Do you ever have mornings at work where you look out the window, notice it’s sunny and all you can think about is sitting outside having a beer? Unsurprisingly, so do we. In early June, I had one such desire so Rod and I convened at Scott’s (Rose Street, 3,4,12,13,25,25,31,33,36,37,41,47,48,100) for a swift lunchtime pint. Unfortunately, Scott’s is one of the few Rose Street pubs (and one of the worst pubs on Rose Street – and that’s saying something - R.M) which can’t shake off its ‘old man’ image. In fact, it fails to generate an atmosphere even during the Festival. However, it does a reasonably decent pint of ale occasionally – Black Sheep on this occasion.
At the end of June, I’d been away for the weekend whilst my ex-flatmate, Grace, had been in town. Meeting on the Sunday in the Bank Hotel for a catch up, she and her pal were too knackered to stay beyond a couple of drinks. Lightweights. Having got a bit of a taste and a thirst, Rod and I said our goodbyes and headed off to the Royal Mile (High Street, 35) – a complete tourist trap which should be avoided at all costs! ££££!
Is it a barge or is it a pontoon? That was the question which was on everyone’s mind. Well, ok, maybe only a few of the eighteen or so of us that turned out for Rod’s big birthday bash pondered the question. The rest had far less interesting things to talk about while sitting outdoors at Teuchters Landing (Dock Place, 16,22,35,36).
Having quaffed a good few drinks, we headed towards the Cameo Bar (Commercial Street, 16,22,35,36) to continue the festivities. This involved several rounds of tequilas, following which Rod disappeared. He blames the tequila. Apparently it took him half an hour to open his front door. Impressive stuff. I, on the other hand, was greeted back to my close with a headbutt from a neighbour. I blame the tequila.
Until the next time....
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 151
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
MONTH OF MAY (2009)
The latest belated editions of the Great Edinburgh Pub Challenge see Nick take the helm:
By sheer coincidence, one of the few sunny afternoons in May (or, in fact, the whole summer) of 2009 happened to coincide with a trek up the Water of Leith Walkway from Slateford to Colinton Dell. Emerging from the woods into the sunshine we stumbled into The Spylaw Tavern (Dell Road/Bridge Road, 18,45). We opted to refresh ourselves with pints of Deuchars out in their spacious beer garden.
Around the corner and up the hill is the Colinton Inn (Bridge Road, 18,45); a pleasant enough wee boozer split over two levels and featuring a sun-trap beer garden out the back.
In our first blog back in 2007 we told you that the Great Edinburgh Pub Challenge had been conceived during a visit to an un-named pub - that pub was Hectors (Deanhaugh Street, 24, 29,42). A week after the trip to Colinton, we revisited this chic Stockbridge bar to rue the day we’d come up with such a daft idea.
Next door to Hectors is the equally classy but less forcedly trendy Stockbridge Tap (Raeburn Place, 24, 29, 42). With several ale taps, there is always a wide variety of beers available. On this occasion, the range included one of Brewdog’s experimental ales - How to Disappear Completely: although rather nice this was certainly not a session beer!
From a former Bert’s Bar to the original Bert’s Bar (William Street/Walker Street, 13,19,37,41,47), where we were joined by local celebrity Paul ‘PW’ McKay. A pub which is as famous for its pies as it is for its pints, we thoroughly recommend you pay a visit for a pie and a pint.
Our visit to Teuchters (William Street/Walker Street, 13,19,37,41,47) was not so much unplanned as un-coordinated; I was there with work colleagues on a night out when Rod arrived with other friends (apparently they do exist). Probably my favourite Edinburgh pub, this is a quaint wee place with a vibrant atmosphere and wide range of ales, lagers, malts, wines, liqueurs, gins, rums, and various other things which seem like a great idea at the time - such as the tequilas with which we celebrated last orders. For those who enjoy traditional Scottish fayre, the bistro A Room in the West End (located downstairs and affiliated to Teuchters) comes highly recommended.
