united kingdom – Gourmanda

Chanoy Honeymoon: Edinburgh and Scottish Highlands, March 2016

Note – photo gallery at bottom of this post.

I’ve hinted at it in an earlier entry, but it would be fair to say that the time we spent in Scotland was not dissimilar to a pilgrimage for a Harry Potter fan. Not only did we visit a number of sites in Edinburgh that are absolutely sacred to any die-hard HP fan (thanks to the guidance of the Potter Trail), but we also went a little further afield into the Scottish Highlands – ostensibly to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but I also wanted to see some of the locations used in the Harry Potter films like the Glenfinnan viaduct, famous for carrying the Hogwarts Express.

Our overnight stay in the Highlands proved to be the absolute highlight of the time we spent in Scotland. While Edinburgh is undoubtedly a beautiful city with a lot to offer, the Scottish Highlands are something else altogether. At times wild and other times quite cultivated, it holds great appeal even for resolutely non-outdoorsy people like myself and K – so much so that we’re particularly keen to return for a longer driving holiday in the future.

The whole trip to the Highlands just went much better than we’d hoped for. First, ee rented a car far superior to any that we’ve ever driven before – a Mercedes A-Class, which actually wasn’t that much more expensive than the most basic model. Secondly, we got to stay in a gorgeous tiny riverside eco-cabin – as tiny as a ship cabin, and very cosy and romantic with the jacuzzi on the deck! Thirdly, the Highlands put on a wonderful sky show for us – blue skies for both days that we were in the area, which was particularly rare for a Scottish winter!

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, we had some excellent meals while we were there, far beyond the quality we expected in the small rural towns of the Highlands. Glencoe Cafe served us a simple but tasty soup and sandwich lunch, Laroch Bar and Bistro was Michelin-quality grub at pub prices…and the Jacobite Lounge was at least ambitious in their offerings though the execution left a little to be desired.

The scenery of the Highlands is obviously out of this world. Green hills, endless lochs, still waters, snow-capped mountains…the pictures in the photo gallery below speak for themselves. It was particularly pleasant for us to experience all this nature during that point in our trip, as we’d spent the past few weeks in quite large urban cities – it was nice to see some green again! The Scottish Highlands are a must-visit for anyone lucky enough to visit the UK – they absolutely cannot be missed.

As for Edinburgh itself, there’s a lot to recommend it as a holiday destination. A lot of people rush off to Edinburgh Castle as the main tourist site…and don’t get me wrong, if you hadn’t already visited a million castles around Europe, it’s pretty cool and very educational.

What I liked most however, were the smaller delights. Browsing through the many vintage and retro clothing stores in the city for example, could quite easily have occupied me for a whole day and emptied out my wallet and filled up my luggage…if I wasn’t already broke and at full luggage capacity. Sitting on a window seat at Mary’s Milk Bar and having a hot chocolate was another small delight that I indulged in more than once on our visit to Edinburgh.

One activity that I would highly recommend is visiting the Scottish Parliament. I know it sounds boring but it’s actually quite fascinating to learn about as the current incarnation of the parliament is actually one of the youngest in the world, and the building it’s housed in is particularly well designed with lots of symbolic design elements throughout. Do make sure to check their website beforehand and book yourself onto a free visitor’s tour – this allows you to actually step out onto the floor of the parliament where Scottish MPs debate. Times and dates do vary, so check online before you visit.

When it comes to food in Edinburgh, I’ve already mentioned our regular visits to Mary’s. I also enjoyed our visit to the Elephant House Cafe, to the White Hart Inn, and particularly to OX184. We also tried a deep-fried Mars Bar which proved to be much tastier than the version we’d tried at Crown Street Fish Shop in Sydney.

Speaking of chocolate…what really stands out are all the sweet treats that we indulged in! The highlight was the little bag of homemade Scottish tablet that we bought ‘off-menu’ and a pack of buttery shortbread at Nevis Bakery in the Highlands. The tablet was made at home by one of the girls in the bakery and was everything a good piece of tablet should be – buttery, creamy, sweet and caramely.

