Bagel Supply in Edinburgh

Bagels, anyone? 

If you live in Edinburgh and enjoy a good bagel - you would've been like me a couple of months ago, knowing that your search for an artisan, non-mass produced bagel would probably end in disappointment and frustration and eventually accept this fate. Well, you don't have to anymore - good bagels have come to Edinburgh. 

Every morning, I supply freshly made bagels to the Stockbridge branch of I.J. Mellis cheesemongers and to Leo's Beanery. These bagels are made with top quality, natural ingredients (no refined sugars, no preservatives, etc.) and, if I do say so myself, are pretty tasty. So pop down to Mellis for a takeaway bagel or make your way down to Leo's for one filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Also, look out for them at the Cairngorm Coffee Company by this weekend! 

So many lovely pictures of bagels there. I may be slightly obsessed with them at the moment, seeing as I've started a rather small business based on them. Speaking of which, if you are a café or shop in Edinburgh that may fancy stocking my bagels, or if you're an individual that wishes to put in an order for a good few, please get in contact (details below). I will happily provide samples and work with you to develop your perfect bagel. 

I look forward to hearing from all you bagel hungry Edinburgh folk! 

Contact Details

Rowan Walker

info@thebeardedbaker.co.uk

Review: The Spice Pavilion (Takeaway)

I do like my Indian food. It is quite often my go to comfort meal, be it homemade, restaurant or takeaway. There are hundreds of South Asian restaurants in Edinburgh and it can be quite difficult to find a real gem - but look no further, The Spice Pavilion is here. If you've ever been to the cosy restaurant at the top of Dundas Street, you would understand why I'm pretty damn excited that they're doing takeaway. The food they serve there is fresh, light and delicious - and the service is professional and friendly. We were intrigued, however, to see how their food would travel, so we put in an order as soon as we knew they delivered. 

We ordered a good amount for two people, y'know, so we could test plenty - not because we're greedy I swear. It came in good time and was delivered by possibly the friendliest and best dressed delivery man you can imagine. Clearly proud of what his restaurant produces, he asked us to let us know if everything was good - so here you go friendly man, read on and you'll find out. We ordered a small portion of chicken tikka, vegetable pakora, mushroom bhaji, saag aloo, saag paneer and, one of our usual favourites, a king prawn makhani - along with a peshwari naan. 

First, the starters. The vegetable pakora wasn't a stodgy, heavy ball of batter you could knock a cow out with (one bad experience at a football match - I should've known, who orders a pakora at the football?!) - quite the contrary, it was crisp and light, with the usual delicious spice flavours coming through. The chicken tikka was also very good - relatively tender with that lovely smoky flavour of the tandoor. The mushroom bhaji was tasty, however nothing spectacular (a bit too sweet for my liking) - nevertheless this was the only negative to the food. The rest of it was quite glorious. 

What I must mention is The Spice Pavilion's usage of ginger - they use more than the usual Indian restaurant and it works a treat. It adds this amazing freshness to their curries that can be quite welcoming when you intend to consume your body weight in it. The food is light, and seasoned with a light touch - nothing is over the top or leaving you gagging for a gallon of water to quench your biblical thirst. This is especially clear in their saag - or spinach. The flavour is immense, however not over-powering. The spinach is so delicately cooked that it still holds some texture to it, and this, combined with fresh ginger, delightfully soft paneer cheese and perfectly cooked potatoes, is quite possibly one of the best things in the world. It matches perfectly, as well, with the rich, buttery makhani which holds just a hint of heat. The prawns, too, were cooked to perfection. An overall wonderful combination of Indian food which I'm desperate to have again (I've made myself hungry writing this). 

So, if you're having a night in, make sure you order from The Spice Pavilion - however, if you have the opportunity to eat in the restaurant, go for it. The delivery was excellent and everything was still hot and fresh, however the added atmosphere and scents in the restaurant is certainly a bonus. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly one of the best Indian takeaways in Edinburgh. 

Great Food & Drink in Amsterdam

If any of you follow my Twitter, you'll know that I have been away for a few days visiting the city of Amsterdam for a short break. The blog silence was largely down to this, and through my disorganisation in writing blog posts days ahead and scheduling. I swear this is an anomaly, and my blog still remains daily. Anyway, naturally, my visit of Amsterdam tended to focus around food and drink, because this is all I really think about. Don't get me wrong, the architecture of Amsterdam is something to marvel at, as well as the city's spectacular history on display at the Rijksmuseum, however the culinary offerings seem somewhat undiscovered by those who visit, and therefore I felt an obligation (a self-given obligation) to dig deep and find some real gems. This was achieved, and the following are some great cafés and restaurants in the city of Amsterdam.

Coffee - Screaming Beans

Seeing as we had to leave Edinburgh at 5am on Sunday morning - once we arrived in Amsterdam, a café was our first, desperate port-of-call. As easy as it is to fall into a tourist trap when you're absolutely knackered, and to just accept your fate, we managed to avoid this. We had been to the city before, so we knew to head to the beautiful area of 'De Negen Straatjes' or the nine streets, where independent shops, cafés and restaurants are aplenty (the area around about is nice too). After a quick search (and waiting impatiently till 10am for all the cafés to open), we discovered a café called Screaming Beans - a relatively trendy, welcoming place where coffee was abundant. A very nice atmosphere and full of locals, we were pretty sure the coffee was going to be good, and it was. Not too strong or heavy, the cappuccino I ordered had quite a fruity taste and was relatively fresh. A lovely brew. A great place for a hot drink, Screaming Beans is one of many cafés in the city offering top quality coffee. So, all you coffee lovers out there, you are bound to adore what Amsterdam has to offer in this respect.

