The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen Restaurant Review, Edinburgh

The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen has been 18-months in the making, with the team hard at work refining menus and working with fantastic Scottish suppliers such as Buccleuch Beef, Heather Hills Farm and Loch Duart. To work with this great produce they’re also brought one of Scotland’s top chefs on board, Colin Fleming. Having worked under the likes of Nick Nairn and Martin Wishart, we had high hopes prior to our visit. What’s more, Colin is working with one of London’s most respected chefs, Des McDonald. The former head chef of The Ivy has been on hand to lend his expertise every step of the way.

On arrival it was lovely surprise to find somewhere so tastefully decorated. We were very excited to be eating at The Print Press Bar & Kitchen, it had certainly perked up our Wednesday evening. The staff were very friendly and nothing was a bother to them. They even managed to twist both our arms into having a midweek glass of wine. The menu is a range of traditional Scottish fair cooked in new and exciting ways. We had a hard time choosing what we wanted but eventually it was narrowed down.

This was the first time we had eaten here, we’d never quite made it in when it was Tempus. The interior has an art deco feel about it and the low lighting makes it a great place to be meeting friends or on a first date. By the time we had taken in our surroundings we spotted our starters on their way. Now we must apologise in advance for our photos as the lighting made it a little bit difficult for us to get really good photos. But I’m sure all you want to find out is if it’s good and you’ll forgive our photos.

Loch Fyne diver scallops, ink barley, garlic & parsley butter

Hot smoked salmon pickled fennel, horseradish potato scone

Now we have to say that the starters were excellent. It was some of the best fish we’ve had in town. Jonathan was super impressed with the cooking of his scallops and also the size of them. He would almost go as far as saying they are the best scallops in town. It was a first for both of us having ink barley and apart from the black lips, it was all good. My smoked salmon was delicious and the crunchy texture of the pickled fennel worked well alongside with the potato scone. Being N.Irish I appreciate a good potato scone and can safely say these got the thumbs up. We were both impressed by the size of the starters and the amount of fish on each plate. The starters were an excellent start to our evening and we couldn’t wait for the main course to arrive.

Our main courses arrived with a nice little break in between. Unfortunately our photo taking skills have let us down for the course. The photo’s just don’t do the dishes justice so we’ve decided not to include them. Jonathan choose Spatchcock Borders partridge red cabbage, brambles and I had Corn fed chicken creamed sweetcorn, black treacle bacon, we thought a portion of truffle chips would be more than sufficient given that we had our eyes on dessert. The partridge was well cooked and given the fact it was the first time Jonathan had had it, it came off the bone very easily and was packed full of flavour. The red cabbage and bramble bed underneath was a taste sensation. The pickle of the cabbage and the sweetness of the brambles worked very well together and definitely something we would order before. My dish of corn fed chicken was also great. The only down side for me was the black treacle bacon sauce was a little to over powering for me but that’s all down to personal preference. Again both dishes were of a substantial size and great value for money.

Now you’d probably be thinking after that we wouldn’t have room for dessert but just for you, we struggled on and before we knew it, we’d ordered Chocolate & salted caramel pot hazelnut biscuit and Cranberry & blossom honey burnt cream – essentially an English way of saying creme brulee.

Jonathan’s chocolate pot was a pot full of rich chocolate and perfect for those who love chocolate. It had a smooth, silky texture and the hazelnut biscuit added a little bit of crunch. My creme brulee was delicious, the top cracked like it should and underneath there was a lovely honey, creamy taste. The soaked cranberries added to the dish. Overall a massive thumbs up again for both dishes.

This was probably one of the nicest dinners we’ve had on George Street. It’s definitely hit the nail on the head and judging by the number of people in dining on a Wednesday evening, everyone else seems to think so too. The service in the restaurant is a massive selling point. We hope we’ve convinced you to head along, if you do, let us know how you get on and what your thoughts are below.

Her x

The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen | 21-25 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PB | 0131 240 7177 |

Twitter: @PrintBarKitchen
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