Review: Chop House, Leith, Edinburgh

WITH THE DIVISIVE tramworks beginning to wreak havoc on Leith, the importance of supporting the many independent businesses that reside in the area is vital.  Constitution Street, now closed to traffic, has several excellent restaurants, cafes and shops that will inevitably suffer from the disruption, so I've made a real effort in the past few weeks to visit the place. Tonight, we nipped into Chop House, initially for cocktails, but ended up staying for dinner.

On researching this piece, I can’t believe the Leith outlet – their original unit – opened as far back as 2015. They must be doing something right in what has proved a tricky spot for restaurateurs and publicans over the years.  Acclaimed Indian restaurant Shri Bheema closed not so long ago and what is now The Fly Half has changed hands several times in recent years. For me, steak restaurants have largely been butchered (see what I did there) for years with restaurants punting distinctly average beef at a premium price, but with a clear focus on quality and ageing, Chop House, particularly their Leith eatery, have garnished a solid reputation in Edinburgh. Fitted with Josper grills, the meat is cooked over charcoal to impart more flavour. I’ve read this in a thousand restaurants and it rarely turns out as billed.

I think it’s fair to say when real restaurants bill themselves as a ‘bar/restaurant’ we feel a little bit awkward about using it as just a watering hole, but the barman here was chatty and didn’t try and punt the food offering to us until we asked. Now I learned about cocktails from countless hours spent in Bramble, the finest cocktail bar in Edinburgh if not the universe; give me a crap cocktail and I’ll be pissed off for hours.

I always feel like a bit of an idiot not ordering steak in a steak restaurant, but the brown butter and maple chicken piqued my interest. “I’ll order a steak so you can try it if you want something else,” said Sarah. I ended up settling on the black pig with garlic potatoes and lemon yoghurt for the princely sum of £26. The pork certainly had a charcoal taint to it; smoky, superbly caramelised just as meat should be cooked.  Wonderfully pink in the centre, Iberico pig has long been a favourite of mine. There were segments of what I think was pickled lemon on top that were super sharp and scythed through the rich meat.  Four perfectly roasted potatoes adorned my plate but, sadly, there was no trace of garlic.  The lemon yoghurt was pleasant enough, as was the dressed rocket salad, although I felt the dish would be enhanced if that was replaced with fried padron peppers.

Sarah ordered the rump steak (£19) along with bearnaise sauce and a side of dripping chips (£4). The beef was cooked medium- rare as requested and, like my pork, benefitted from being cooked over coals; a big portion at 300g, too. The classic sauce was perfectly made and held its texture well. The chips were grease-free and very moreish indeed – perfect for dipping into the tasty bearnaise.

It isn’t exactly a cheap eat, but good quality meat shouldn’t be; Chop House is certainly worth it based on this evidence. The food was commendable, but the service will live long in the memory, which isn’t something you can say often. Remember there are so many great restaurants, pubs and shops impacted upon by the tram works – think about giving them your custom next time you are out.

Web: https://www.chophousesteak.co.uk
Phone: (0131) 629 1919
Instagram: @chophousesteak

Address: 102 Constitution Street, Edinburgh, EH6 4AW

Opening hours: Lunch: Mon - Sun 12-4, Mains Mon-Sun 12 - 10.