Lunch - Singel 404

A wonderful aspect of the Dutch is the fact that they understand the joy of a good sandwich. You can get one, hot or cold, in most cafés, however what they had to offer in Singel 404 was a step above. The cosy, homely feel of the café is complimented by the very friendly and welcoming staff. The massive list of open sandwiches makes it almost impossible to choose, but you'll probably be happy with your choice regardless once it arrives. Presentation wise, these sandwiches were probably the best I've ever seen. Some real care had into how they looked, which is quite a nice touch for a bustling lunch time place. My smoked salmon bagel was layered aplenty with fresh salmon, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes and capers on top of a really well made bagel - simple yet delicious. My girlfriend went for the tuna melt, which, again, was generously portioned on top of some tasty bread. The added touch of thinly sliced red onion and watercress upon it made it better than most. An excellent wee café, and the coffee wasn't half-bad either.

Dinner

Now, I have a few options for this - mainly because every dinner we had was excellent and each completely different. It was hard to pick and choose, so here are three great places to fulfil your evening hunger.

Himalaya Restaurant

Love a good curry? then this Nepalese and Indian restaurant is for you. Now I know we have some great South Asian food in Edinburgh, but we were craving a spice fix, and this place was highly recommended. An unexciting interior is of no concern when the food smells as good as it does. The staff are extremely friendly, as each platter is brought out with a big smile and an announcement. We went for a couple of classics, a chicken tikka saag and a mutter paneer, with a side of garlic naan. Both dishes were cooked to perfection, the chicken was melt in the mouth and the paneer had a lovely, slightly rubbery texture to it. The naan was excellent too, packed full of garlic, crispy and soft at the same time, you'd be hard pressed to find a better South Asian meal in the UK. A great wee restaurant and a must for all curry lovers.

The Seafood Bar

I do like my seafood, so a restaurant named 'The Seafood Bar' was bound to tempt me. After jumping out the taxi, we saw that the place was absolutely packed - and we hadn't booked. No matter, we were quite happily sat in the waiting area with a glass of prosecco for half an hour perusing the menu. Choosing, again, was almost impossible, seeing as the menu offered a good sized list of some classic seafood dishes, including oysters, scallops, mussels, sushi, lobster and four types of fish and chips. I went for the pan fried scallops to start and my girlfriend went for the scampi. The scallops were beautifully cooked and so sweet, accompanied with salty noilly prat sauce. Unbeatable. The scampi was well cooked too, with great, garlicky flavours coming through. A couple of great, classic starters which set us up nicely for our mains. I went for half a grilled lobster, whilst my other half ordered battered cod and chips. The lobster, again, was perfectly cooked. Soft and sweet, the meat practically fell out of the shell, and the flavour was only enhanced by the horseradish sauce it came with. The fish and chips were delicious, the cod had a great flavour to it, and the batter was light yet crispy. A lovely dish. If you love your seafood, you have to come here - no excuses.

Restaurant De Kas

Seeing as our trip to Amsterdam was based on a special occasion (our three year anniversary) we thought it best to try somewhere really, really special. After some wonderful research conducted by my girlfriend, we found Restaurant De Kas - a restaurant inside a greenhouse where they grow all of their own herbs and vegetables. Only using the freshest ingredients, their chefs create a specific fixed menu every day, making your dining experience truly unique. As soon as you walk in you know you're going to be treated well. The interior is breathtaking, a beautiful, huge greenhouse encapsulates a beautifully designed restaurant, using natural materials and colours to create a relatively warming atmosphere.

After a while, the food is brought to you - three small starters are then followed by a main course, a cheese course and finally a dessert. Our starters consisted of a carrot and ginger soup with blue cheese ravioli, slow cooked fillet of smoked salmon with barbecued lettuce and chargrilled celeriac with poached pears. An amazing array of flavours and unusual combinations that work perfectly together. We were mesmerised by the flavours, slowly starting to understand them as we worked our way through them. This was then followed by a hearty main course of veal with purple radish and sauerkraut - which was quite simply spectacular. The cheeses were great, a few that I had never heard of before, and the dessert was quite unusual. A trifle of beetroot, goat's yoghurt and blood orange sorbet was topped with chocolate soil and a beetroot crisp. Certainly not my favourite dessert, but a very tasty one nonetheless.

De Kas is a culinary experience, and somewhere that is well worth a try to further expand your understanding of food. It is like nowhere else, and well worth a visit if you're feeling brave and you don't have trust issues. I know that I will remember this dinner for the rest of my life.

So there we have it - Amsterdam has some amazing offerings food wise. There is such an array, and I'm disappointed that I didn't have more time to try a few more places. Nevertheless, the cafés and restaurants above were quite excellent. So if you're heading to Amsterdam any time soon, make sure to try some of my recommendations - you'll love them!

