Restaurant review: Iglu, Edinburgh

Published on Sunday 14 March 2010 10:39

I WALK past Iglu virtually every day, and I've even popped in for a couple of pints of its superlative Black Isle organic blonde lager, but for some reason it has never become a regular haunt or somewhere I've chosen to eat.

Perhaps that's because its mildly contrived name is a little off-putting. Or maybe because the word Iglu suggests a frostiness that doesn't invite you in, no matter how bizarrely irrational that sounds. Possibly it's because Kay's Bar is so close at hand.

In truth, it's probably a combination of the three, but in any case it's me that has been the loser because Iglu is, as I've often been told over the past four years, not only a former Scottish gastro-pub of the year but also one of the great finds in Edinburgh. I've always known the bar – a small boozer with walls stripped back to bare stone, with a similarly small restaurant on the first floor – is a convivial environment for a drink. I was also aware of the place being a rather preachy proponent of localism, sustainability and seasonality, a restaurant dedicated to using wild, local and organic ingredients. A quick look over the menu confirmed the boast that Iglu is "at the forefront of ethical sourcing", with the provenance of as many ingredients as possible highlighted.

As it was a Wednesday night and the first-floor bistro is only open from Thursday to Sunday, we ate in the bright and cheery bar, which gave us a chance to try to make sense of some very strange art (take a look at the one of the dodos and chimps). Charlie is an enthusiastic cook and a stern critic who invariably spends a great deal of time looking over menus before deciding what to eat, but he soon found plenty of options that had taken his fancy.

He started with the caper, shallot and smoked haddock fishcakes, which came with a sweetcorn and chive relish. He was richly rewarded with two large fishcakes stuffed full of moist haddock. There was none of the usual potato padding, just two discs packed with fish and tasting pretty much as they would if you had made them at home. Iglu was off to a flying start.

I hadn't been quite as taken by the starters advertised, but was keen to try the wild mushroom, leek and hazelnut lasagne – so ordered that to begin my meal. Apart from the fact that it was a huge slab of carbohydrates that filled me up long before I'd reached the end, it was impossible to fault a dish that was making its debut that day, along with a new menu. I ordered it partly out of a sense of curiosity, but would happily choose it again because the unlikely combination was a genuine success and exactly the sort of vegetarian comfort food that tempts carnivores like me to cross to the dark side every so often.

When it came to the main courses, Charlie was in herbivore mode too, opting for the vegan-friendly harissa-spiced cauliflower and chickpea stew, which came with caraway nan and coriander yoghurt. Once again, a dish ordered partly to satisfy our curiosity proved an instant hit. The collision of chilli-infused sauce with the coriander yoghurt was a classic combination, producing a dark sauce that was a perfect accompaniment for the cauliflower and chickpeas. It was classic comfort food for a cold Edinburgh evening, and if the caraway nan tasted like particularly noxious cardboard, it was a small price to pay for an otherwise enjoyable dish.

My main course was more prosaic, but no less enjoyable. I had plumped for the bunless wild boar burger with game jus and chips so chunky they looked more like quartered potatoes. This is the house speciality, and it's easy to see why it has become such a firm favourite: succulent and tender, the meat had clearly not been hung for long and had a very subtle flavour, rather than the overwhelming tang you can get from boar that's too well hung.

So far so good. But if there was one downside, it was the puddings. Vast amounts of time had obviously been lavished on the preparation of Charlie's heather honey and almond bread-and-butter pudding with popcorn ice-cream, but found it a let-down. I chose the dark chocolate and cayenne pav, but simply couldn't eat a horribly dense slab of chocolate infused with bitter cayenne pepper, unground sugar granules and with a lard-like consistency. I took one spoonful and shuddered to a halt, and while I finished the orange sorbet accompanying it, that wasn't great either. There was no trace of orange flavour (although it is conceivable that the pav had simply overwhelmed all my senses).

This, though, was a relatively minor quibble after a meal that comfortably exceeded expectations. With superbly attentive service and a price tag that means eating here needn't be a treat, there's every chance that the next time I walk up Howe Street I might just pop in for something more substantial than a pint.

Vital statistics

Iglu

2b Jamaica Street, Edinburgh (0131-476 5333, www.theiglu.com)

Out of pocket

Two-course set menu (6pm-7pm) 10 Starters 4-6 Main courses 9-19 Puddings 4.50 Cheese 6

Rating 8/10

&#149 This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 14, 2010