The Metro
Food in Scotland
The Metro
Apex Hotel
31-35 Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2 HS
0131 300 3456
Today there is an unbelievable choice of where to eat in the Capital, but some of the best restaurants, for all budgets and taste, can be found lurking around basements, mezzanine levels and top floors of its city centre hotels.
And of course you don`t have to stay there to enjoy the menu and the bustling cosmopolitan ambience. We arrived to sample dinner at the Metro brasserie of the Apex Hotel, in the Grassmarket, (a street renowned for its lively, traditional pubs around the square and very popular with stag and hen nights), at around 7.30pm, coinciding with the arrival of a half a dozen guests, checking in for a bargain weekend break.
The stylish bar just off the lobby - black leather sofas, glass, bamboo plants - was jumping. A cocktail aperitif seemed a good idea in order to settle into the Friday night buzz of the place, before going downstairs to the split level, bright chrome and polished beech wood setting of Metro.
From a first glance of the slim, concise menu, I knew the chef was into my way of thinking. All dishes are served as either a starter or main course, with variation in price according to size. (eg. � 4.50 /� 7.50) So you could select a small or large portion of smoked duck with apricot and leaf salad, or start with linguine, pesto and parmesan and continue with lamb, garlic and rosemary mash. Or vice versa. A sensible option to suit all tastes and appetites.
While we tried to make a choice, quick as a flash we were brought a large basket of bread served with hummous and savoury dips to keep us going.
I selected a melt-in-the-mouth grilled salmon with tasty peppered sea asparagus (aka samphire) while my partner delighted in a smooth sweet potato soup. (� 2.95). Then a very fresh and tasty carrot and walnut ravioli for me and a winter casserole dish of spicy roots rogan josh with a delicately flavoured lemongrass rice for him.
There is a small but well selected, reasonably priced wine list with no ridiculous mark-up on an everyday very drinkable Chilean Cabernet.
To finish we opted for a soft and creamy creme brulee with warm pineapple and cinammon and a surprisingly light banana and passion torte with chocolate brittle -both � 3.95. Well it was nearly Valentine`s Day and I was feeling rather passionate!
Throughout the meal we were looked after unobtrusively yet professionally, by our friendly and chatty Canadian waiter.
Like the Paris Metro, service was fast, efficient and reliable. Make sure your next stop is the Apex Metro and enjoy a feast of a lunch or supper - the style is informal, casual and comfortable but the menu is fascinating and ingenious and offers a selection of tastes and textures that will linger in the mouth and the mind.
- by Vivien Devlin
(01/03/2001)
Read Vivien Devlin's review of Heights at the Apex Hotel