Review: Leo's Beanery

After getting my haircut in the Stockbridge side of New Town Edinburgh, I decided to grab a bite to eat at one of Edinburgh's most established cafés - good old Leo's Beanery. Now I've been here quite a few times, and it delivers time and time again in terms of good coffee and tasty food. The menu, however, has been altered slightly, so I thought it best to review these changes (great excuse for going out for lunch). It was a right dreich day - an 'Edinburgh day', so going to a cosy café suited. As usual, it was lovely and warm, with a continuous bustle that is extraordinarily relaxing. The manageress welcomed me and made sure to find me a table that suited, despite the place being relatively busy. I don't know whether it's because I'm a regular - but I'm sure they've always been as friendly before my regularity was confirmed. I always manage to forget how nicely decorated and furnished this café is. Wooden tables and chairs are surrounded by calming light blue walls with random lights, books and pictures scattered throughout. It has a country cottage feel - and in a city centre that countryside feeling is often craved. The counter has a display fridge that shows off all the cakes that are made through the back by a very talented baker, which often tempt you no matter how full you may be. Put simply, the ambience is quite perfect - much like the coffee.

If you've read my top three coffees in Edinburgh post (see here) you'll know that I adore Leo's coffee. It's amazingly fresh and quite fruity, a really quite spectacular cup of coffee. They also have an extremely talented barista, as you can probably tell by the intricate latté art. They put two shots of espresso into every coffee, so that's a plus. Furthermore, They have an extensive list of loose leaf teas if you'd prefer a more hydrating option - the Moroccan mint tea being especially tasty. It is a café, and there is an undoubted focus on hot drinks, however the food far from disappoints. 

If you like eggs - it seems Leo's Beanery is the place to come. They offer a number of breakfast options, from their famous 'croque-mon-scone' (melted Mull cheddar and ham on a homemade scone) to porridge with stewed spiced apples - however most of their dishes are egg based. They serve the classics, poached eggs on toast, Benedict, Florentine and Royale. Today I went for the Eggs Royale, two poached eggs on top of smoked salmon and an English muffin, covered in Hollandaise sauce. Prior to trying this dish, I avoided anything with Hollandaise - often overly rich and salty, I must've had a few bad experiences with the sauce in the past (it's a hard life). However, this café's Hollandaise is quite different. Light, sweet and citrusy - the sauce pairs perfectly with the deeply flavoured smoked salmon. The English muffin is lightly toasted and buttered, adding a delightful richness to the dish. Oh and the eggs - poached to perfection, the yolk oozes out as soon as you dig in. I've been going to this café for a few years now, and I've never seen an overcooked egg. Quite an impressive record in my books. Overall, this is a classic done to perfection, and they certainly don't skimp on the salmon. 

As full as I was I had to pick up one of their famous brownies. It's so gooey and deeply chocolatey, I often pop in to Leo's just for a brownie, and if you give it a try you would understand why. This is an excellent café, and somewhat of a seasoned pro in the Edinburgh coffee shop scene. The practice shows, as the brunch/lunch time service is a well oiled machine - despite it being full, I was served without trouble. I do not have a negative word to say about Leo's Beanery - it's simply that good. Unsurprisingly, I highly recommend it. 

Café information

Leo's Beanery

23A Howe Street, Edinburgh

EH3 6TF

0131 556 8403

  

Spicy Lamb Meatballs & Couscous

I'm a big fan of lamb - for me the flavour is unrivalled and, when minced, adds an edge to any classic dish where you would normally use beef. This dish is absolutely delicious and ridiculously easy to make. I often like to take ages to cook, but when you don't have the time, this recipe from Gino D'Acampo's 'Pronto!' cook book does the trick. Ready within 30 minutes, you will love these lamb meatballs on a number of levels.

Ingredients
Serves 4

• 500g of minced Scottish (or local) lamb
• 1 x 400g of plum tomatoes
• 150ml of red wine
• 1 x clove of garlic, grated
• 1 x tablespoon of dried oregano
• 1 x teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 200g of couscous
• 500 ml of vegetable stock
• 10 x dried apricots
• handful of chopped basil and parsley
• 2 x tablespoons of EV olive oil 

Method

1. In a small pan, pour in your measured red wine and bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and allow to bubble away for about 8 minutes or until visibly thickened. This is going to add an amazing richness to the sauce. While this is simmering away, in a large bowl, throw in your minced lamb, grated garlic and oregano and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and roll into 15-20 meatballs. Pop a large, non-stick pan on a medium to high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and allow to heat up. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for 5-8 minutes or until well sealed. 
2. While the lamb cooks, prepare your couscous. In a medium sized bowl, add your couscous and then pour over the stock. Cover and leave until your meatballs are ready. Prepare the apricots and herbs by roughly chopping them up, these will be added to the couscous later. 
3. Once the lamb meatballs have plenty of colour on them, add the tinned tomatoes, red wine and chilli flakes. Stir well and allow to simmer away for about 8 minutes, make sure to turn down the heat if it seems to be boiling. The tomatoes will be sucking up all the flavour from the meatballs, making the sauce brilliantly flavourful. 
4. Once the sauce has reduced slightly and the meatballs are cooked through, uncover your couscous, fluff with a fork and add the apricots and herbs. Season well with salt and plenty of pepper. Spoon onto a warmed plate and then pour over your saucy meatballs. Serve immediately. 

This dish is fantastically warming and spicy, nevertheless relatively light. It could kind of be considered a healthy option, couldn't it? I don't know, but who cares? the flavour of those meatballs really explode because of the garlic and oregano all the way through them, and the red wine adds a rich edge to the sauce. This is all lifted, however, by the fresh herbs and sweet apricot in the couscous, creating a great balance of flavour. Well done Gino, you're quite loud and annoying, but there's no doubting this recipe.  

