| EVENING
NEWS |
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 1, 1998
|
MORE
ROOMS
WITH A MENU
There was no sign
of Desperate Dan, or cow pie on the menu at A Room in the Town, writes
Bill Clapperton.
But at least Oor
Wullie featured large on the amusing wall mural that stretches right
along one sid of this New Town bistro, the second one for the people
who started off A Room in Marchmont.
But it's the menu
which catches the eye, using a healthy smattering of culinary "buzzwords"
and ingredients - the ones no self-respecting brasserie or bistro or
caf� bar can do without in the Nineties.
Timbale, ricotta,
coriander, radicchio, lemon butter, couscous, loin of tuna, coconut
and chilli dressing, celeriac puree, coulis, onion mash sprinkle - a
menu that makes exciting reading, if nothing else.
Dishes have been
created to tantalise the populace even before the first bite . . . roasted
quail and a cherry brandy sauce; artichoke, smoked cheese and chive
gratin; lasagne of monkfish and sea scallops; sugar roasted loin of
pork etc.
Our first sortie
in this yellow, green, brown and blue-bedecked eaterie was into avocado
and basil timbale with marinated mushrooms, served cold, with plenty
of pungent basil, and fillets of lemon sole poached in white wine and
sorrell, which I always thought was a horse, but is an acid-tasting
herb.
Both platefuls whetted
our appetite for my loin of tuna - several pieces of this firm fish
with coriander spaghetti, coconut and chilli dressing.
It was everything
I could have hoped for, with a Thai feel to it and the fish was actually
cooked!
Many chefs these
days show the fish to the grill for a few seconds, a quick sear either
side and it ends up trendily "raw". But not this one. The waiter assured
me the chef wasn't that cutting-edge!
My wife chose breast
of duck in crushed peppercorns with honey, shallots, redcurrant and
creamed potato - it was delightful. The duck breast was sliced and fanned
out, the shallots caramelised.
A Room in the Town
is a bring-your-own-bottle joint, so we slurped on some Valdevieso Reserva
from Chile and awaited sweets.
They were pecan
pie with ice cream, the pastry as thin as an Income Tax rebate, and
the nutty topping superb; and Chocoate Mousse, which was pronounced
"the best I've ever tasted" - a statement I seem to have heard 50 times!
All in all, a splendid
nosh in a vibrant new bistro that bustles with chatter and laughter
(all BYO wine places do!) and has a totally unstuffy feel.
Everyone is laid
back - even the Scotsman on the mural, who is lifting up his kilt to
show that everything is in perfect working order!
| The
bill |
� |
| Avocado
and basil timbale |
�3.45
|
| Poached
lemon sole |
�3.95
|
| Loin
of tuna |
�9.45
|
| Breast
of duck with honey |
�11.55
|
| Chocolate
mousse |
�2.85
|
| Pecan
Pie |
�2.95
|
| Corkage
|
�1.00
|
| � |
� |
| TOTAL
(plus our BYO wine �6.49) |
�34.25
|
| � |
� |
| Choice |
7
|
| Taste |
7
|
| Service |
8
|
| Atmosphere |
9
|
| Value |
8
|
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