliatelle had disappeared from the plate so it must have been amazing. I couldn't handle dessert so had a delicious ruby port (delaforce I think it was called , and I would also like to give credit to whoever came up with their wine list. It covered every single base and no-one could ever be disappointed. Finally, if you're ever in Elgin, please make sure this is one of your destinations. You will leave extremely happy."

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."