My Top Three Great Coffees in Edinburgh

I like feeling awake - so much so that I'd go to lengths of drinking something that makes me more awake on a daily basis - that something being coffee. Luckily, Edinburgh has quite a spectacular coffee scene, so finding a good one is certainly not difficult. But where to go? I have a top three at the moment, however it changes quite often through recommendations from others and trying new places on a whim - nevertheless the following cafés serve some of the best coffee you can get.

Fortitude Coffee Merchants

Blink and you'll miss it - Fortitude is a tiny coffee shop situated on the busy Queen Street, however, despite the huge amounts of traffic passing by outside, Fortitude is serene, quiet and calming. It's a fantastic looking café, from the simple wooden furniture to the clipboards on the wall, someone that understands interior design had a say in how this café was going to look. You just know the coffee is going to be good - and it was. They use Workshop coffee, which apparently roasts the 'sweetest, cleanest and freshest coffee' you can get your hands on. This is clear - their flat white is quite brilliant and less bitter than most. Also, the service is extremely friendly and helpful - they even took the time to help me choose a bag of coffee for home, taking into account the flavours I enjoy. Turns out their recommendation was perfect, and this didn't surprise me. They also serve some amazing looking cakes and pastries, which for some reason I did not try whilst I was there (silly) - I was probably too busy perusing all the coffee making equipment they have on sale there, which amazed me and confused me at the same time. Despite my confusion, there's no doubt in my mind that Fortitude is one of the best places in the city to pick up a coffee.

Leo's Beanery

What a fantastic wee café this is - probably one of my favourite places full stop. Situated on the edge of the Edinburgh New Town towards Stockbridge (Howe Street), Leo's Beanery is a fantastic looking family run café, offering quite possibly the best breakfast in the city. Everyone in there is extraordinarily friendly and desperate to please, and this is clear in the quality of their food and drink. The coffee is made with Artisan Roast beans - a well known brand in Scotland, and for good reason. I would guess that I've had at least 100 coffees from Leo's, and every single one of them has been top quality. Their coffee is fruitier than others, offering a freshness rather than a heavy bitterness. Also, they do an excellent brownie, so make sure to order one when you try this café.

Cairngorm Coffee Co. 

Situated in central Edinburgh on Frederick Street, Cairngorm offers a damn good cup of coffee. Much like Fortitude, you could easily walk past it without noticing, so make sure to look out for this cosy café just off George Street heading down to Stockbridge. Their welcome is warm, especially since you're immediately surrounded by an amazing array of cakes. The interior is brilliantly rustic - bare stone walls   surround untreated wooden tables and small adjustable stools. It's quite dark, so it's the perfect place to spend a cold, rainy Edinburgh day. They use Mr. Eion's coffee - beans roasted on site in his shop at the bottom of Stockbridge (well worth a visit) - and it is excellent. Quite a lot stronger than what a lot of Edinburgh folk are used to, Cairngorm's coffee might surprise you at first with its strength, but you'll slowly get used to it as it warms you throughout. An undoubtedly brilliant and unique brew. Again, the service is very friendly, and they do a mean toastie. Well worth a visit.



Is there anywhere else you would recommend? Let me know and I'll be sure to give it a go!

Sourdough Starter & Classic Sourdough Loaf

Making a sourdough loaf takes a lot of preparation - creating the 'starter', for example, takes at least five days and then this loaf (recipe below) can take a whole day (or overnight). Nevertheless, it is completely worth it. The flavour in sourdough is unmatched and the long preparation makes it all the more exciting. Anyway, once you have that starter, and if you look after it, it's there for life, ready to be used whenever you fancy and slowly getting better with age. It just requires patience and care. So, if you want to make the tastiest possible loaves, read on. 

The Starter

Before we delve into the loaf recipe, I'm going to tell you how to make the sourdough starter. The starter works through something called 'wild yeast' which naturally exists in the air and in flour. It's slower than the handy fast-action yeast, is relatively temperamental and requires consistent upkeep. Basically, it's a pain in the backside, but the flavour and texture it provides is considerably better than its modern cousin. 

Ingredients

Every day

• 115g of plain white flour 
• 4oz of water

Method

Creating the starter is very easy, the hardest and most frustrating aspect is hoping it works, which is completely down to its environment and your water. In a relatively large bowl, mix the two ingredients together thoroughly (making sure there are no lumps) until you have a smooth, batter-like consistency. Cover with cling film and store somewhere with a consistent temperature of about 20C for 24 hours - I used a cupboard in the kitchen far away from any windows. Now, the water aspect can be tricky. A lot of cities tend to use chemicals for domestic water usage to make it completely safe to drink, however this can hamper the progress of your starter. If you live in a large city, make sure to filter your water before starting your starter. If you live in the countryside or a country that tends to have delicious tap water (like Scotland), you'll be fine - In fact it'll add a distinct, local flavour to your final sourdough. Living in Edinburgh, non-filtered tap water worked perfectly for me. 

