'The Collab' - Six independent Edinburgh hospitality venues join forces to support each other

Six independent Edinburgh businesses have joined forces to support each other through the coronavirus pandemic and create the ultimate food experience for the capital’s residents.
Burger by Dirty accompanied by a Negroni from the Mother Superior.Burger by Dirty accompanied by a Negroni from the Mother Superior.
Burger by Dirty accompanied by a Negroni from the Mother Superior.

‘The Collab’ is a hospitality venture spearheaded by Dirty and The Mother Superior bar, two independent Leith based businesses that opened earlier this year.

Other restaurants confirmed in the collaboration are the Pakora Bar, Café Domenico, Mariachi and Lish Dish Pies.

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Together, they will create the ‘ultimate’ munchie box featuring staples from each of the restaurants, accompanied by cocktails made by the team at The Mother Superior.

Dirty burger.Dirty burger.
Dirty burger.

The first event will be held on the first weekend of December in The Mother Superior, and it will continue once a month thereafter with each participating venue hosting the

collaboration once.

Ordering details are yet to be released but customers are encouraged to keep an eye on social media and pre-book their munchie boxes to avoid disappointment.

Paul, 43, who wishes to keep his surname private, opened Dirty earlier this year ‘for a laugh’ and had only intended to serve for a month but was blown away by its popularity.

A cocktail from the Mother Superior accompanying a Dirty burger.A cocktail from the Mother Superior accompanying a Dirty burger.
A cocktail from the Mother Superior accompanying a Dirty burger.

He said: “It went crazy overnight. When lockdown kicked in, we had to introduce pre-ordering because we couldn’t keep up with Just Eat and the drivers.”

Serving exclusively high-end, Wagyu beef, Paul likes to experiment with his menu offering unusual culinary concepts. In the past these have included burritos featuring a

shepherd’s pie filling and another with haggis, neeps and tatties.

Jane Nolan, 31, owner of The Mother Superior opened the doors to her bar on July 17, 2020.

'Dirty Donkey' - Shepard's pie burrito by Dirty.'Dirty Donkey' - Shepard's pie burrito by Dirty.
'Dirty Donkey' - Shepard's pie burrito by Dirty.
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She said: “We’re whisky influenced but we’ve become famous for our slushies. We’re going to be a live music venue when we can, because whisky and rock and roll is obviously a

great combination.

“And when it’s worth hiring a chef, we’ll be offering Cajun Creole style food”

The pair struck up a friendship when Paul started drinking in The Mother Superior. They ‘drunkenly’ decided to collaborate with an event, ‘Dirty Mother’ in September which sold out

in just four hours.

Jane continued: “Paul doesn’t have an alcohol licence and I do, and I have a big kitchen but no chef, so we decided to move him in there so we could tackle both sides of booze

and food.

“And also, it means that we have some company as well, because otherwise we’re both just working solo, when normally our businesses have people in them.

“It’s nice to have a little banter even if we still have to do social distancing.”

Neither business has received any government support during the pandemic despite applying.

‘The Collab’ was born based on the thought that there had to be other local businesses in the same situation who needed help.

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Jane said: “We’re trying to drum up support ourselves by helping each other out. We don’t want things to become a competition and so instead we’re working together.”

She added: “Eventually, when people can freely move and go out again, the hope is that they might get excited by this and venture down to Leith.

“Which also will then help other businesses around here because people aren’t just going to come for two places.

“We’re definitely thinking about this project having future benefits too.”

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