the huxley - the rutland hotel

a very nice drinking venue on the western edge of princes street, which serves high quality food.

the place loses a few marks as service can sometimes be slow and not enough staff working to help speed up the rate of service, but the quality of the drinks and the food carries this bar over the line.

i have been told that it used to be a sports pub, frequented by rugby crowds back in the day, but since then it has modernised, even having a name change in the past few years from the rutland to the huxley, perhaps to cement the transition.

the hot dog menu is fantastic, i highly recommend the korean dog, but the soft shell crabsandwichis another go to for myself. it is as luscious as it sounds and, above all else, very moreish.

a very good bar, with nice decor, but one that needs to improve it's service somewhat. it's also not as pricey as it looks like it should be, with several other bars in the vicinity actually charging more for certain drinks!

i choose the huxley to take dad for lunch because the seating looked comfortable and that makes all the difference to him and being able to enjoy his meal. the menu isn't ideal for someone with  his simple taste but they kindly accommodated dads request for the blt on brown bread rather then f.ocaccia.

i ordered the piggy burger which was pulled pork, maple glazed bacon, pork scratching crumbs with chips. 

the food arrived in red plastic baskets. i could not believe they felt it appropriate to serve my dadssandwichand salad in a red plastic basket. to top it off thesandwichhad been left uncut so he was had to cut through it while stabilizing the basic. it was a disgrace and i have to say their choice of serving dish ruined the meal for us both.

serving dishes seems to be a weak point with them as dads coffee came in a clear glass mug. looked great but had no finger hole so each attempt to drink it meant holding it from the bottom as the handle slipped through his fingers.

the food itself was good. my burger was a meat indulgence. lots of flavour and the chips were some of the nicest in the city.

dad couldn't stop raving about the delicious bacon but that may have been to make me feel better for my choice of venue. 

this venue has achieved the perfect balance of classy yet funky in their decor. why they serve food in cheap plastic baskets is beyond me. 

i wont go back until i hear the basics have been banished.

always really good food, and friendly staff. i only gave 4/5 as they recently took the pulled porksandwichoff the menu :-(