Now, once you've gotten past this water malarkey, you can focus on the starter's progress. Check on your starter the next day (day two), and you should see a few bubbles but there shouldn't be a sour smell yet. Top it up with the same amount of flour and water and store away, again, for 24 hours. Repeat this process two more times (day three and four) and you should start to notice more bubbles, a billowy surface and a growing sour smell. By day five it should look like the picture below, which means it's ready to use. If your starter isn't reacting as quickly, keep topping it up and be patient - my starter was particularly active. If you don't fancy using it once it is 'ripe', you'll still need to discard half of the starter and feed it with the usual amount of flour and water. You'll have to continue this process everyday - which can get quite annoying - so I recommend covering your starter with cling film and storing it in the fridge, making sure to feed it at least once a week. 

So there you have it! You now have your very own sourdough starter, ready to make top notch bread. Read on to see a good, simple loaf to start off with. 

Classic Sourdough Loaf

This is a great, easy recipe to ease you into the world of sourdough. Nothing hugely special about it, but the flavour and texture of the bread is excellent. The addition of steaming also creates an amazing crust on the loaf, which is always pleasant on a sourdough. 

Ingredients

• 375g of strong white bread flour
• 250g of starter
• 150ml of warm water
• 1 x teaspoon of salt
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method 

1. In a large bowl, pour in the measured flour, starter and salt and mix well. Once everything is well distributed, start adding the water a little bit at a time until all the flour mixture is combined in a rough ball. There shouldn't be any loose flour, the dough should be wet enough to combine all of the flour, but not so sticky that it becomes difficult to handle. 
2. Turn the dough onto an oiled surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 4-6 hours or until double in size - sourdough starter is not as fast acting as packeted yeast, so don't worry if it takes a long time to rise. 
3. Once risen, knock the dough back until all the air is out of it. Form into a ball and line a large bowl with a clean tea towel or grease proof paper, dust with flour and place the dough, upside down, into the bowl. Cover tightly with cling film and leave for 10 hours or overnight. 
4. Just before the dough is ready, preheat your oven at 220C (no fan). Half fill a baking tray with water and pop it onto the bottom shelf of the oven. This will create steam and thus harden the crust of the loaf whilst it bakes. Turn your dough out, very gently, onto a grease proof lined baking tray, and slash a cross across the top. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until deeply golden. Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 45 minutes.
5. Dig in! 

Doesn't it look fantastic? You'll be delighted when it comes out the oven - you'll be able to smell that amazing sour edge that you've worked on for days. The crust will be hard and the interior relatively light but chewy. It really is a cut above the usual bread. It makes amazing toast and adds a real edge to any homemade sandwich. It's worth the wait, so make sure you put in the effort with your starter. Remember, this is just the start of your sourdough repertoire! 

Review: Nom de Plume

After a relatively busy Saturday running all the usual errands, me and the girlfriend fancied grabbing a tasty lunch somewhere. We didn't know what we wanted, trying to discover what type of food we fancied by visualising Edinburgh and all the restaurants. Nothing specific was tickling our fancy - so the perfect place, we found out, would be the quirky restaurant called Nom de Plume at the bottom of Broughton Street. We had passed it a number of times, never going in but consistently announcing that we must try it one day, and we didn't regret it.

As you make your way up the plant filled steps and go through the brightly painted door, you are warmly welcomed by the friendly, casual staff who then allow you to choose your own table. The restaurant is a sight to behold - an absolute mish mash of trinkets, colours and furniture - it feels as if you've wandered into a very well travelled family's living room, and thus you immediately feel comfortable, as if you're surrounded by close friends. The menu reflects this eclectic atmosphere too, with a number of Scottish favourites, sided along Italian, Mexican and traditional Indian dishes. As a result, you are left perusing the menu for a long while, deciding whether you fancy a sandwich, pasta or a curry - an odd situation to be in, but an overall pleasant one.

We ordered an Earl Grey tea and a latté to drink - they came quickly and were presented nicely - accompanied by biscuits (which is always a plus). The latté was perfectly good - a standard cup of coffee and the tea was, well, tea. Nothing spectacular on this front - but we weren't looking for spectacular.

On the food front, we decided to go for the BLT bagel and their macaroni cheese. They arrived in perfect time, and were presented very well. The bagel itself seemed well made, with a decent chewiness and malty flavour to it. The bacon was perfectly crisp - just how I like it, and the salad was fresh and dressed with a delicious mustard dressing. The plate was finished off with a few tortilla crisps, which went with the overall structure of the dish well. The macaroni cheese was a sight to behold - if you like molten cheese, that is (which everybody does, don't lie). The thick layer of cheese covered a well seasoned and well cooked plate of creamy pasta - an extremely tasty and warming dish. Certainly not for those on a diet, but it came with a salad (with the same tasty mustard dressing on top) so I was half-good. These two dishes were simple, but done very well - and that's exactly what we were after.

As good as the desserts sounded (and the extensive list tells me desserts are their forté) we couldn't manage one after our relatively filling mains. As tempted as I was by the Halwa, an Indian dessert made with carrots, I simply could not face it - however it's still a very impressive and relatively unknown sweet to serve.

Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. I'm often wary of restaurants that have large menus, however Nom de Plume seems to be a compromise to this rule. The dishes they do are simple, but done well. Nothing on the menu is going to knock your socks off, but you're guaranteed to find a tasty dish that will leave you feeling satisfied. It's home cooking at its best - served with a smile within a cosy, quirky ambience. So if you simply don't know what you want for lunch/dinner, head to Nom de Plume, they're bound to have something you want.


