The ReformLabels: restaurant, food, eating outReviewer: Andrew Date: 16/11/2005 Rating: 5/5 Location: Google Maps Address: 267 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8BQ The Reform is a fabulous restaurant. This review is based on my second visit to the restaurant and I think, in general, it is easier for a restaurant to impress on the first visit than on the second. I'm not a foodie and I would not normally pay a premium just for posh food in a posh environment. Although The Reform charges more than I would normally pay, it doesn't charge much more, and the food is so good it is easily to justify it. A meal for two; with starter, desert and desert wine (oh, and a bottle of wine at about £20) came to a grand total of £100. It was a special occasion for us and well worth it. The Reform is down to earth. You can dress up or be fairly causal. The Reform also manages to be spacious and yet fairly intimate. To be fair, The Reform is more spacious than it is intimate as it is well let and has open tables - however, it's cleverly spaced and tables do seem private. I'm a meat eater and suffice to say The Reform caters to my needs very well. My girlfriend is a strict vegetarian and really dislikes those restaurants which simply supply one token vegetarian option. The Reform excels here and on each visit has provided a tempting set of choices for the veggies. One note of caution here is that menu changes every month. Heck; that's not much of a cautionary note! That's pretty good news. The vegetarian restaurant nearby, David Banns, does not seem to change their menu at all and we're both now fed up of it. The vegetarian meal started off with Scottish field mushroom with risotto. Risotto can also often become a bit boring but The Reform managed to get the mix of spice and surprise exactly right. Veggie haggis followed and once again, despite being a common veggie offering, this was exceptionally good. The meat-eater's meal began with a starter of chicken curry (interesting!) and then rib-eye steak. Both meals finished with the unmissable and extraordinary good chilli chocolate mouse. The Reform is remarkably clever with its food. Even if the item looks familiar on the menu you can except to be pleasantly surprised. The Reform is also clever with its look and feel. Small wins matter here - salt and pepper is provided alongside a splash of oil in what must actually be a stone candle holder. It just looks right. The paintings which decorate the walls are simple on the first glance but striking and clever on the second - very much like The Reform's own food offering. I've found the service in The Reform to be first class. You're looked after. Questions are answered kindly, you're waited on quickly and (this is important for me) there is always a pleasant buzz and smiles all round. I think it's a terrible shame that The Reform does not have wider critical acclaim. |