4. Edinburgh - la Favorita

Tonight we went for a night out with the girls; Sarah, Mirjam and Jessica. I chose La Favorita in Edinburgh because I had been there before and I absolutely loved it. Also it is about the same price as Pizza Express which isn't nearly as nice. I already had dinner yesterday, so I wanted to be a bit more careful today. It didn't work out.... I did, however share the starter with Sarah.

I was a bit too late taking the photo as you can see, because I had already slaughtered this dish. We ordered 

Arancini di Riso alla Siciliana: Golden orbs with rice filled with mincemeat, tomatoes and mozarella. When pulled apart, the cheese forms into deliciously molten strands.

It was lovely. A nice and cheesy flavour. Since I had Calzone yesterday, I figured it would be too soon for another pizza, and I kind of remember that I'm not too fond of La Favorita's pizzas because they aren't cheesy enough. Too tomatoey.

So I ordered the next best think. Pasta! It was amazing!!

Ravioli alla Norcina: Another classic. Often spoilt and copied but perfected at La Favorita. Fresh egg parcel pasta stuffed porcini mushrooms, smooth ricotta and parmiggiano cheese, finished with fresh rocket and seasoned Italian sausage, sprinkled with fresh pachino tomatoes.

Oh how I wanted this dish to be replenished every time I took a bite. The sauce was amazing and so was the pasta. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the cream on the side. I would have like sour cream in its stead but they used sweet cream. But it's easy enough to just not eat that. Best pasta ever!!!

I tried to hold myself back by not ordering a dessert and I'm proud to say that I didn't actually finish it. But the 

Banoffee Pie on the menu looked too good to skip. So yes I had the dessert. Not the ice cream though. As if caramel and bananas are not filling enough after a full meal, they also include ice cream. Silly Italians.... 

It was an amazing dinner and I'd like to go back to La Favorita soon to try more on their menu. What an amazing restaurant!!

3. Edinburgh - Bella Italia (Hanover Street)

It seems like only a couple of days ago that I have last visited a restaurant, but last night it was time for another one. A very generic one by the name of Bella Italia in Hanover Street, Edinburgh. Tonight I went with Sarah, Carola and Juul. A little Dutch/Belgian posse. The restaurant looks nice inside, but all generic and fake Italian restaurants do. I noticed, however, that there were quite a few Italians working there, which is definitely a plus.

First I had

 
Funghi Arrosto
Large field mushrooms oven baked with a creamy mascarpone, garlic and spinach sauce with toasted ciabatta

Which I received after everyone finished their starters, because the waiter forgot to give it to me, luckily I had two people with me who have experience with hospitality and they noticed the moment he set down their plates that he forgot about mine. So from the start the service wasn't great (granted, it was a Friday night. But still, he needed to pick up his game if he wanted a tip from the Dutchies). The Funghi was really nice. You'll notice that I always pick something mushroomy/cheesy as a starter because I absolutely love mushrooms in any shape or form. This dish did not disappoint!

As opposed to the main meal which I didn't like at all...

Carne Calzone
Smoked pancetta, spiced meatballs, red onion and our own Bolognese ragu with melted mozzarella

The waiter did bring it to us on time, but this Calzone did not strike my fancy at all. The meatballs were very bland and definitely weren't freshly made. The Bolognese ragu didn't taste of more than plain tomato sauce and the pancetta was hardly noticeable. The bottle of Rose Sarah and I had with it, was quite nice and sweet though.

Trevini - Rosato Puglia, Puglia

I don't know if I'll pay Bella Italia a visit again soon, because the main dish wasn't quite what I had wanted it to be, but to be honest most pizzas in Edinburgh don't strike my fancy. It could be because of the lack of cheese, but I just don't like them that much (apart from Domino's pizza, which makes me sound absolutely horrible) Tonight I'll be going to La Favorita with some girls, so a story about that will follow soon. 

