REVIEW : The Barony, Edinburgh
Broughton Street is most definitely becoming more and more of a foodie destination in Edinburgh. It’s easily home to over 20 eateries and bars all of which are upping their game on the food front and The Barony is no exception.
The Barony Gastropub Restaurant and bar Edinburgh
The Barony is one of Edinburgh's last truly independent bars. The venue first opened as a drinks merchant in 1896, before becoming a pub - and it has been a staple of the Edinburgh drinks scene ever since.
It most certainly retains it’s rustic Victorian charm with a beautiful wooden bar and gorgeous beer fonts.
The Barony is a gastropub serving up a great selection of drinks including a decent wine list, local ales and craft gins. They are partial to a cocktail too, but you need to know what you want as no menu is available.
As for the food, it’s classic pub grub with a modern twist. The menu is simple and straight forward, no hours of pondering over what you want to eat. A small concise menu also means that they are not overstocking in the kitchen and are enable to ensure a high turnaround which in turn means that the food will be fresh.
This is what The Barony pride themselves on - using locally sourced, top quality ingredients.
Starters : Coley Goujons with a Mexican dip
The goujons were large fat fingers of soft flaky fish coated in a very crunchy crumb. I’d say they were a little overcooked (only by 30 seconds or so) as the crumb was very crunchy. The dip was super hot and not very well balanced - it just seemed to burn and required a little sweetness to even it out.
A good dish though and a large portioned dish!
Starters - black haggis / veg haggis bon bons with a Laphroig 10yo red onion chutney.
We choose the black haggis and they were rather delicious. Again a super crunchy crumb with piping hot soft peppery haggis in the centre. The red onion chutney was immense.
Main - beer battered haddock fish & chips, garden peas and tartare sauce.
Note that this is the small portion so only choose the large if you are super hungry. Thanks to our lovely waiter for the tip!
This is the classic pub grub and its done to perfection. The fish was scrumptious, the batter crispy and the fish cooked beautifully. Chips great and the tartare sauce just complimented everything; a nice tangy to the salty.
Mains - steak & ale pie with roasted seasonal veg and mash.
Presentation wise you cannot fault it. It looks tempting and hearty. The mash was creamy and veg retained a wee bite, which I love.
However, for me the pie just didn’t cut it. I was hoping for a proper pie with a top and bottom crust and not a pot pie. Putting that aside, the pastry was lovely. It was flaky and hot and raised my expectation of what lay beneath. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the filling. It was packed with chunks of tender beef but the gravy was grey (from cooking it in ale) and it lacked seasoning.
Sorry, but give me the fish n chips rather!
Other items on the menu include Truffle Mac n Cheese with homemade garlic bread, which sounds lovely and Barony Burgers including veggie ones.
We had no room for dessert but we were extremely tempted by another classic favourite, the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
I like The Barony for its ambience, it’s charm, friendliness and warm welcome. It feels like an old friend that you known for years when you walk in and that’s a very special ‘vibe’ to hold onto.
The food is good and will fill any hungry belly with large hearty portions that will soak up any nips, drams or pints you consume on your visit.
The Barony, 81 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3RJ. Tel : 0131 5569251 www.thebarony.co.uk
My Spoon Award : Bronze Spoon 7/10
I was invited by The Barony to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.