WITH A NEW chef at the helm, Good Brothers Wine Bar has shifted away from a small plates menu towards a European “home comforts” offering. The move makes use of cook Lloyd Morse’s experience in some of London’s best-known Italian restaurants, including Vinoteca and the much-celebrated River Café. It would be rude of me not to check it out.
Based in Stockbridge in the space previously
occupied by the Bon Vivant, food will be available from Tuesday to Saturday where Morse’s ever-changing seasonal menu will complement the top-quality wines that have earned this place a sterling reputation as one of Edinburgh’s finest wine venues.
Chicken terrine with sloe jelly and toast (£9) sounded right up my alley. The crucial detail with a dish like this is that isn’t served at fridge temperature or it’s likely to be too firm and not as flavoursome. A tap with the back of my hand indicated such details had been looked after. Neatly made, it was soft and meaty. The sourdough toast from the Company Bakery was a fine example of sourcing quality produce. The charred taste brought a bitterness that countered the sweetness of the jelly and taste of the meat.
Sarah’s starter sounded intriguingly different: poached leeks, anchovies and egg (£8). She was slightly confused to find the leek was cold, but I thought this was a stunner of a dish. In the wrong hands, leeks can be a bit stringy, but this was poached to perfection. I loved the freshness it brought with the salty anchovy and rich egg. A little crack of pepper just rounded it off. I thought this really showed the confidence of the chef.
Seafood cookery is difficult as there is little margin for error. As a former seafood chef, I’d expect precision cooking of my cod main, which was served with lentils, braised chard and a green sauce (£16.50). The fillet was moist and flaked apart. The acidity from the chard and earthy lentils go hand in hand with white fish and the green sauce produced a big punch of flavour to tie it all together.
It was pleasing to see wild rabbit on a menu. Once a staple of British cuisine, it’s all too seldom seen on menus these days. The chef's Italian influence would use it to make a ragù with pancetta alongside pappardelle at a cost of £15. The pasta, clearly made in-house, was incredibly thin and tasty. The ragù itself was sublime. The rich, tender meat was delicious and there was a hint of white wine in there that just brought a touch of sharpness. It was also well seasoned.
There's a strong emphasis on natural wines at Good Brothers. We quaffed a delightful tempranillo at the cost of £26 and absolutely loved the story of the bottle. It explained that the banks had refused to fund the winemaker as wine ‘isn’t a seizable asset’. Thank heavens their friends and family pitched in to allow the producer to make bottles as good as this – I raise my glass to you.
An I.J. Mellis cheeseboard (£9) brings back memories of my time served in Iain’s Victoria Street branch. I enjoyed three generous wedges served with charcoal crackers and a pleasing tomato chutney. What impressed me was that staff displayed knowledge of the cheeses, as too often a cheeseboard is just plunked down, leaving you to ask “I wonder what cheese that is?”. Service was impressive with well-trained servers demonstrating genuine passion that’s vital to this sort of operation.
Quince and almond tart with crème fraîche would see Sarah off into the night. Priced at a fiver, the pastry was buttery and crisp. The soft, juicy quince paired well with the nutty frangipane and the tang of crème fraîche just freshened it up.
Given the food operation has only been up and running for a few days it was an impressive display of both food and drink at Good Brothers Wine Bar. With an ever-rotating menu, it’s an interesting way to work through different wines whilst enjoying great grub and service. The care and attention from staff, as well as the quality of ingredients is very commendable. Web: Goodbrothers.co.uk
Twitter: @GoodBrosWine
Address: 4-6 Dean Street, Edinburgh, EH4 1LW
Open: Mon - Thurs 4pm - midnight
Fri - Sat 12pm - 1am
Sun 12:30 - midnight
Kitchen open Tues - Sat from 6pm with available at all times.
On Tuesdays Good Brothers offers dinner with wine at retail prices.
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