2. Edinburgh - Sweet Melindas

This week Alex and I opted for a more expensive restaurant. One that has been situated right outside his door for about five years, but which he has never visited. I haven't visited most restaurants in Edinburgh, so I'm happy with anything. For this week we chose fish restaurant Sweet Melindas in Marchmont.
Our dining experience was a bit more extensive than that of last week because we had a glass of wine with every course and we had three courses. This isn't a cheap restaurant, but it was well worth it. It is said that Sweet Melindas gets their fish fresh from the fish monger's next door, which means that their menu is really versatile and it can change every week.

First we had some freshly baked bread with a lovely chickpea concoction. I think it still annoys Alex that he doesn't know what's in it, because he really liked it. As a starter I ordered the "Steamed Shetland Mussels with Shallots, White Wine & Parsley", which as you can see was a humongous plate, but it was so very nice. I have never tasted mussels that were so nice and full of flavour. With the starter I had a white wine "Macabeo Chardonnay, Centelleo, La Mancha Spain. 2009".

After the starter I ordered yet another plate of seafood. Something I hadn't properly tried before; "Mackerel and Chorizo with dried and vine tomatoes". It was amazing! Alex was right when he said that you can get anything in a good restaurant and even though you are never sure you like some ingredients in the meal, you will find it amazing. And I really thought the mackerel tasted great. It wasn't too much either. The red wine I had with that went great with it as well "La Doutelle Merlot, Pays D’Oc, France 2009". And all this food even left an empty place in my stomach for some pudding. 

The really fancy sounding "Valrhona Chocolate Torte". It was like eating pure untouched chocolate. It was great, but I wouldn't say it was fantastic. It was too chocolatey and I would have like it a bit airier. However, the Argentinian desert wine I had with it, gave it an extra oompf.

Sweet Melindas is a nice restaurant, apart from the big blinds in front of the windows so that no one can look in and you can't look out which gives it a bit of a closed off feel. It's a bit expensive, but when you dine there between 6 and 7pm, which we did, you'll get a two course meal deal for 16GBP. Fancy dining, which we won't do every week because my wage cannot support that :)

1. Edinburgh - A Room in the West End

Tonight Alex and I went to A Room in the West End in Edinburgh. We didn't need to book, even though Edinburgh is supposed to be really busy during the festival, mainly because it's a bit out of the way. And when I say out of the way I mean that it's not exactly in the middle of city centre.

The restaurant is located underneath a pub. And supposedly the menu changes practically. Alex and I arrived a bit later than most guests today which meant that the starter that we both wanted was only available for one person. Needless, to say that I managed to get my hands on the lovely:

Ham hock & Drumloch cheddar croquette

with pickled red onion sour cream £5.45

Luckily we had bring-your-own wine from Nederburg South Africa, a nice Carbernet Sauvignon. I must say that it was perfect with the starter and the main. The main I chose tonight was exactly what I was craving. All dayI had this urge to eat Haggis. I get like that sometimes. And luckily, I got it tonight in the form of a sort of lasagne with dauphinoise potatoes.

Roast Scottish chicken breast on haggis dauphinoise with a roast garlic jus

& cherry vine tomatoes £13.95

I promise that it tasted as good as it looks. Also note the little bone sticking out of the chicken breast which is not something I see every day.

Afterwards I couldn't stop myself and I forced Alex to share some Banoffee Pie with me, but I don't regret it one bit. Even though I'm sitting here writing this story with my jeans unbuttoned. 

It's a lovely restaurant that's a bit hidden, but nevertheless worth visiting. Service was really good and the atmosphere was great. And also, who doesn't love BYO wine? :)

Just a little Blog

I know I already have two blogs under this account. One I don't use because I'm not travelling and I don't want to write about random thoughts. The other one I use on a weekly basis because that's my book challenge.
The blog that I've started now is just a little thing for myself again, to make me remember all the restaurants I've been to and what I've had for dinner there. This isn't going to be very entertaining. It's mostly just going to be a bland (I'm Dutch after all) summary of where I've been to fill my belly.