Review written February 2010

Fresh, simple, tasty

POPULATED WITH SHOPPERS AND OFFICE WORKERS BY DAY, AND DRINKERS AND PARTY-GOERS BY NIGHT; ROSE STREET IS PROBABLY NOT THE FIRST PLACE YOU WOULD GO LOOKING FOR FRESH, QUALITY SEASONAL FOOD. HOWEVER, NEW VENTURE PICKLED GREEN MIGHT MAKE YOU THINK AGAIN.

Opened by a Scotsman and a Belgian in December 2009, Pickled Green aims to serve fresh, simple and tasty food in relaxed and friendly surroundings. Not only that, they are endeavouring to use as many seasonal and locally produced ingredients as possible, sourced from regional suppliers. With more and more of us taking an interest in fresh, sustainable food;, this should be a recipe for success.

One big perk straight away is the price; the lunch and dinner menus (£7.50/£9.50 2/3 courses at lunchtime and £9.50/£12.50 at dinner) offer amazing value. Seated in the bright and airy upstairs restaurant, my companion tucked into a hearty sweet potato soup and I tried homemade duck ‘ham’, with sourdough toast and zingy celeriac remoulade which was rich and delicate.

But the best was yet to come - the most wonderfully delicious chowder I have eaten in a very long time. A fillet of haddock on firm new potatoes, slices of leek and perfectly soft mussels; in a soup that cleverly managed to be creamy without being too rich. I love chowder.

This meant the red onion and goat’s cheese tart had a hard act to follow. Despite unctuous cheese, and perfectly sweet onions, there was not enough on the plate to make it seem substantial; particularly when up against the fierce competition from across the table. Did I mention I liked the chowder?

For pudding, we sampled a sweet yet tangy apple strudel with caramel ice cream and some healthier poached rhubarb, yogurt and granola. The strudel’s pancake wrapper kept it light and the rhubarb was just the right balance of sugary and sharp to complement the yogurt. Topped off with great coffee, we were impressed.

Open for breakfast and lunch all week, dinner at the weekends and take away, these guys have given themselves a lot to do - but they seem to be doing it. Fresh, simple and tasty food at great prices doesn’t get much better.