TIME was when a meal at the dogs comprised a lardy pie and some watery coffee. Maybe chicken in a basket if you were lucky. A dog's dinner doesn't exactly conjure up a feast fit for a king. And if you're told your dinner's in the dog, it's a sure sign you're in trouble. So it was perhaps brave of David Ramsden to name his new eaterie The Dogs, in honour of his dearly beloved, sadly deceased pooch Phret (though one imagines he was being a tad ironic).
In previous lives, Ramsden has presided over fitz(Henry) in Leith and the cavernous Rogue, which lived in a towering glass office block in Edinburgh's Morrison Street. Both, sadly, have now gone the same way as poor Phret.
Also still on the menu i
s the charming Ramsden's gregarious front-of-house manner: personally welcoming diners, checking the food is to their satisfaction, a hand on the shoulder here, a gleaming flash of teeth there. It could verge on irritating but somehow doesn't. Perhaps because, in the current climate of sullen shop assistants and growling waiting staff, genuine, attentive service is so hard to come by. It helped that he admired my shoes – now there's a man who knows how to get into a woman's good books.
We were there on a quiet Tuesday night. The city was doing its best ghost-town impression and the two bars we had already visited had been devoid of atmosphere. Suddenly needing more sustenance than a bottle of sauvignon blanc could provide, we went in search of food.
The Dogs is housed in what was once the Tijuana Yacht Club (and before that the Edinburgh Wine Bar – ah, memories!). With a narrow door and up a flight of stairs, it is not the most prepossessing of entrances and you could be forgiven for marching straight past and finding yourself in a friendly but purely functional Italian instead.
Fortunately, we knew where we were going. And so, evidently, did quite a few other diners. For The Dogs was as lively as a labrador puppy let off the leash. The interior is all fresh white paint, wooden floors and rustic tables. The candles are lit and a giant portrait of Phret holds court over the gantry.
We had to wait a few minutes for a table to be cleared but were served with a perfectly chilled bottle of pinot grigio (£14.80) pronto and perused the menu while seated at the bar.
What The Dogs does have in common with its bunny-chasing namesake is its, er, common touch. Which is no bad thing. For this is good, solid, tastes-as-it-should-do food. None of your fancy jus or fashionable foams here. What you will get are dishes such as mutton broth with root veg and pearl barley to start, or ham hock terrine with piccalilli. Follow that with slow-cooked pork belly in cider with spring cabbage, or boiled salt beef with root veg and herb dumplings and you'll get the picture.
We munched on some wonderfully moreish artisanal bread while waiting for our starters to arrive – mushroom and garlic barley risotto in Susan's case and goat's cheese and roast beetroot salad for me.
The risotto was reported to be rich, hearty and wholesome – just what was needed and perfect for a chilly night. My salad was a tasty mix of flavour and texture, though perhaps a little pedestrian. And, though this is a matter of personal taste rather than a serious misdemeanour on the part of the chef, endive leaves are just too skeletal and uninteresting to be of any earthly use and should be banned forthwith.
Our main courses arrived hot on the starters' heels – too hot in Susan's case. Her fish pie was filled to the brim with chunky seafood and creamy sauce. But the temperature was approaching that of burning napalm, and nothing ever tastes too great when you've got third-degree burns on your chops.
There was no such disappointment with my braised ox cheek with pickled walnuts and horseradish mash. The meat was very tender, served with a couple of whole, chunky buttered carrots. The mash was fondant-smooth and utterly scrumptious, while the crunch of the walnuts complemented the dish perfectly. It couldn't be faulted.
Susan was determined to go down the healthy route for dessert but I overruled her choice of cheese and oatcakes (well, I was the one picking up the tab) and opted for another old-fashioned favourite. The marmalade bread-and-butter pudding was just how you'd want it: not too stodgy (though just stodgy enough, thank you), sweet with that slightly bitter tang and so yummy the plate was cleaned in minutes. We didn't even need a doggy bag.
VITAL STATISTICS
The Dogs 110 Hanover Street, Edinburgh
(0131 220 1208,
www.thedogsonline.co.uk)
Out of pocket Starters £2.50–£4.50;
mains £7.90–£14;
puddings £2.50–£4.50
Rating 7.5/10
The full article contains 839 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
