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Having opened just before Christmas, I was eager to check out one of our neighbourhood\u2019s newest pub-eateries, The Lioness of Leith. Taking up an expansive corner of Duke Street, it arrives as a welcome addition amongst the area\u2019s impressive variety of independents.<\/p>\n
The place is well laid out with a mix of seating to ensure a comfy daytime spot for coffee or a quiet pint after work. A few nicely oddball design touches \u00a0such as mounted former wildlife , eclectic lighting and a great playlist allow it to easily shift guise as cocktail seekers arrive later into the evening.<\/p>\n
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Food-wise, the evening menu offers plenty of choice whether you want a quick bite or a full three-course dinner. The Silver Fox and I popped in for dinner one Monday, and to start I had the cream of mushroom soup (\u00a33.50), an expertly seasoned bowl of deeply flavoured potage, with a sprinkling of bright micro herbs and served with chunks of soft bread. Mr Fox, whose eyes scan prospective menus for the words Stornoway Black Pudding (\u00a36.50) was happily rewarded with a dish featuring two generous chunks of this meaty delicacy, with a leafy salad sporting roasted walnut halves.<\/p>\n
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The option of a proper veal Wiener schnitzel (\u00a311.50) was a shoe-in for my choice of main course. This was a fun version of the retro classic, as the breadcrumb coating the tender meat was liberally peppered with chili-flakes. Accompanying rosemary roast spuds had a satisfying outer crunch, and the dill-spiked carrot and apple slaw kept things fresh. The Silver Fox\u2019s main, to me, lacked coherence. Chef\u2019s Italian sausage (\u00a39) \u00a0was smokily well-seasoned and sat atop braised fennel, artichoke and a lip-smackingly tasty tomato ragu. It was just crying out for some linguine to roll around in that sauce!<\/p>\n
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\u00a0To finish, my fella had a truly decadent chocolate delice (\u00a37) with very artful tuiles, showing off some of chef\u2019s pastry skills. My final\u00e9 of cardamom poached pears (\u00a36) with hazelnut praline and deep-fried panko-crusted custard bonbons tasted fine as a collection of individual things, but didn\u2019t really come together as a whole.
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Rather than follow the well-trodden route of familiar gastro-pub fare, The Lioness bravely treads a different path. The food is packed to the pub\u2019s Victorian rafters with big flavours, and with a little bit of a tinker I\u2019m sure the few kinks in the menu will be ironed out.<\/p>\n
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