May ended with a visit to the cinema in an attempt to take in something marginally more cultured: Armando Ianucci’s fantastic In the Loop:
The Cameo Bar (Home Street, 10,11,15,16,17,23,27,45), conveniently provides fully licensed facilities for the cinema. Happy days.
Until the next time...
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 147
By sheer coincidence, one of the few sunny afternoons in May (or, in fact, the whole summer) of 2009 happened to coincide with a trek up the Water of Leith Walkway from Slateford to Colinton Dell. Emerging from the woods into the sunshine we stumbled into The Spylaw Tavern (Dell Road/Bridge Road, 18,45). We opted to refresh ourselves with pints of Deuchars out in their spacious beer garden.
Around the corner and up the hill is the Colinton Inn (Bridge Road, 18,45); a pleasant enough wee boozer split over two levels and featuring a sun-trap beer garden out the back.
In our first blog back in 2007 we told you that the Great Edinburgh Pub Challenge had been conceived during a visit to an un-named pub - that pub was Hectors (Deanhaugh Street, 24, 29,42). A week after the trip to Colinton, we revisited this chic Stockbridge bar to rue the day we’d come up with such a daft idea.
Next door to Hectors is the equally classy but less forcedly trendy Stockbridge Tap (Raeburn Place, 24, 29, 42). With several ale taps, there is always a wide variety of beers available. On this occasion, the range included one of Brewdog’s experimental ales - How to Disappear Completely: although rather nice this was certainly not a session beer!
From a former Bert’s Bar to the original Bert’s Bar (William Street/Walker Street, 13,19,37,41,47), where we were joined by local celebrity Paul ‘PW’ McKay. A pub which is as famous for its pies as it is for its pints, we thoroughly recommend you pay a visit for a pie and a pint.
Our visit to Teuchters (William Street/Walker Street, 13,19,37,41,47) was not so much unplanned as un-coordinated; I was there with work colleagues on a night out when Rod arrived with other friends (apparently they do exist). Probably my favourite Edinburgh pub, this is a quaint wee place with a vibrant atmosphere and wide range of ales, lagers, malts, wines, liqueurs, gins, rums, and various other things which seem like a great idea at the time - such as the tequilas with which we celebrated last orders. For those who enjoy traditional Scottish fayre, the bistro A Room in the West End (located downstairs and affiliated to Teuchters) comes highly recommended.
May ended with a visit to the cinema in an attempt to take in something marginally more cultured: Armando Ianucci’s fantastic In the Loop:
The Cameo Bar (Home Street, 10,11,15,16,17,23,27,45), conveniently provides fully licensed facilities for the cinema. Happy days.
Until the next time...
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 147
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Not so recent happenings - part three
I suppose it was inevitable that at some point during The Great Edinburgh Pub Challenge we would run into somebody, or some people, undertaking an equally, if not more, ridiculous challenge. Last April, just that happened: The presenters of the BBC’s hit series Top Gear embarked on a race from London to Edinburgh using different modes of transport – namely, the recently built steam engine, Tornado, a Jaguar XK120 and a Vincent Black Shadow Motorbike. Having received a tip-off about this top secret event (as had at least another 500 other people), The Management convened for a swift half at the finish line – the Balmoral (formerly North British) Hotel. With Hadrian’s Brasserie booked for a private function at the request of Messrs May and Clarkson (note: that short bloke with the silly hair didn’t make it), we headed to the Palm Court (Princes Street, 1,3,5,7,8,19,22,25,29,30,31,33,
34,37,47,48). Never one to miss a trick, I was quick to remind Nick that he was due to get the drinks in, and that he had made vague mumblings about buying champagne in the Balmoral. We were both in agreement as to the quality of the Bollinger, and the free peanuts weren’t bad either.
With all thoughts of champagne quaffing and train spotting quickly extinguished, we headed for the Royal Mile and to the comforts of the Jolly Judge (James Court/Lawnmarket, 24). Hidden on one of the many closes that lead off the Royal Mile, it has a rather quaint interior as well as some outdoor seating in a courtyard which attract the springtime sunshine.
