Menu - The Dogs

I came here on the recommendation from the Lonely Planet guide. This restaurant is simple in decor and they have a menu that must change often (I did not see an... read more I came here on the recommendation from the Lonely Planet guide. This restaurant is simple in decor and they have a menu that must change often (I did not see any of the dishes in the previous photos posted on Yelp). The menu is small and all of the dishes are very good. I had stopped by earlier in the day to make a reservation for later in the evening and was a little put off by the host, who gave me attitude for simply asking if I could make a booking. I don't know exactly why. But the server in the evening was lovely. I was a little disappointed that some of the dishes I had seen in the previous Yelp reviews were not on the menu. I felt lost when ordering without photos to guide me! I enjoyed what I ordered nonetheless. I ordered the beetroot gazpacho and the mackerel pate. Both were excellent. The gazpacho was slightly sweet and was the consistency of applesauce. My friend ordered the pigeon, which was surprisingly very good as well! As in the description I read, this place specializes in unusual meats... Overall, this restaurant is an unusual find with excellent food!

The Dogs came highly recommended to us but I wasn't impressed. We started off with the bread and butter (a menu item, not gratis). The butter was unsalted and r... read more The Dogs came highly recommended to us but I wasn't impressed. We started off with the bread and butter (a menu item, not gratis). The butter was unsalted and relatively flavorless. While the bread was fresh and wet with an interesting whole grain color and texture, it also was bland tasting. The ox liver pate on toast was absolutely delicious the best thing of the night [A+ . The pig ear salad was very small in size and went big on the red onions while the pig ear itself was chewy and tasteless. I ordered the haggis, which was good but the turnip mash it came with was even better. My dad ordered the fish n' chips, which I tried and gave the thumbs up for the fish. The pea mash it came with was very salty but still yummy. The chips themselves were just average. For dessert, we did the bread and butter pudding with custard, which had a nice sauce and wasn't too sweet. The ambiance is quiet, homely, a bit cramped, and very dimly lit. It was a nice dinner, but didn't quite compare to the very high food quality I've found at other Edinburgh restaurants such as Treacle, Olive Branch Bistro, and Devil's Advocate.