Edinburgh: Fiddlers Arms pub

Our last meal out in Edinburgh was at the Fiddlers Arms on the corner of the West Port and the Grassmarket.  I had noticed that they did a Vegan Fish and Chips and I wanted some traditional pub grub in Edinburgh before we left.  I remember it being Bar Alba on previous visits but cannot remember what the pub was when we lived in the West Port or if we went there.

When we arrived just before 12pm, we were asked to come back in 15 minutes because we were there too early for lunch.  The staff were friendly and the decor was a lot of no-nonsense wood.  Wooden floorboards, wooden bar, wooden ceiling, wooden tables and chairs and thick stone walls, with just a touch of purple wallpaper.  Most of the colour was from the beer taps and national flags to make people feel patriotic as they watch the sport on the large screen tvs.  We were there to eat and watch what was going on out the window.  I would have loved to hear some live traditional music but not sure Sylvia would have enjoyed it.

My Vegan Fish and Chips were served with garden peas, tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon.  The 'fish' was made with banana blossom which was flaky like fish I used to have as a child.  It was fried in a beautiful golden beer batter and looked amazing.

I was surprised at how much vegan fish I was served.  Maybe this was because I am wary of mock fish and mock meat at the best of times.  I found it hard to eat because it was eerily like the flake in batter that I ate a lot as a kid from fish and chip shops.  When E first came to Australia from Scotland and discovered that flake was shark, he was very amused to be having a shark supper!

I spoke to the waitress about this when she asked how we were going.  She very reassuringly told me that the batter on the vegan fish looked quite different to that on the haddock so there was no chance of confusing them.  Yet my brain was confused by how much it took me back to eating flake, even if it didn't taste really fishy.  But it was great to try it.  I just could not eat that much of it.  

The chips were very nice and the tartare sauce was a nice accompaniment to the vegan fish.  I would have preferred mushy peas because they are so British and also because they don't tease the fork as they roll around the plate.

Unlike me, Sylvia has no sentimental memories of flake and batter with chips in her childhood.  She ordered the The Meadows Sandwich with Buffallo mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, green pesto, red onions and lettuce.  Each sandwich came with a crispy artisan ciabatta with fries and salad garnish.  She enjoyed her lunch.  It was good she could choose truffle and parmesan fries with it but was she wanted more truffle and more parmesan flavours.  (Funny how no one in the UK says fish and fries.  It is always chips.  But I assume fries is used more now for the American tourists.)

We shared a fizzy water with our meal.  I should add that there were a good amount of vegetarian options, including haggis, bangers and mash, mac n cheese, and a beyond beef burger.

Although we had plenty of our main meal, it was our last day in Edinburgh and our last chance to have that traditional Scottish delicacy, the Deep Fried Mars Bar.  So we shared one for dessert.  Anyone who has had a deep fried mars bar from a Chippie will know how ugly they are.  Sylvia wanted to have one here because she had seen photos online of how beautifully presented they were.

The deep fried marsh bar was beautifully battered with a skewer to hold it.  They are always so hot to hold with your hands.  We had two served with ice cream, cream, raspberries and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.  Now that is a stylish deep fried mars bar!  They tasted rich and decadent and less trashy than your average fish and chip shop offering.

We were so full when we left.  All the deep fried food!  We headed back to our apartment on the West Port and I did some packing, checking all the gifts I had bought.  Then I went for a long walk over the Mound to Princes Street and up Cockburn Street to check I had not missed any nut roast ready meals at Marks & Spencer (thank goodness there were none as I was so full) and fill the gaps in my gifts.  I even bought a last minute hairy coo t-shirt.  I really needed that walk after my lunch.  

One of the last photos I took in Edinburgh was the Fiddlers Arms in the dark as I came back to our apartment in the late afternoon.  It was a great place to end all the food adventures of our holiday.

The Fiddlers Arms
9-11 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HY
Open: Sun-Wed 12pm-12am, Thurs-Sat 12pm-1am.
https://www.thefiddlersarms.com/