Just to make sure that the Nevis Bakery tablet was the best though, we tried at least two other store brands of tablet, not to mention three different types of shortbread. It’s important to be thorough when making final decisions of the quality of sweets!

I can’t wait to visit Scotland – and particularly the Highlands – again. With its variety of sweet treats that I love, some gorgeous scenery, and unexpectedly good grub, it has a lot to offer. Besides we didn’t drive up to Loch Ness on our trip, which has to be done next time – not for the monster, but to visit the Urquhart castle near it which is K’s Scottish family clan on his mother’s side.

Review: Ox184, Edinburgh Scotland

One afternoon as we walked up Cowgate in Edinburgh in search for lunch, we saw groups of parents leading their toddler kids in the opposite direction. Curiously, all the kids were dressed up as Batman – all incarnations of the Dark Knight from 1960s camp Adam West to 2010s brooding Christian Bale. We never did find out why all the kids were dressed up as Batman – perhaps there was a superheroes-themed birthday party or a toddler fan convention?

ox184-01

I’m no true superhero myself, but I do pride myself on my one super-ability – to sniff out a good restaurant no matter where we may be in the world. Some of it is common sense, for example, how many people are already eating in the restaurant? A crowd is a pretty good indicator!

In the case of OX184 where we ended up for lunch that day, it wasn’t a crowd that drew me in. On the contrary, we were dining quite early and they had hardly any people in the restaurant in the afternoon as they tend to specialise in the evening trade with their DJs, bands, and extensive beer and whisky menus.

ox184-02

Rather it was the smell of OX184 that was particularly appealing – always follow your nose for a good meal! They specialise in wood fired grilled meats, and the smell of the grill being started for the day’s trade was more than enough to draw us into their vast industrial chic space for lunch that day.

Belvoir Orange and Mandarin Presse and Belvoir Raspberry Lemonade, 2.60 GBP each

We started with a fruity and effervescent drink each from the Belvoir Soft Drink range, though they also offered Fevertree and Roots Soda Co non-alcoholic drinks. Most other patrons seemed to be tempted by the vast range of locally brewed beers they had on tap though – we were the only ones abstaining! The fact that there was a Six Nations rugby game on the screen might have influenced drink choices for others though…

Charred Corn, 2.75 GBP and Vegetarian Haggis, 1 GBP (off menu)

I’d been wanting to try Vegetarian Haggis ever since K ordered the ‘real deal’ at The White Hart Inn. OX184 had a few different dishes on the menu featuring vegetarian haggis (including a vegetarian Scottish breakfast and a vegetarian haggis burger) but didn’t have it available as a stand-alone item on the menu. Fortunately, our waitress was kind enough to pull a few strings in the kitchen once I asked about it, and got the chefs to prep some especially for me!

Unlike the original versions, vegetarian haggis is actually a dish worth trying, and a dish worth making yourself at home. Pleasantly spiced with liberal amounts of pepper and bulked out with a range of oats and other pulses, vegetarian haggis has the spiced benefits of haggis, without the awful offal taste. A winner, and one I’ll be making at home!

The Spiced Red Cabbage wasn’t quite as agreeable – a little limp and bland on top with the cabbage at the bottom receiving all the benefits of the mild peppery spice. Ah well, it’s all about the meat and mock-meat here at OX184 anyway!

1/2 Rack Baby Back Ribs, dry rubbed and sauced with house seasoned fries, 10.25 GBP

I chose a 1/2 Rack of the Baby Back Ribs for my main, presented on a fuss-free large aluminium platter with a healthy serving of crispy fries. While the ribs were served with a drizzle of hot sauce on top, they hardly needed any extra seasoning – the dry rub had already turned the tender fall-apart ribs into a virtual flavour explosion with every bite. The added bonus of the ribs being cooked on a wood fired grill with the corresponding earthy flavours…well, there’s no beating it. I only wished I ordered the full rack!

Hickory Smoked Chicken and Grilled Corn with rocket, garlic herb butter and house seasoned fries, 10.25 GBP

K went for the Hickory Smoked Chicken with Grilled Corn, which again came with a generous serve of fries on the side but also a slightly healthier rocket salad. While the chicken was a little dry inside, the garlicky buttery marinade and smoky grill flavour was absolutely irresistible.

