AS IF THE Shore wasn’t already an
exciting place to dine, the past 12 months has seen several new openings that
have really enhanced the diversity of Edinburgh’s hottest food and drink spot.
Today’s lunch took us to
The Keelson, the latest opening from the people
behind
Nauticus and
Dogstar. This particular spot (formerly
Mara
and the
Innis & Gunn Taproom) has changed hands numerous times
in recent years so I was keen to see what this latest iteration has up its
sleeve to remove the curse from a site that has huge potential.
With the highly rated Barry
Fish, Thai-focussed Nami, multi-unit offering inside Brown’s of
Leith, as well as new tenants at gastropub Noble’s joining
the list of long-established restaurants and bars in the area – including three
Michelin starred eateries, no less – just what is The Keelson’s USP? Well,
they’ve gone for a rotisserie chicken vibe, which I’m very excited about,
especially as chef Jimmy Murray’s JFC chicken sandwich from his lockdown pop-up
lives long in the memory.
With the trams to Newhaven out of
service due to a fire on Princes Street, businesses down here continue to feel
the drop in traffic, which is hard enough for established venues, never mind
one in its infancy. So, get down to Leith – you’ll be avoiding the festival and
getting well fed while at it.
The Keelson have installed a
new decking area, which wasn’t open yet due to the council licensing issues.
There was a larger beer garden here for years so it’s bizarre that the powers
that be are holding up proceedings, especially during peak trading times.
Inside, the layout badly needed reconfiguring and they’ve done a sterling job
kitting it out in the style of a traditional bar with wood panelling, booth
seating in the dining room-ish area towards the rear, and greatly improving the
toilets and the bar itself. The kitchen here was tiny, and I couldn’t quite see
what improvements were made there, other than seeing the rotisserie itself
which provides a focal point.
It's a sunny Sunday afternoon on
our visit, so roast chicken seems appropriate. The menu is small, but well
formed, which might suggest the kitchen is still a bit pokey. There are a range
of snacks, a vegetarian option, and a range of
specials, sides and sauces. Chef Jimmy previously won a Michelin star at
Timberyard and his new restaurant,
Dogstar, has garnered much
praise since opening.
You can get a half chicken that
feeds two for £25 or a whole bird that feeds between three-four for £50. This
was most delicious, I must say.
The
bird, which is brined for 24 hours, was perfectly moist and of obvious quality.
Maybe the skin could have been crispier, but the flavour was certainly there.
We had a side of Jersey Royals, cooked under the spit so they can gloriously
bathe in the chicken juices, which takes me back to markets in the French
countryside. They were good, but I wouldn’t have
minded an option of having chips or roasties too if I’m honest. I liked the
light sort of pan sauce that accompanied it, but Sarah would have preferred a
richer version.
Personally, I love the
conviviality of sitting with my mates, having a few quality beers whilst
delving into a huge plate of chicken, watching the football and talking
nonsense.
Now, the real star of this meal was
the dessert. Custard tart, one of my all time favourites. Marcus Wareing’s
version that he served to The Queen on
Great British Menu is a favourite
of mine, but I have to say this was better. The pastry was made with brown
butter and ground almonds and that elevated it to a whole new stratosphere, all
for the measly sum of £8, too. I could polish off six of those, no bother.
I think having such a large, often
inactive back area has hindered this spot over the years so this refit has been
intelligently thought out. Service was efficient and unintrusive and Kyle
Jamieson, the cocktail maestro himself, was around chatting to guests, too.
Edinburgh is truly blessed with some of the best cocktail bars out there, such
as Nauticus, so hopefully that skill and creativity can see this
place maximise its potential.
The Keelson is genuinely
rather good and has slotted seamlessly into the bustling culinary scene in this part of the world. I’m confident it’ll go from strength to strength and hopefully
break the curse of this particular building. The food scene in Leith kind of mirrors it's people: a diverse range of cultures, all doing different things that mingle together to create a greater good.
Web: thekeelsonleith.com
Phone: (0131) 563 4547 Address: 58 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6RA Open: Mon - Thurs 2pm - 12am; Fri - Sat 12pm - 1am; Sun 12pm - 12am
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