A Ricks Birthday Celebration

Twenty two years ago life as we know it changed forever as the beautiful Frankie Taylor entered the world ready to make her mark. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting this little monkey till I was 13, but ever since then we really have been the best of friends. Birthdays are all about reminiscing, gossiping and laughing till your stomach hurts, so last night a big group of us got together to do exactly that. 

We all met for dinner at Ricks, a boutique hotel with a buzzing restaurant in the centre of Edinburgh. Ricks is part of the Montpelier Group, which is a group of restaurants, nightclubs and hotels in Edinburgh, all of which have the same chic, quirky and stylish feel. 

 

The atmosphere is relaxed but buzzing, so for any type of celebration you can’t really go wrong. I had my 21^st birthday in Tigerlily, another one of the Montpelier restaurants and it really could not have been a better night. The service was fantastic, the food was great and the atmosphere really could not have been better. 

The Montpelier group do a great deal in all of their restaurants that is 2 courses for £10, or 2 courses for £15 in the ‘Mother’ of the group, Tigerlily. I have seen the food at Ricks described as ‘posh pub grub’, ‘small portions’ and even ‘average’ (pretty harsh) on a number of other food blogs, but with this kind of price I don’t think you can really go expecting Michelin quality. I definitely think that for what you pay the food really is fantastic.

We all enjoyed a glass of wine as we mulled over the menu.

I started off with the Chicken Liver Parfait which came with toasted brioche and Onion Confit.

Parfait is one of my all time favourite starters and I always struggle to choose anything else when I spot it on the menu. I must say that although this dish was nice, the brioche tasted a little stale. It wasn’t enough to stop me eating it or make a complaint, but I definitely think that it could have been better.

A few of the others went for the Vegetable Tempura with Wasabi Mayo which seemed to be pretty tasty.

Others went for the Smoked haddock fish cake with lime and caper crème fraiche which also got good reviews.

For the main course I went for the Crayfish, Lemon and Spring Onion Linguine. I’m not a big pasta eater so this was quite a rash choice for me. I must say though that it was absolutely delicious. I might even go as far to say that it was so scrumptious that it may even have turned me from my anti pasta ways... but only time will tell.

The burger looked pretty great as well, but I must admit that I had had one the night before so I had resisted going in for the kill two nights in a row. 

The waitress did however make a bit of a mistake with our order. The completely wrong thing was brought over to one of the girls for the main course. We all agreed that people make mistakes and that it wasn’t really a big problem at all. However what we were all really disappointed about was the way it was handled. Not only was the waitress completely unapologetic; she actually accused my friend of not knowing what the dish was, blaming her for the mistake. It wasn’t until the manager came over that any apology was offered, and to which he did apologise profusely. The correct dish did eventually arrive, and was subsequently removed from the bill. This wouldn’t put me off returning at all, but it is definitely worthy of pointing out. 

All in all Frankle had a fabulous little birthday, and we all carried on chattering and giggling long after the plates were cleared. I have no doubt that there will be many more birthdays celebrated together over the years to come, and it’s really exciting to think where we will all be this time next year...I guess all that can be said is watch this space.

Sushiya Edinburgh

The best sushi I have ever eaten was in New York, and since then I have never found anything that has lived up to this standard...until now. Sushiya is somewhere I have been meaning to visit for ages. It is my sisters favourite restaurant in Edinburgh, and after visiting tonight I can now say it is mine too. Before going i ploughed through review after review after review, all of which arrived at the same conclusion. That sushiya really do serve up the best sushi that Edinburgh has to offer. This little gem even held its own against the likes of the Michelin starred Castle Terrace restaurant, making the cut as one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh according to The Guardians Johnathon Jones. 

My sister Catherine is a complete and utter sushi junky; she can’t get enough of the stuff. While I love sushi too, I could never compete with this fishy connoisseur. Seeing as this was Caths playground, I let her make the decisions. We decided to share everything, always the best way to do things. We started off with the Rainbow roll, a little salmon, tuna and avocado creation topped with a little mayo and a dollop of fish eggs. Yum yum yum!

Ofcourse, whats sushi without soy sauce. I loved that it came in this little pot, and that spicy mixture went down a treat as well.

The Dragon Roll was my favourite, filled with tempura prawn and topped with avocado. It was so soft, juicy and utterly moreish! I could have easily eaten plates and plates of these bad boys.

 

It required serious concentration.

I loved that this little prawn tail was left sticking out the end. Such a fabulous touch. Seeing as it was my first time I was allowed to call dibs on this cheeky piece.

I feel that so many people say 'I hate sushi' before they have even tried the real deal. Supermarket sushi and Yo sushi do not count. These are fast food, processed bad boys; the mcdonalds of the sushi world if you like. If you fall into this category of sushi eaters, be adventurous and get yourself some proper sushi. Sushiya sushi to be precise! You wont be let down. 

We ordered some little smoked salmon and avocado maki as well. (You maki me hungry) These little bitesized guys were truly scrumptious, and the perfect extra to fill that final hole.

The smoked salmon and avocado hand roll was really just for Catherine, but is'nt it just so pretty.

We demolished the lot and were left craving more. We did however both agree though that its so nice to leave a restaurant not feeling stuffed! One of my most hated feelings. We left feeling satisfied, and brimming with excitement to come back. Full marks and nothing but a fab review for you Sushiya!

It’s a small wee place with only seven tables, so if you’re planning a visit it’s a good idea to book. You would struggle to walk in and get a table on any day of the week, so make sure you aren’t left disappointed. 

You'll find this little gem at 19 Dalry Road, Edinburgh. Go on you know you want to...and don't forgot to let me know what you think!