The Shed

On the second time I am here, I had the Queenie scallops with Gruyere cheese as a starter. You get 5 scallops with the Gruyere cheese grilled until crispy. The scallops were cooked nicely and the grilled cheese do provide a texture which goes well with the scallops. For the main, I ordered seabass paella and calamari. You get 2 small pieces of seabass shallow fried and 2 deep fried large calamari rings. These 2 provided good crunchy texture for the paella. The paella I thought was slightly overcooked. It may have been cooked beforehand and left too long. There were some large lumpy bits which suggested that and should have been seasoned slightly more. However buried deep within the paella, there were more small calamari and mussels which surprised me and made this plate more valuable. All the seafood highlighted here were all fresh and tasted clean.

We decided to take the in-laws out for tea at The Potting Shed. I have visited a few times and I am a definite fan! With it's quirky interior and great food it's guaranteed to be a winner with guests. The five of us were seated in the back section that resembles a lawn, including park benches. So quaint! I ordered a coffee and David selected from the wide variety of pints they have on offer, settling on the Vital Spark. They feature local breweries and well as more random and unusual brands and can be ordered in the more sophisticated size of a schooner (2/3 pint). Service was quick and efficient and we were soon ordering our food. Going straight for the mains I selected the seabass with paella, calamari and gazpacho. David went for the burger. Not long passed until our food arrived and it came beautifully presented, definitely more refined then your usual pub grub. My fish was cooked beautifully and the gazpacho dressing was very zingy and flavoursome. David's burger was good and hearty and came with a fantastic coleslaw! I was slightly jealous I hadn't ordered the lamb as Jen's looked magnificent! We managed to squeeze in a dessert and I'm glad I did. The Potting Shed Windfall. It featured chocolate soil tumbling out of a terracotta pot and was packed with nuts and raisins. The sour cherry ice cream it came with complimented it beautifully. A definite favourite for me and I'll be back again soon!!

The Potting Shed is a bit of an unusual place. It 's not really hipster, it 's not really old man pub, and it 's not quite gastro brasserie. It has a slightly strange comic-book garden shed styling which makes me feels a bit like being in a novelty restaurant at a theme park. It didn 't offend me but it is a bit odd. What it does have going for it is a decent selection of craft beer and surprisingly good food. As seems to be the norm these days, there is a large menu on the wall with a selection of beers served in schooners. I can never pick but the server was happy to offer suggestions. We got a bread basket as a 'little snack ' to keep us going. It was really a tray of 3 substantial bread rolls and olives. It was bready. I ate a lot of bread and immediately regretted it. For main course I had venison and haggis. It was exactly the type of warming winter dish you want. The meat was melt in your mouth and covered in a rich dark sauce. It wasn 't cheap at £16 but I didn 't feel bad about paying it. Dessert I had a chocolate cannoli and my friend had 'deconstructed peanut-butter cheesecake '. Deconstructed desserts are a bit passé, but although my cannoli was fine I did have some pudding envy. Overall I really enjoyed the food and I had some nice beers. I think The Potting Shed would be better if it was a bit less gimmicky and just kept things simple, but I 'd be happy to come back.

The Potting Shed is that handy place to get some dinner before pre-theatre/ballet and the food is good too. It resembles a potting shed inside and holds lots of pots and other garden implements with a shed feel. It's quite quirky! The food has been simple and tasty on the last two occasions, but the service has been quite slow, especially when trying to pay for the bill. That's only my one quibble. Otherwise everything ticks the boxes. The staff are always professional and friendly (yes you can get both! ; I'll be back as I've said the food is good, and the location is just round from the Edinburgh Festival Theatre!

Came here for dinner with a friend last spring. Was a bit pricey for a handful of tapas-style dishes, but it was all really good, so I'd say it was well worth it! The decor offers something different. It's definitely a trendy place with an outdoorsy feel. My friend and I (we're in our early 20's) really liked the vibe. We ordered the hake with spun potato and burnt onion ketchup. This was a really delicious dish, and very aesthetically pleasing! The mussel popcorn with aioli was awesome. I'd never had mussel popcorn before, and I really enjoyed it--the mussels were lightly fried and nicely crisped. The rump of lamb was also quite nice, very tender, and accompanied by a fresh mint sauce. For a nice but causal meal out in Edinburgh, I'd definitely recommend The Potting Shed!