Just up the road, Ensign Ewart (Lawnmarket, 24) lacked the luxury of outdoor drinking but was nice enough nonetheless. Claiming to have been in existence in one form or another since 1690, this pub has all the hallmarks (and clientele) of a tourist trap. The pints of Black Sheep were welcomed but necked quickly – it was time to get back out into the sun.
And so we arrived at the Castle Arms (Johnston Terrace, 24) for more outdoor drinking. A tavern popular both with young folk frequenting the nearby youth hostels, and also with those who stay a little closer to home, the Castle Arms boasts a lovely outdoor area on Victoria Terrace. This area offers fantastic views over Victoria Street and the end of the Grassmarket – an ideal location for a spot of people watching on a sunny afternoon.
A Kurdish restaurant is located next door – we only narrowly managed to avoid making further investigations into the extremely appetising aromas which eminated from it. Has anyone been? Is it worth visiting?
The following Tuesday, local musician Alex Cornish entertained the good citizens of Edinburgh with a collection of tunes and an attempt to flog some branded mugs and coasters. Incredibly, one daft, enthusiastic punter actually fell for his sales pitch and bought a mug. Make your own jokes. Here’s what Alex had to say about The Caves (Niddry South Street/South Bridge, 3,5,7,8,14,29,30,31,33,35,37,47,48):
“The venue we played last night [Tuesday] is a very cool place. Edinburgh has a load of cavernous underground cellar type venues, and this was one of the bigger ones. In fact, they also do “ghost tours” there, with people dressed up and making children cry etc. In fact, in our backstage room was a door, which was locked, which children walked passed on their ghost tour. We discovered that if you bang on the door as they walk by it causes a great deal of distress…”
Until the next time...
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 140
34,37,47,48). Never one to miss a trick, I was quick to remind Nick that he was due to get the drinks in, and that he had made vague mumblings about buying champagne in the Balmoral. We were both in agreement as to the quality of the Bollinger, and the free peanuts weren’t bad either.
With all thoughts of champagne quaffing and train spotting quickly extinguished, we headed for the Royal Mile and to the comforts of the Jolly Judge (James Court/Lawnmarket, 24). Hidden on one of the many closes that lead off the Royal Mile, it has a rather quaint interior as well as some outdoor seating in a courtyard which attract the springtime sunshine.
Just up the road, Ensign Ewart (Lawnmarket, 24) lacked the luxury of outdoor drinking but was nice enough nonetheless. Claiming to have been in existence in one form or another since 1690, this pub has all the hallmarks (and clientele) of a tourist trap. The pints of Black Sheep were welcomed but necked quickly – it was time to get back out into the sun.
And so we arrived at the Castle Arms (Johnston Terrace, 24) for more outdoor drinking. A tavern popular both with young folk frequenting the nearby youth hostels, and also with those who stay a little closer to home, the Castle Arms boasts a lovely outdoor area on Victoria Terrace. This area offers fantastic views over Victoria Street and the end of the Grassmarket – an ideal location for a spot of people watching on a sunny afternoon.
A Kurdish restaurant is located next door – we only narrowly managed to avoid making further investigations into the extremely appetising aromas which eminated from it. Has anyone been? Is it worth visiting?
The following Tuesday, local musician Alex Cornish entertained the good citizens of Edinburgh with a collection of tunes and an attempt to flog some branded mugs and coasters. Incredibly, one daft, enthusiastic punter actually fell for his sales pitch and bought a mug. Make your own jokes. Here’s what Alex had to say about The Caves (Niddry South Street/South Bridge, 3,5,7,8,14,29,30,31,33,35,37,47,48):
“The venue we played last night [Tuesday] is a very cool place. Edinburgh has a load of cavernous underground cellar type venues, and this was one of the bigger ones. In fact, they also do “ghost tours” there, with people dressed up and making children cry etc. In fact, in our backstage room was a door, which was locked, which children walked passed on their ghost tour. We discovered that if you bang on the door as they walk by it causes a great deal of distress…”
Until the next time...
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 140
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