FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
OUTSTANDING IN THE FIELD Jo Laidlaw discovers a rural idyll that’s breathing new life into a family farm. And best of all, it’s just at the end of the 44 bus
T he Free Company is a collective of farm-based entrepreneurial endeavours: there’s a design company, The Pig Club (an excellent free-range pork subscription service) and a supper club which typically runs in April, August and December. This unfolds as a set menu, communal affair for around 50 guests in the old hay barn, a magical space with just enough renovation to make it safe, without sacrificing any rustic charm. The set menu charms too: there are no cheffy flourishes, just exceptional produce (most from the farm) which is simply allowed to shine. Expect bread baked in the custom-designed, huge, oven; simple starters like smoked salmon blinis; and mains that will almost certainly feature their own excellent pork. The bar is similarly scaled-back with a couple of wines, beers and cocktails. After-dinner drinks are the perfect excuse to hunker down beside the firepit, creating a relaxing, completely engaging experience where you really do feel you’ve spent the evening in a friend’s house, albeit one with a bulging address book and a piggery to call their own.
THE FREE COMPANY
Cockdurno Farm House, Balerno, Edinburgh, EH14 7HZ the-free-company.com
£10 reservation fee then pay what you think it’s worth (dinner)
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.
Glasgow GATHER BY ZIQUE SCOTTISH / EUROPEAN
70–72 Hyndland Street, West End, 0141 339 2000, fb.com/GatherbyZique, £17 (set lunch) / £24 (dinner)
The latest from owner Mhairi Taylor feels like Zique has grown up, entering midlife with some style and sophistication. Mature Cafezique (now a decade old) remains nearby, while Delizique of old has
undergone an upmarket transformation. Muted tones, shades of grey and splashes of metal combine for a minimalist, classy vibe which is a long way from the previous look, yet that laid-back Zique attitude endures. Superlative cocktails set the tone, dished out in a lounge-bar area taking up the big-windowed front, then head to dining areas to the rear and on a mezzanine for enticing modern European dishes, with flourishes of top-class Scottish produce.
CHURCH ON THE HILL BARS & PUBS 16 Algie Street, Southside, 0141 343 7569, churchonthehill.co.uk, £8 (lunch)/£15 (dinner) Former Langside Hill Church, with its temple front facade, is one of the Southside’s most impressive buildings. As Church on the Hill, prayers and hymns have been swapped for burgers and cocktails, with a recent makeover by new owners Signature Pubs. The outdoor space, looking onto the Battlefield Monument
and Queens Park, will have locals flocking here when the sun’s out, with added temptation from reasonably priced cocktails and familiar pub grub – the beetroot burger being a surprise highlight. A kids play area is planned, and dog-lovers could see their loyal friend represented on the ‘dog wall of fame’.
ROMANS PIZZERIA ITALIAN 26 Candleriggs, Merchant City, 0141 548 8859, romanspizzeria.co.uk, £13 (lunch/dinner) Thank the ancient Romans for concrete. It’s everywhere here: the drinks bar, the block walls, the ceiling, even the menu of ten (sorry, X) pizzas has a concrete look, blending into tables made from, yep, concrete. It avoids a correctional facility vibe thanks to all-encompassing murals of Rome in its pomp – the Colosseum looms impressively; Roman-style inscriptions are writ large. Could have been naff but somehow manages to work. Their enjoyable pizzas work too; crisp-bottomed from the huge gas oven, generously topped with the familiar (pepperoni, bbq chicken) and the quirky (smashed beefburger and mac and cheese).
Edinburgh
RANSACKED BLACK OVEN PERSIAN 27 Marshall Street, 0131 667 7001, ransackedblackoven.co.uk, £10 (lunch) / £12 (dinner)
An excellent addition to the Edinburgh Uni quarter, great- value Ransacked Black Oven is inspired by Persian street food. Bread is baked in the titular wood-fired oven, creating whisper-light, delicious sourdough pita to dip in grassy fresh olive oil then dredge in aromatic
dukkah. Assemble a kebab from a choice of salads, spreads, and fillings: halloumi dipped in cumin- seasoned flour and fried crisp is the stuff of Arabian dreams. Flatbread pizzas are thin, crispy and liberally smothered in toppings like smoky chorizo, sweet onion marmalade and sharp olives, while those with a sweet tooth will thrill to the pudding kebabs.
SEEDS FOR THE SOUL CAFÉS 167 Bruntsfield Place, seedsforthesoul.co.uk, £8 (lunch) Virtually everything on the menu is made from scratch here in Bruntsfield’s newest 100% vegan café. A thunder smoothie achieves the right balance of hidden nutrients and refreshing flavour with a dash of smoked paprika on top of the spinach, kale, pineapple and ginger juice; soul bowl salads combine filling soba noodles with seitan, tofu or falafel; and pots of organic sweet potato chips come with gluten-free garlic mayo dip. The fridge is stocked with a range of kombucha teas and the hot drinks list includes plenty of original caffeine and sugar-free alternatives, with tempting non- dairy cheesecake and excellent sponge specials too.
SIX BY NICO BISTROS & BRASSERIES 97 Hanover Street, sixbynico.co.uk, 0131 225 5050, £28 (lunch) / £28 (dinner) To take Britain’s best-loved takeaway, playfully deconstruct each element and form an entire six-course menu requires great gumption. Glasgow restaurateur Nico Simeone’s inaugural theme, The Chippie, reimagines the after-pub, stodgy marriage of chips and cheese as Parmesan espuma with droplets of curry oil; scampi gets a posh do-over with Scrabster monkfish cheeks; there’s even a triumphant deep-fried Mars Bar. The menu changes every six weeks and upcoming concepts also promise to be adventurous: Cooking Wonka features golden tickets and a chocolate river over chorizo popcorn, chicken and candied olives.
Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at list.co.uk/food-and-drink
60 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2018