Reviews
Review: The Alan, Manchester
Like many British cities over the last 30 years Manchester has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance thanks to huge injections from business, culture, sports and general urban renewal. Not having visited the city for 20 years, the first thing that struck me on approach was the sheer scale and height of the skyscrapers that now dominate…
Read MoreReview: The Gardener’s Cottage, Edinburgh
Nestled in a copse on Edinburgh’s London Road, only a few minutes walk from Toppings & Company Booksellers and The Playhouse, is The Gardener’s Cottage – a restaurant that feels pulled straight out of a countryside fairy tale. As you walk up the gravel path, trees, shrubs and various herbs line the walkway to the…
Read MoreReview: The Edinburgh Facial at Dr David Jack
With a clinic on Harley Street and one in Belgravia already there’s certainly been a wee frisson of excitement surrounding the opening of Dr David Jack’s new cosmetic skin clinic in the heart of the New Town. And never one to pass up the chance to find out what all of the fuss is about…
Read MoreReview: Mamasan, Glasgow
Ellie Forbes tries out the new Thai BBQ menu at Glasgow restaurant Mamasan, where the chefs prove cooking over coals is worth the hype. When it comes to cooking over coals, we really are playing with fire. There is an art to properly cooking with a BBQ, as I am sure anyone who has messed…
Read MoreReview: Fhior, Edinburgh
Ever since Scott Smith opened Fhior in 2018 with the express aim of championing Scottish produce, it’s been one of those restaurants which has established a really solid reputation without quite making the step up from Michelin guide to Michelin-starred status. With his astonishingly complex new ten course tasting menu, the Aberdonian is clearly making…
Read MoreReview: Under the Table, Edinburgh
In Edinburgh’s New Town, Richard Bath is pleasantly surprised by new subterranean restaurant Under the Table. Our IT department run all sort of analysis of what readers like, what they spend time on and what turns them off. The short story is that readers like short reviews. They don’t want a list of dishes and…
Read MoreReview: Glaschu, Glasgow
When I saw the owners of Glaschu were opening a second restaurant in Glasgow – MAISON by Glaschu – I was eager to try it. But much like with films, it’s not always wise to see the sequel before you have sampled the original. With that in mind, I decided it best to first try…
Read MoreReview: Maften Hall, Northumberland
Megan Amato escapes to the Northumberland countryside for a stay at Maften Hall. Like much of the north of England, I had romantic notions about the rolling hills and historic treasures to be discovered in the Northumberland countryside – notions that were not at all distilled after my visit to Maften Hall. Located only a…
Read MoreReview: Cromlix House
Cromlix House is a building that I used to know well but haven’t visited for several years, so it was great to find my way back there recently. Ten years after the Murrays opened it, the most obvious thing is how completely yet sympathetically it’s been updated. Significant amounts of tennis winnings have conspicuously been…
Read MoreReview: Sanja By Sagar Massey at The Kirkhouse Inn
He might only be 25-years-old, but Sagar Massey already has a career enviable by chefs twice his age. Raised near New Delhi in India, until leaving for Scotland in 2014, he is renowned for using the spices of his homeland to embolden Scottish fine dining. A finalist in the BBC’s Masterchef – The Professionals in…
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