FOOD : Black Grape, small plates and wine
Their motto is ‘small plates, wine and good times’ which is how our night went as well as everyone else that was in dining!
The Black Grape sits back just off the Royal Mile, approx half way down to Holyrood or half way up to the Castle. It’s only been open a few weeks but has already made an impact on the Capital’s culinary scene and a very welcomed addition to small plate dining.
The Black Grape is a collaboration between Murray Ainslie, previously of the Compass Group, and his business partners Stuart Hunter and Cameron Taylor.
REVIEW OF BLACK GRAPE SMALL PLATES AND WINE BAR, EDINBURGH
On entry, you’ll find the bar and high tables, ideal for a few cocktails or a nice glass of wine, but head up the 4-5 steps into the main body and your greeted with an interior that is stripped back, with sage green the main colour set against brick walls, a racing track lighting fixture and sleek contemporary furniture that makes this 60 seater restaurant seem much larger than it is. Clever restaurant design!
We were sat at the only booth tucked away in the corner which is nice for a larger group or a romantic dinner for two.
The staff are most knowledgeable and they guided us through the menu. They recommend approx 6 plates to share and then a few more if you are still peckish afterwards. Although small plates, there is ample food to pacify any rumbling belly.
The menu is divided up into sections and we tried a little something or two from each section.
APERITIFS
Pink Passion Fruit Negroni with Caorunn Gin, Campari, Regal Rogue Rose, Sipello and Passion Fruit - £9.50
An excellent choice, I love the bitterness of Campari and this combined sweetness and bitterness superbly well.
RAW
Salmon Tartare with lemon and brown butter capers - £10.50
To be fair I tucked straight into the Tataki before I scooped up a mouthful of this. I am not a fan of raw salmon but my plus one only gave positive thumbs up and head nodding during her time devouring this - so I’m going to say that was fab!
Beef Tataki with yuzu hollandaise and crispy shallots - £14.50
I love beef like this, thinly sliced and then flash seared. The beef was succulent and melt in the mouth although the strips were inconsistent in that the edges hadn’t been trimmed and it looked a little scruffy! That said, it didn’t impact the taste. The crispy shallots added a contrast to that softness of the beef.
SMALL PLATES
Nduja Arancini with fennel and basil - £9.00
Presentation is key and when these arrived, I couldn’t wait to tuck in. Loaded with a ton of parmesan these spicy wee balls were more-ish despite the spice from the nduja.
FISH & SHELLS
Hand Dived Scallops with bacon fat butter, apple and celeriac - £16.50
Another presentation win. Celeriac spaghetti with crunchy apple through it and the silky scallop sitting atop. You can’t help but treat the celeriac as if it were pasta and twirl your fork around in the shell. Seriously good bites of food.
SNACKS
Blue Cheese Croquettes with black grape jelly - £7.00
I was told to order these by a number of people that had already visited the Black Grape and I have to say that I was disappointed. They look so lovely, sitting there waiting to be popped into your mouth, but unfortunately the blue cheese was lacking. On prying these golden crumbed bites open, the blue cheese had all clung to the sides barely and left the middle void. I picked up the flavour and had there been a decent amount of filling, I could understand why people were raving about these. Next time!
MEAT AND GAME
BBQ Rump Heart with peppercorn sauce and black pepper oil - £10.00
So not what I expected and I was blown away by this dish. A pile of crunchy thin julienne fries nested on top of perfectly pink strips of rump steak. Absolute heaven!
By this point we’d devoured the six recommended plates and we were nearing, if not at, full capacity but there is always room for dessert. My plus one ordered the Meringue Pie and I went for something a little less heavy, the Black Grape Sorbet. There was Sticky Chocolate Pudding on the menu but I just couldn’t betray my traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding.
PUDDINGS
Yuzu Meringue Pie with raspberry and white chocolate - £8.50
Tart and sweet in all the right places. Not a crumb was left on the plate!
ICE CREAM AND SORBET
Black Grape Sorbet - £5.00
Unmistakably black grape flavour. Loved it!
The wine list is perfectly formed - there’s not 50 pages of wine to scroll through, just a few pages of well thought out wines from great wine regions across the world, sold per glass, bottle or both.
The cocktails sound creative and will taste immense if my negroni was anything to go by. Some nice usage of Scottish whiskies and I really wish I had had room for a pudding cocktail because the Coffee & Cream with brandy, sherry, tia maria, espresso, cream and tonka bean would have finished the evening off in style.
Things to note about the Black Grape
Their menu is small and although some of the dishes are vegetarian they do not have a separate menu for vegans, vegetarians or gluten freebies
They are not dog friendly
The bottom half of the restaurant is disabled friendly with a slight ramp from off the street.
The Black Grape, 240 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8AB www.theblackgrape.co.uk
My Spoon Award : Gold 9/10
I was invited by Black Grape to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own