Restaurant Information
Nom de Plume
60 Broughton Street, Edinburgh
EH1 3SA
0131 478 1372

Walnut Bread

I'm a big fan of classic breads. As interesting as some experimental breads can be, nothing really beats the mainstays. This is especially true for the wonderful walnut bread - packed full of flavour and texture, this loaf is a champion of breads. There's nothing particularly spectacular about this recipe, but the result is quite the contrary - especially with cheese. Make this for a perfect accompaniment to a baked camembert or for delicious toast in the morning.

Ingredients

• 150g of strong wholemeal bread flour
  
• 150g of strong white bread flour
• 1 x 7g packet of fast action yeast
• a large handful of walnuts (in pieces or whole, depends how much walnut you enjoy in your mouth at one time). 
• 1 x teaspoon of light brown sugar
• 1 x teaspoon salt
• 1 x teaspoon of walnut oil 
• 200ml of warm water

Method

1. This is a really simple recipe. In a large bowl, mix together both flours, the yeast and salt. In a measuring jug, whisk together the water, sugar and oil and then, you guessed it, add the wet mixture to the dry and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Get in there with your hands after a while, making sure every bit of loose flour has been picked up. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until well combined. 
2. Once kneaded, get out a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, about 30 cm lengthways. Take your walnuts and sprinkle evenly all over the flattened dough, and then roll it up like a roly poly. Knead the dough for a further 2-3 minutes and shape into an oval once you're sure the walnuts are evenly distributed throughout. 
3. Line a relatively large baking tray with greaseproof paper and pop your shaped dough in the middle of your tray. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size. 
4. Whilst the dough rises, preheat your oven to 200C (no fan). Once the dough is ready, pop it in the middle of the oven and allow to bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool on a cooling rack for 45 minutes. 
5. Dig in with a baked camembert at the ready! 

The walnuts should have softened slightly in the oven and some, if you had any poking out on the surface of the loaf, should have an amazingly intense, slightly burnt flavour. Once you take it out the oven the smell will be unbelievable. Nut breads do have a tendency to be a bit bitter, however the sugar should help balance that out. As I said, this bread goes absolutely perfectly with a relatively flavourful cheese, or simply toasted with a generous smear of butter. As boring as it may seem, walnut bread is so hard to beat - and you'll be agreeing with me once you give my recipe a go!

Nutella & Peanut Butter Swirl Loaf

Seeing as it's World Nutella Day - I thought it necessary to whip up a baked Nutella recipe. I've seen this one a few times, and fancied giving it a go myself. The result was good - the loaf looks quite complex and relatively impressive, but it's extremely easy to make. A great culinary addition to the upcoming weekend, this loaf should satisfy your chocolate and carbohydrate cravings.

Just look at it there, on a trendy wooden board in all of its glory. This has got to be one of the best ways  to celebrate World Nutella Day - if anybody actually does.

Ingredients

• 210g of plain flour
• 25g of caster sugar
• 60ml of milk
• 60ml of warm water
• 30g of unsalted butter
• 2 x tablespoons of Nutella
• 2 x tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
• 1 x 7g packet of fast action yeast
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. In a small bowl, pour in the measured out warm water and add the yeast and  1 teaspoon of the sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt with a wooden spoon. 
2. Melt the butter in a pan on a gentle heat or in your microwave (be careful, butter has a tendency to explode when microwaved) and add it to the flour mixture, along with the milk and yeast mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon and, once it becomes difficult, get in there with your hands, making sure you pick up every loose bit of flour. Once you have a rough dough ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and relatively elastic. Pop into an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and allow it to rise for 1 hour. 
3. Once risen, turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knock back. Form into a rough rectangle and, using a rolling pin, roll it out. You want it to be about 30cm lengthways and 15cm widthways. 
4. In a small bowl, fold together the Nutella and peanut butter, empty on top of your rolled out dough and, using the back of your spoon, spread it out evenly - stopping about 1cm away from the edge. 
5. Once done, roll the dough up tightly (like a roly-poly) and, with a very sharp knife, cut down the middle lengthways, so you are left with two long strips of folded dough, oozing with Nutella-peanuty goodness. Combine the two strips in a braid, making sure to pinch the ends to stop them from separating. Place on a grease-proof lined baking tray, cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
6. Whilst you wait, preheat your oven at 180C fan (200C without) and, after half an hour, pop your swirl in for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once ready, take out and place on a cooling rack for 45 minutes.
7. Dig in and salute World Nutella Day the traditional way (?)

Just look at it there, isn't it pretty impressive? So easy to make too - if I can make something look pretty, anybody can. The wonderful aspect of this loaf is that it isn't overly sweet - the peanut butter tones down the ever so slight sickly side of the Nutella whilst adding a flavour of its own. The bread is great too - the exterior is relatively crusty, holding in a fluffy, soft and sweet bread. It truly is a wonderful loaf. But let's face it, anything with Nutella in it is wonderful.

Happy World Nutella Day!  

Homemade New York Bagels

As a baker, taking on difficult or very specific recipes is always an enjoyable feat, attempting to impress seasoned experts with recipes they may miss from their homeland or childhood. Now, we all know how specific New Yorkers can be about their bagels (unless you've never met one) - so I felt it necessary to attempt to bake NY bagels here in Edinburgh. I've noticed that there really isn't anywhere in the city to get a good one, so for those that have a similar problem, here's a tried and tested recipe that makes some of the best bagels you'll ever try.

