Restaurant review: Porto & Fi, Edinburgh

WE are planning a family dinner out, which means catering for two children, a vegetarian and a meat eater.

Porto & Fi. Picture: Neil Hanna

Porto & Fi

47 Newhaven Main Street
0131-551 1900

So, looking for a child-friendly spot that doesn’t involve pizza or golden arches, we decide on family-run deli and bistro Porto & Fi in Newhaven.

There is a separate children’s menu, offering a drink, with a choice of fish goujons, sausage and mash, penne pasta, or a mini burger, finishing off with an ice-cream cone, all for £5.95.

Elder daughter’s penne with Napolitana sauce isn’t the most inspiring dish, but younger’s fish goujons and curly fries get a thumbs-up.

My husband starts with the crushed chickpea and feta served with aubergine ragu and pitta bread (£5.95). It is beautifully presented on a long wooden platter in a couple of Le Creuset-style serving dishes. Succulent blobs of feta melt into a little pond of chickpea hummus, while chunks of aubergine in a rich tomato sauce are the perfect contrast.

I go for the hot flaked smoked salmon with beetroot, rocket and horseradish cream (£6.95). The salmon is excellent and the cheery little cubes of beetroot have a lovely balsamic dressing.

Next up is the homemade veggie burger with chilli jam for my husband, which is presented on a brioche bun with a decent mixed salad topped with olives, sweet potato wedges and a small pot of beetroot-infused coleslaw. My pan-fried hake (£12.50) looks equally good, with the fillet perched atop a bed of green beans, shredded savoy cabbage and finely chopped pancetta in a red wine sauce. A swirl of potato puree wraps around it with a drizzle of sauce through its middle. The balance here is just right with the rich, fruity sweetness of the sauce working beautifully with the greens and creamy potato.

It isn’t often that you get such a good mix of children’s options, decent vegetarian choices and a touch of fine bistro dining under one roof, but that’s what you can expect here.