Why Stockbridge Eating House might be the perfect place for date night
Is it really a date night until you've watched your beloved chew on a fish eyeball? I'm only partly joking. There's something irresistible about the informality of sharing a big fish across a little table and the team at Stockbridge Eating House know it.
Today's catch is a huge whole John Dory. It's beautifully grilled, the flesh sweet and delicate, and served with generous wedges of braised fennel, piles of nutty ratte potatoes, all doused in a wild garlic butter.
'I love watching couples take care of the flip,' says restaurant manager Eddie as we work together to turn over the fish. It's a two-person job and we manage it without splashing butter or fish bones on ourselves or neighbouring diners, so I'll call that a win. 'Sharing plates' in common restaurant parlance has come to mean lots of little dishes, often awkward to actually share (half a langoustine anyone?).
With this muckle beauty of a fish I'm reminded it can also mean simply sharing a dish that would genuinely be too much for one person. Delicate eating this is not, but it's joyful, fun and delicious, and I'm here for it.
Stockbridge Eating House is a new venture from Dale Mailley, formerly of the much-missed Gardeners Cottage and The Lookout on Calton Hill. The venue was for decades Bell's Diner, and in tribute to its legacy of burgers and good times, Mailley has kept the iconic sign above the door and the cheery yellow exterior.
The whitewashed interior is simply decked out with three long communal tables covered in red-checked tablecloths, plus a handful of seats in the window concealed from the street by little cafe curtains. At a squeeze there's room for 30, and squeezing in is all part of the fun.
The menu changes daily, with seafood from David Lowrie in Fife, and meat from Stockbridge butcher George Bowers and the Balcaskie Estate. On-the-bone cooking and following the Scottish game calendar are culinary priorities for Mailley. The starters are fresh and uncomplicated and mostly served with toast. We go for whipped cod's roe, a pleasing smooth and salty mound to dip and scoop, served with crunchy raw radishes, then meltingly tender cured wild trout: unfussy with dill and a spritz of lemon, and a scoop of horseradish sauce.
This evening there are two individual main courses: a whole mackerel with sprouting broccoli, or mutton chops with potato gratin. There are also two choices designed to share: the aforementioned mighty John Dory and a plate of veal chops, piled high with hand-cut beef dripping chips and mustard sauce. That's it. It's a simple and honest menu, chalked up daily – and put on Instagram every morning in case diners want a teaser.
Short menus are, to me, a signal that a chef has confidence in their offering and is prioritising seasonal produce. An overly long restaurant menu makes me assume the kitchen has a very large freezer. Here I love seeing how the day's produce pops up in different dishes across the menu.
(Image: Stockbridge Eating House) Our fennel is slowly braised in vermouth, it also appears in a shaved salad that I spy accompanying the chops for our table mates. It's exactly as it should be – today's freshest ingredients used creatively across the menu, before something different arrives the next day to take its place.
On the sideboard, there are a handful of red wines open, and the same again of whites, a cava and a Champagne chilling in a bucket of ice. All the wines come by the glass, generously poured into tall, chunky wine glasses at the table. It's like being at a very well-stocked house party.
Puddings tonight are rice pudding with blood orange, Morbier cheese with honeycomb, and a sorbet. The rice pudding is outstanding, gently chilled and very creamy, the zesty pop of poached orange providing a lovely lift.
It's very simple and that's all part of the charm. If tasting menus and small plates have left you feeling jaded (or hungry), let a trip to Stockbridge Eating House remind you of the joy of eating out.
This convivial restaurant, with excellent service and hearty delicious cooking, is Scottish hospitality at its best. Servings are generous and prices very fair for the quality ingredients and culinary skill on display.
Stockbridge Eating House also currently offers a complete steal of a weekday set lunch: a dish of the day, plus bread, charcuterie, salad, chips, pudding and a coffee for £14.95. Form an orderly queue.
A la carte lunch and dinner menu from £36 for two courses. Set lunch £14.95
7 St Stephen St, Edinburgh EH3 5AN
stockbridgeeatinghouse.co.uk
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