Now don't they look wholesome and delicious? That's because they are. A fantastically chewy exterior surrounds a fluffy interior, with plenty of malty flavours coming through. Here's a recipe for the standard bagel - but it can easily be changed or added to to make your favourite flavoured bagel.

Ingredients 
The following recipe is for 4 bagels.

• 2 x cups strong white bread flour
• 3/4 of a cup of warm water
• 7g packet of fast action yeast
• 1 x tablespoon of honey
• 2 x teaspoons of caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• drop of rapeseed oil

Method

1. Put your measured out water in a small bowl and empty the packet of yeast on top. Allow the yeasted water to sit for 5 minutes before use. Meanwhile, empty your measured out flour into a large bowl, adding the honey, sugar and salt and mixing well. After five minutes, stir the yeasted water, making sure all the yeast has dissolved into it and add to the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
2. Once it becomes difficult to mix, get in there with your hands. Once every loose bit of flour has been picked up, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, but relatively dense and stiff - this gives the bagels their unique texture. Once kneaded, oil a medium sized bowl, pop the dough in and cover with cling film. Leave in a relatively warm place for 20 minutes (no need for it to double in size). 
3. While you wait, get a large pan of water and pop it on the hob on a relatively low heat, making sure you have a gentle, rolling simmer. Turn the risen dough onto a clean surface and knock back. Divide into four equal sized pieces and roll each one into a ball. With a floured finger, poke a hole right in the middle of one of the balls, and slowly start rotating your finger, allowing the hole to expand. Once you can, fit another finger on your opposite hand into the hole and use a small amount of force to expand the hole. Don't make it too big - maybe give it a diameter of about 3 inches. Repeat with each ball. Cover loosely with cling film and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Pop your oven on to 220C (no fan) and allow to pre-heat. 
4. Prepare a baking tray with greaseproof paper lightly brushed with rapeseed oil. Pop one bagel at a time in the simmering water, allowing them to boil for 30 seconds on each side (if you prefer a more chewy skin, leave them in for double the time). Lift the bagels out of the water with a sieved spoon, allowing the excess water to drain from them and then carefully placing them on the baking tray equidistantly, leaving room for expansion. 
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes in the middle of the oven until golden brown and allow to cool on a wire rack. Or, if you're hungry, slice one open immediately and spread a good amount of butter on it - unbeatable. If you're more patient, these bagels will keep for three or four days in an air-tight container, and are especially good toasted. 

The bagels should have a relatively tight crumb, but still be quite fluffy. They should also have that amazingly distinct chewiness to them - making them great for sandwiches. If you fancy more exciting bagels, just adjust the recipe with the added ingredients. If you want cinnamon and raisin, for example, simply add those ingredients and a drop more water to make sure the dough isn't too dry. Follow the same protocol for most of those classic bagel combinations. Try this recipe - these bagels are genuinely amazing and are better than any you'd get in the supermarket, at least. 

Pea & Bacon Soup

It's awfully cold out there isn't it? perfect weather for soup then - and this one is fantastically warming and cheap to make during these tight months. We all know peas and bacon go perfectly together, so combining them in a soup with chilli and coriander works a treat. Here's a more than simple recipe to make a big batch of this delicious soup.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (roughly) frozen peas
• 3 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced roughly
• 1 x medium onion, chopped roughly
• 2 x garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 x chilli, chopped
• handful of coriander
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 1 x teaspoon of olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pop a non-stick pot on a medium to high heat, add the olive oil and allow to heat up. Once hot, add the bacon and allow to brown - picking up flavour and caramelisation on the way. 
2. Once the bacon is cooked and getting crispy, add the onions, garlic and chilli and allow them to soften - about 10 minutes of cooking. Add the freshly ground black pepper (as much as you enjoy) but do not add any salt - there's plenty in the bacon and the soon to be added vegetable stock. 
3. Add the frozen peas and coriander, stir thoroughly and allow to warm up for about a minute. Add the stock and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, letting all the flavours to get to know each other. Once ready, get a hand blender and blend until smooth (or whatever texture you fancy). 
4. Serve immediately with homemade bread or store in an air tight container. It'll keep for 3-4 days for you to dip into whenever you want. 

Once you take a sip of this soup after being out in the cold you'll warm up immediately. The smoky flavour coming from the bacon, with a slight spice from the fresh chilli creates quite a complex flavour for a soup with perfect cockle-warming remedies. It's delicious, healthy (quite) and cheap to make. Also, it goes perfectly with some homemade bread - and it just so happens I have recipes for a sesame & chia seed loaf and wholemeal carrot rolls  on my blog (so have a read of them too). If you want to step this recipe up a notch, use pancetta instead of bacon - or possibly use some homemade chicken stock for a more meaty flavour. Give it a go, and let me know what you think.  

Review: The Riparian Rooms

After much anticipation from myself and my girlfriend - The Riparian Rooms, a restaurant and bar situated on the corner of Broughton Street and East London Street, finally opened its doors on Friday 30th January. We live relatively near by, and our walk up into town often meant we passed the 'under-renovation' location - often excitedly peering in to see whether we could see what was to open. It was eventually revealed that The Riparian Rooms was to be a unique venue serving honest Scottish food - they certainly were not giving much away, therefore it was completely necessary to try it out as soon as we could. I booked the restaurant for dinner on opening night, and the excitement grew.

A cosy atmosphere in the new restaurant.

