Our last visit to Checkpoint was around this time last year. We had a lovely first visit and when the chance to pop back and try out their new menu arose we couldn’t wait to go. On entering Checkpoint it was evident that there had been some changes made inside. The restaurant now flowed better and the seating arragements made it much more cosy and homely. It was much busier as well than our last visit and this was a good sign.
Giving beer a miss for the night we tried out a lovely red and white wine from the wine menu. Sticking to their relaxed and down to earth atmosphere the wine was served in little tumblers. With a drink in hand it was time to check out the menu and see what we wanted to eat. Choosing something was proving a little bit difficult. Their new menu is full of lots of lovely warming dishes and any one of them probably would have been delicious.
With our choices made all we had to do was await their arrival. Last time during our visit our food was served on metal serving trays. We weren’t great fans of these as and we were delighted to see they had exchanged them for lovely white plates.
Pork striploin, bacon, black pudding, carrot & pave potato with liver sauce with a side of sweet potato fries.
Slow roast duck leg, chorizo braised lentils and butternut squash samosa
Mr E knew right away that he was having Pork striploin, bacon, black pudding, carrot & pave potato with liver sauce with a side of sweet potato fries. I think it was the bacon and black pudding that swung it for him. Looking at the crispy bacon, black pudding balls and all that pork there was serious food envy going on. He was making all the right sounds when eating it and the small bit I got to try was delicious. The liver gravy was rich and plentiful and the crackling was the right amount of crispiness. The pork was well cooked and seasoned well and along with all the other bits of the dish it was the perfect offering on a cold November evening.
My choosen dish for the evening was Slow roast duck leg, chorizo braised lentils and butternut squash samosa with a side of triple cooked chips. When the dish arrived it was evident I probably didn’t need the chips but well I had ordered them now. The duck was superb, moist and full of flavour it worked well with the saltiness of the chorizo. The duck meat fell of the bone and didn’t last long. The lentils were seasoned well and the texture worked well with the meat in the dish. With a butternut squash samosa also to try, my chips weren’t getting a look in. The samosa was a little parcel of delight. The pastry was lovely and flaky with the filling chunky and well seasoned.
espresso chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream.
Apple and blackberry crumble with crystalised ginger crumble and coconut cream.
Dessert for us was an easy option, with a chocolate for Mr E and a crumble for me. There were lots of lovely other options on the menu but when it’s something we like, we order it to see if it’s as good as we expect. Both desserts didn’t disappoint. The chocolate mocha tart was a dreamy combination of coffee and chocolate. The coffee flavour was evident but careful not to overpower the dish. The crumble was equally as tasty. The fruit the right side of tart and plenty of it. The only thing missing for me was more crystalised ginger. I love chewy ginger and the dish could have done with a little bit more.
Overall, our evening at Checkpoint was great. The food, setting and service were all worth shouting about. The menu has a good range of dishes available and there are lots of options for meat eaters, vegetarians and even those who are gluten free. We look forward to coming back to Checkpoint to try out their breakfast and or lunch menus.
Checkpoint | 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 1EY | Tel: 0131 225 9352 |
Twitter: @checkpointedi
Facebook: /checkpointedi
Leave a Reply