A feast of festivals

It’s the time of year when food and drink festivals start to crowd the calendar, and we say ‘yay’ to that. Starting with a couple of big hitters that aren’t strictly speaking food fests, but have lots of deliciousness to sample, as well as chances to meet the folk who actually produce our food and drink. The Royal Highland Show rolls into Ingliston this month (Thursday 20—Sunday 23 June), swiftly followed by GWCT Scottish Game Fair (Friday 5—Sunday 7 July) which has a whole food village packed with demos and dishes plus a special pop-up restaurant from Nick Nairn. Dundee Food Festival (Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 July) will take over the City Square and Waterfront with food trucks, family events and some cracking grub, including a Gillian Veal pop-up at the V&A’s Tatha Restaurant. 

Room for expansion 

There are plenty of new openings to get your teeth into this month, lots of them following the trend of existing venues opening their second or even third spots. In Edinburgh, Roberta Hall-McCarron launched Ardfern, a café/bar/bottle shop right next door to The Little Chartroom (and therefore ideal for pre and post drinks, though our reviewer says it’s fabulous for breakfast too). In Glasgow, Frank’s has opened a second pizza joint in Battlefield (plans are also afoot for a third branch in Dennistoun). And Crumbs has joined the fun on Glasgow’s Great Western Road. It’s an ice-cream parlour and bakery with lots of dog-friendly wee treats and links to La Masa, Eighty Eight and Hooligan. ‘Mon the mini-empires. 

Other stuff to fill you up 

Sunshine brings out all the good ideas, dunnit? Glasgow’s Byres Road branch of Ting Thai Caravan will be getting behind the West End’s Make Music Day with a Summer Noods Session (Friday 21 June). DJ Au Evil (aka Mui Zyu) will be on the decks, there’s a free drink with every main, and cocktail deals. In Edinburgh, Dan Ashmore’s recent fine dining opening ASKR is beating the cossy livs blues with a lobster special: lunch comes in at £35, excellent value for what you get. Also in Edinburgh, our pals at Singapore Coffee House are holding a special satay night where you can settle in with a cold one and a smoky skewer (Friday 14 June). Walk-ins only but you can pre-order takeaway. 

Still hungry? 

We had some good eating this month: Ailsa Sheldon checks out Margot, a new café/wine bar in Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield from the team behind LeftField, while Jay Thundercliffe got his bling on at new Glasgow Chinese restaurant Zhima. If you’re gearing up for the Euros (other sporting events are available), we’ve got the best spots for watching sport in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. And David Kirkwood checks out Five At Phillies, a new style of collab that’s thriving in Glasgow’s Shawlands.

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