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 cartemenualthough there is also an excellentmenudu 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 perfectly good crème 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.