Ask EADith: Where can I find food and laughs in Edinburgh?
Got a food dilemma? Need a killer rec to seal the deal? Or just want the inside track on Glasgow and Edinburgh’s eating and drinking scene? Then why not ask EADith, our Eat & Drink team’s helpful agony aunt. This month, EADith advises a gourmand who’s looking for a giggle
Dear EADith
I’m about to enter third-date territory and I think this one’s a keeper. I’m a firm believer in laughing potential partners into the sack, but also, we’ve got to eat. And also, I’m skint. Can you help me find a funny, filling, fiscally fair solution?
DontWantMuchDoI
Dear (aptly named) DontWantMuchDoI,
Mr EADith and I appreciate the weight attached to this all-important third date, having believed that particular ritual had dwindled with the rise of what the young call ‘the apps’. Cheered by your adherence to tradition, I (naturally) have the perfect spot. The Gilded Saloon is a comedy club/pub/restaurant and so the ideal one-stop shop for such a fateful evening.
Book tickets and a table, settling into a comfy booth in the traditional upstairs bar to peruse a menu based around pub classics that have been ever so slightly tweaked, in all the right ways. Should nerves overcome you, snacks like pork skewers doused in black garlic and shaved cured egg yolk deliver a flavour punch in a delicate portion size. Or, if you want to emphasise your keeper credentials, opt for Isle Of Mull Welsh rarebit, a hearty slice of well-flavoured, nicely browned cheese on toast that pairs perfectly with a pint and screams long-term partner potential. Mains are equally homely: for true pipe and slippers élan, try one of their delicious pies (beef shin or wild mushroom). Massive, hearty, swimming in sauce, they’re reassuringly solid.
This is very much a pub, rather than a restaurant or (horrors) a ‘gastropub’. One orders at the bar, which may mean navigating a little frustration at busy times as the staff manage the twin demands of food and beverage service. Do not lose heart: this is the perfect opportunity to display your ability to be kind to waiting staff, which is the foundation all relationships should be built upon. Close with a flourish and pick up the incredibly reasonable bill; truly, there are few better bargains to be had. And, if you still manage to muck it up, there’s comedy to come, after which you can laugh yourself to sleep in your lonely bed.
The Gilded Saloon, 47 Lothian Street, Edinburgh; average price £15 for a main course; picture: Danielle Bakkes.
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