So I was e-mailed by a lady from the new 'Steak on Stones' restaurant in Edinburgh - and was kindly given a complimentary meal, in the hope that I would write an article on them. So here it is.
They were absolutely lovely, and it was a nice little perk of having a blog.
I decided - since this involved both meat and geology/lava stones - that it would be right up my dad's street, so I took him along as my 'plus one'.
It was also good because he had a slightly different perspective.
I have included his comments in this article, as well as a quick 'marks out of 10', so if you want to skip to the 'quick review' - just scroll to the bottom of this post.
On Arrival.
A friendly lady met us at the door, and we were welcomed into a cosy and well-designed bar area.
With a hearty fire burning away in the corner, a chatty bar-man, and an array of obscure spirits shelved on a brick wall - we were served wine in beautifully shaped glasses.
The Steak on Stones addition to Steak Edinburgh had only been open for a couple of weeks, but was already doing a roaring trade.
The Place Setting.
I absolutely loved the design of the place. They had mixed perfectly the old with the new. The tall Georgian windows, and curly-cues around the doors were contrasted and balanced really well with the raw exposed brick work and stark bulbs for lighting.
I really liked the element of 'vintage' - especially in the checked napkins and the colours of the coffee cups & saucers.
The place felt like a proper 'gastro-pub', with modern touches like the abstracted geometric paintings of famous Scots, and the very bare / minimalistic wooden tables and chairs.
The fact that the menu was served on a clip board and various other details like this, helped the place feel less pretentious and intimidating, and more a place of curiosity and fun.
The fact that the menu was served on a clip board and various other details like this, helped the place feel less pretentious and intimidating, and more a place of curiosity and fun.
I liked that the cutlery was a nod to the Georgian / old fashioned architechtural beginnings of the building (I don't even know if this was deliberate, but I suspect it was) and that you were immersed in a food theatre experience.
The whole thing was done in a light-hearted way - never taking itself too seriously, yet still attaining extremely high standards of quality in every respect.
The music playing was mostly sort-of '70s funk, which, I had to explain to my dad, is back 'in' now.
The Meal.
We got the 'sambal' sauce - which was mildly spicy, and went perfectly with the tender meat.
It was rump steak, and absolutely delicious. (Orkney Gold Beef, apparently).
For sides, we got the sweet potato mash - which was topped with walnuts, and the creamed pea, leak and bacon mix thing.
BOTH SO GOOD.
BOTH SO GOOD.
(you can see the full menu here: http://steakonstones.co.uk/food-menu/ )
When they brought the hot lava stone over, there was a real element of drama, with the gush of heat hitting us as the lid was lifted off the stone container.
(I later found out that this was 350 degrees... hope they don't end up having too many accidents with that...)
We were given a little talk through how to cook the steak, and were told that we had to sprinkle rough salt over the hot stone before putting the meat on.
The whole thing was just a bit of fun really.
We weren't going to, but in the end, we (ok, I) caved, and got one of the fudge doughnuts.
It went down well.
(See below.)
(See below.)
^ The cutest sugar pot ever
^ Myself, being a happy chappy / super full.
In Conclusion.
So good that I wanted to lick the plate... but that might not be a good idea since, you know, it was hot volcanic rock and all.
Dad's view:
The design of the place was very good
Retained the classic Georgian proportions
Tables and chairs - slightly distressed enough to look interesting, but not enough to be tatty - rustic
Service - 'top notch' - could hardly be improved (not just for us, but everyone in the room)
A sense of theatre with frying steak on hot stone
Quality of food good - tender beef
Side dishes tasty
Good prices
Minor quibble:
Pot of sauce too small
Music - a bit dated 70s funk - but didn't jar with the general ambience
9/10
Thank-you so much to Steak Edinburgh for inviting me.
Their websites can be found here:
Heart It
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