We were welcomed warmly by the head waiter and shown to our table. Once we saw the menu it became clear what type of cuisine we were about to enjoy - they use predominantly Scottish ingredients, serving traditional dishes and recipes - such as Cullen Skink and venison loin - with an added finesse. But first, the wine. The list was extensive and clearly carefully chosen - each listed wine had a detailed description next to it, making it a simple job to choose a wine with flavours you enjoy. We went for the Bodegas LAN Rioja Crianza (£29.50) - a beautifully smooth and oaky red which was thoroughly enjoyed throughout the meal. If the other wines on the list were to match the obvious quality of this one, we're in for a treat. It was a great start to the evening, and we were ready for the food.

As difficult as it was to pick one of the delicious sounding starters, we eventually managed it - going for the venison loin salad with Isle of Mull cheddar (£7.25) and the crispy pumpkin bites with Dunsyre Blue cheese, sage butter and caramelised almonds (£6.50). First of all - the starters were beautifully presented, it was clear that it was not only food on the plate, but a piece of art that had been carefully constructed by someone with a real talent. The venison loin was delicate yet flavourful - boosted by the strong, salty flavours introduced by the Isle of Mull cheddar. The crisp salad leaves added a much needed freshness to the dish, finished off by the sweet flavour of the hazelnuts. The crispy pumpkin bites were perfectly cooked and bursting full of flavour, balanced excellently by the comparably salty blue cheese. The sage butter added a much needed bitterness to the overall flavour to the dish, creating quite an exciting mix of flavours. They also did not skimp on the blue cheese - there was plenty to match the amount of pumpkin, demonstrating that this restaurant is more focused on creating delicious dishes, rather than economical ones. Overall, they were brilliantly balanced and light - instead of filling you up, these starters tickled your tastebuds, preparing you for the rest of the meal rather than making your main course an unconquerable mountain of food. As planned, we were more than ready for the next course.

Venison loin salad

Crispy pumpkin bites with Dunsyre Blue

For the main course, we ordered the slow braised oxtail with roast garlic potato and kale (£12.95) and The Riparian Room burger (£11.50). Now, if you're a fan of braised meat, you would go mad for this oxtail. The meat was cooked to absolute perfection - it simply needed the slightest coaxing for it to fall off the bone and it melted in the mouth. The natural, deep taste of the oxtail was on show here, and the chef clearly knew that the bare minimum had to be done to this ingredient due to its already incredible flavours. It was paired with a couple of simple sides that were done brilliantly. The mashed potato was perfectly smooth and seasoned well, while the vibrantly green kale was buttery with a bit of bite to it. It was also covered in a deeply intense gravy which was absolutely delicious. A must try if you decide to go.

The burger was equally as well done. Beautifully presented and accompanied with salad, chips and coleslaw, the flavour and texture of the patty was something to savour. It was clearly good quality beef, as it had an almost creamy texture to it and was still slightly pink. The soft brioche bun was slathered with mustard, the chips were well seasoned and the homemade coleslaw was incredible. A simple dish - but done extremely well, which shows real talent in the kitchen.

Braised oxtail with potato and kale

The Riparian Room burger

After such a spectacular culinary expedition, we were obliged to get dessert (any excuse). We thought we'd wait a wee bit before ordering, and the waitress was happy to let us do this, making sure to not rush us. After a bit of mulling, we went for the peanut butter parfait with roasted rum banana (£4.95) and salted caramel and dark chocolate bar (£4.95). The parfait had a great peanut butter flavour to it, and the rum banana was brilliantly boozy - however it was straight out the freezer, and was relatively difficult to cut into (but this was probably just me being impatient). The chocolate bar was basically an upgraded millionaire shortbread (a billionaire shortbread?!?!) - we all know of the wonder of salted caramel, opening up the sweetness of the rest of the dessert. It was quite rich, so the accompaniment of vanilla ice cream offered welcome respite. The desserts were so beautifully presented and looked so tasty, in fact, that I completely forgot to take pictures - however that may have been the red wine.

After we had finished our food, we decided to 'burrow below' and see what the underground bar looked like. The restaurant upstairs is elegant and sharp, but the bar is more cavernous, with bare sandstone walls on show and low ceilings. A fantastic place to set up camp on a cold winter's night. After studying the cocktail list for a while, we decided to go for a 'Curious Collins' (gin, elderflower, lemon and cucumber - £6.95) and a 'Icelandic Fiasco' (gin, grapefruit, lemon, cucumber, basil, celery - £6.95). Two excellent cocktails packed full of flavour and certainly on a par to those you can find in the established cocktail bars in Edinburgh.

Delicious cocktails

So, overall, The Riparian Rooms is an absolutely fantastic culinary experience. The food was top notch, and the service was second to none (which is hugely impressive on an opening night). I would recommend this restaurant for dinner on a special occasion - while not being overly expensive, it was not cheap (but completely worth it). Most importantly, this is a restaurant that takes local produce and cooks it perfectly, making the natural flavours the star of the show. Nothing is convoluted or hidden, the dishes are simplistic yet clever. As beautifully presented as they were, there is no doubt that flavour was the most important aspect of our dishes - and that makes this diner very happy. So if you're an Edinburgh local that wants to try something new, or if you're visiting and you fancy a try of some impressive Scottish cuisine, try The Riparian Rooms - you will not be disappointed.


Restaurant information:

The Riparian Rooms
7-11 East London Street
Tel. No: 0131 556 6102
e-mail: reservations@theriparianrooms.co.uk