It was good to get out of the rain. Luckily I was heading to Rabble Taphouse and Grill where the decor will take you from dreich and wet, to bright and carefree.

I’d reached Friday evening, clinging onto sanity from the past week at work and was so looking forward to venting my woes but alas my dining partner could no longer make it. I contemplated cancelling but thought, what the hell, sometimes alone time (and cocktails) are just what the mind and soul require.

REVIEW - BAR SNACK & COCKTAILS AT RABBLE TAPHOUSE AND GRILL, EDINBURGH

I don’t mind dining on my own, it’s actually quite nice. You can stare out the window, listen to other diners conversations (hehe), or sit on Whatssap and catch up with family. I did all three and had a glorious couple of hours.

This ‘All by myself’ cocktail is the French Martini; small but perfectly formed. Belvedere Vodka, Chambord, Pineapple and Raspberry Sorbet. Easy sipping for window watching. Loved it!

Next I turned to the ‘Only the Lonely’ cocktail - the Pornstar Frose. Ketel One Botanicals Peach and Orange Blossom, La Vida Tropica, Passionfruit Sorbet and Rose Wine with a wee shot of prosecco. Visually stunning and superb flavour profiles. Ice cold boozy slush puppy great for continuous sipping until you’re ready for your shot.

Bar Bites are the way to go when your working your way through a lovely cocktail list.

Scottish Lobster and Crab French Toast with pickled cucumber.

A word of warning : do not only order one of these, order five! This bar snack needs to go on the main menu as it is utterly scrumptious and quite addictive. Whoever makes the french toast is a genius! A pillow of fluffy flavourful light as a feather eggy bread that's is still structurally sound enough to hold large juicy flakes of Scottish lobster and sweet crab.

12 Hour Cooked Pork Fritters with pub piccalilli, apple sauce and crackling or little salty balls as I would call them. Dense balls of soft pulled gammon where the saltiness works so well with the sweet sour notes of the piccalilli.

Triple Cooked Chips. These were most certainly triple cooked and perhaps slightly overdone but there was plenty of crunchy gnarly bits that I love, so I happily munched my way through them.

The ‘One for the Road’ cocktail was gin based - Wildcat Bramble with London Essence Elderflower and Bitter Orange served with a Blackberry. A highball that tasted quite herbaceous.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream.

I hummed and hawed about ordering a dessert, but much like scallops as a starter, I can’t see past a STP!

So I relented. I wasn’t disappointed. It was good. Soft sponge, exploding with dates and toffee, cold ice cream thats just starting to melt and toffee sauce. I adore the contrast between the warmth of the sponge and sauce against the coldness of the ice cream. My only gripe - not enough toffee sauce to see it through till the very last mouthful.

Rabble will always remain a favourite of mine. It’s central, the staff are marvellous and really look after you, their cocktails are on point and the food game is high.

Rabble Taphouse and Grill, 55A Frederick Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1LH. Tel : 0131 6227800 www.rabbleedinburgh.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Gold Spoon 9/10