l'escargot blanc

we went for lunch with another couple yesterday. i was the last to arrive and was struck by how noisy the upstairs was. the food was quitegooddespite the fact that my husband's hake was stone cold. my main gripe was the unbearable noise which made it impossible to hold a normal conversation. we'll never go there for lunch again.

if you want a bit of france in scotland - there is no better pace to head to than edinburgh's west end. l'escargot blanc is a lovely wee restaurant that serves authentic french food in a very french setting. all the waiters and waitresses speak french too and i enjoy practicing a bit of my elementary french with them. i've eaten here twice now and both times the food was has been exceptional, fuss-free and verygoodvalue. the first time i chose the fish manic course which was beautiful - the sauce they served it in and the bread was also very good. my friend went for the omelette - i believe it was a verygoodomelette. we ordered the sorbet for dessert which was very good. the second time round i ordered the plat du jour which was meat balls ( venison) in a wonderful tomatoey sauce. half our group ordered it - it was freshly cooked and served like your your mum would at home in a great big copper pan. for dessert, most of went for the dessert of the day which baked apple served with berry sauce, almonds and creme fraiche - very unusual and not my usual choice of dessert but very good! if you book their pre-theatre menu, you can get two courses for less than £15 - incredible value i think. well worth a visit.

trois couleurs s'il vous plait. we need a l' escargot rouge in edinburgh. we have 'bleu' in broughton street, 'blanc' in the west end and i think a 'rouge' in the southside would complete the set and rather neatly emphasise the gastronomic fraternité of scottish ingredients with a french twist. i wonder if owners frédéric berkmiller and betty jourjon agree?

i went along with a friend to sample 'blanc' in the west end. we chose from the a la carte menu although there is also an excellent menu du jour also.

we started with foie gras with toasted brioche and apple chutney (£8.10) for me and steamed mussels with bleu d'auvergne cheese for my friend (£5.70). the atmosphere couldn't be more 'bistro', lots of posh edinburgh folk tucking in to coq au vin, l'escargot and lapin. my foie gras was pure musky and smooth joy and the lovely waitress cleverly suggested a dessert wine which complimented it perfectly. my well-heeled and demanding friend gave her mussels nine out of ten, praise indeed.

next up was fish of the day for me, which was ling, served with mussels and bouillabaisse (£13.20) and grilled asparagus, shaved parmesan and stuffed potatoes for the dowager (£11.90). the fish was perfectly nice, not over-cooked, the croutons were crisp, the rouille fiery and there was plenty of celery, carrot, saffron and herbs in the tasty stew. my friend's dish was an example of exquisite simplicity. the asparagus was not over-cooked, there were some nice on the vine tomatoes and the baked potato had been stuffed with butter and cheese and was sumptuously soft and tasty. i thought the wine list 'could do better' but we chose the popular picpoul de pinet which neither of us had drunk for a while and so its excellence was freshly appreciated.
dessert was a perfectlygoodcrème brulee for my friend, vanilla specks, nice glassy topping and cherries in kirsch which didn't quite do it for me (both £4.90). c'est la vie i was still perfectly happy with my meal and would highly recommend this charming little bistro. i am very much looking forward to working my way through the remainder of the menu.

l'escargot blanc
-17 queensferry street
edinburgh, eh2 4qp
-0131 226 1890
-www.lescargotblanc.co.uk

opening times
mon-thu, noon-3pm, 5.30-10.30pm; fri & sat noon-3pm, 5.30-11pm. closed sun.