The Grain Store

Victoria Street

visited 27/9/08

What's not to love about the Grain Store? A lovely stone-arched room, friendly service and a menu that helpful excludes anything you might not want to eat. A wonderful piece of fish or meat, perfectly cooked with some minor, but thoughtful accompaniment (venison with beetroot, for example). And now's the time to go with all that game in season. The cooking isn't complicated, but it's very accurate. I had grouse--wonderful flavour, very tender. And they make it easy for you--things cooked on the bone have the tricky stuff removed before it gets to the table. There's a stock of old favourites for starters--oysters, smoked salmon, a clean well-flavoured pea soup with tasty bits of ham, and a risotto they're particularly good at whatever it has in it. Then you get to chose from a profusion of things that you'd go for on any menu.

Puddings are not currently quite as in season at the Grain Store as they have been in previous days. Gone is the pear tarte tatin that was so better than much more expensive versions elsewhere. But they're all good and the cheese is generous and well-chosen.

Wines tend to vanish from the Grain Store's cellar, but we had a superior Gigondas for the same price as the more generic Cotes du Rhone we asked for, and it was very, very nice.

What's not to love about the Grain Store? They no longer give you that dish of roasted vegetables that my friends and I have come to know and love. There is no game that is not better for a roasted spud and carrot. I wish they would bring it back. And they seem to have abandoned their prix fixe menu--one of the best deals in Edinburgh--so I can't afford to go as often. The Grain Store is great, but has slightly lost its distinctive character,