If you visit OX184 in Edinburgh, it should be for one thing only – their wood-fired meats. Whether it’s steaks, ribs, chicken or chops, it’s hard to go wrong with good grilled meat. Order some charred corn and veggie haggis on the side to go with your meal, and try one of their many beers on tap as well. It’s the perfect place for a hearty feed that will really satisfy all appetites!

OX184 is located at 184-186 Cowgate, Edinburgh Scotland.

Review: Mary’s Milk Bar, Edinburgh Scotland

Our free walking tour guide in Edinburgh had one real suggestion for places to eat in the city – Mary’s Milk Bar. Oh he talked about haggis at one pub or another and a handful of cafes as well, but Mary’s was the only place he truly raved about. He couldn’t stop talking about the goat’s cheese and fig ice-cream he’d had there recently, as well as their hot chocolate which is made from actual melted chocolate, rather than chocolate powder.

marysmilkbar-01

That was enough of a recommendation for me, and K and I promptly headed to Mary’s Milk Bar after the tour for a treat. That was our first trip to Mary’s anyway – we ended up going back two more times during our stay in Edinburgh because we enjoyed it so much! If that isn’t enough proof of how good their offerings are, I don’t know what is.

On our first visit, K decided to choose one of their sorbets so as not to disturb his lactose intolerance. Luckily they offer a handful of dairy-free sorbets alongside their ice-creams (the range changes every day), and they had a Marsala Pear Sorbet on offer. This was a wonderfully refreshing sorbet, with a strong, ripe pear flavour. Delicious.

Hot Chocolate Float with Hot Cross Bun ice-cream

I couldn’t go past the Hot Chocolate Float and I chose a scoop of seasonal Hot Cross Bun ice-cream to go with my hot chocolate. Both were perfect – rich and creamy dark hot chocolate that wasn’t too sweet, and a beautifully cinnamon-y spiced ice-cream that was just the absolute embodiment of Eastertime.

Goat's Milk and Honey ice-cream — Goat’s Cheese and Honey ice-cream

On our second visit, K chose a hot chocolate to go and I chose a scoop of the Goat’s Cheese and Honey ice-cream after our guide’s recommendation of the goat’s cheese and fig combination. While I didn’t try the fig version, I think that it would be hard to beat the plainer version of the goat’s cheese and honey. Both the cheese and honey accents were very subtle, which made each hint of it on the palate that much more noticeable and enjoyable. Sometimes, simple is best.

marysmilkbar-05

On our third visit, we took the opportunity to sit down and truly linger over a hot drink each and a sweet treat to share. Everything at Mary’s screams retro – so drinks are served in coloured glass crockery and on a little tin serving tray a la the 1970s.

The sweet treat we shared was a scoop of Peanut Butter ice-cream. I think that the only thing that could have improved this ice-cream was a bit of texture – some actual peanut pieces throughout the mix would have made it far better than it was…which was of course, still extremely enjoyable.

K had another Hot Chocolate – he claims that Mary’s makes one of the best hot chocolates he’s ever tasted. It’s not quite on the same level as the Frederic Blondeel hot chocolate we had in Belgium, but it hits all the right notes – dark rich chocolate, incredibly creamy, and just sweet enough without being too sweet.

I was tempted to try their Hot Chocolate Pot, described to me by the staff as being dairy-free pure hot chocolate. Without the creamy milk to dilute the chocolate, it was intensely rich and dark – almost gritty in its chocolatey goodness. This is one for those with an intense sweet tooth!

Mary’s Milk Bar is a wonderful retro dessert stop for any visitor to Edinburgh, offering a great range of ice-creams, sorbets, and hot chocolates. One of the best hot chocolates I’ve had, and their ever-changing ice-cream range means that you could visit Mary’s every day for two weeks and still have a different ice-cream flavour with each visit. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Mary’s Milk Bar is located at 19 Grassmarket, Edinburgh Scotland.