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Wednesday, 25th July 2007

Food & Drink

Fri=20 8 Jun 2007

=20

ELEGANT SURROUNDINGS: And if anything takes = your fancy=20 while you are eating, you can put in a bid for it

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Shapes is shaping up nicely

FINLAY WILSON ( )

DECADENT interiors and fine dining are not so hard to come by in the = Athens=20 of the north, either in town old or new, nor increasingly further = afield.

Nonetheless, it is fair to assume that Sighthill Industrial Estate = won't be=20 on the radar of many diners who appreciate quality food and wine in a = grandiose=20 setting. Welcome, then, to Shapes.

Tucked away improbably just off Bankhead Avenue, Shapes is an = interesting=20 concept, combining a bespoke furniture store, interior design services, = antiques=20 and monthly auctions - and an incredibly seductive restaurant.

The beauty to be found within this opulent dining space is all the = more=20 remarkable for its unlikely setting.

THE BILL

=E2=80=A2 Arbroath Smokie Mousse with Lemon and Caper Vinaigrette = =C2=A35.75
=E2=80=A2 Gullane=20 Asparagus Spears with Parma Ham, Scottish Goats cheese and Lemon Olive = Oil =C2=A36.50=20
=E2=80=A2 Aberdeen Angus with Black Pepper & Creamed Horseradish = =C2=A317.50
=E2=80=A2=20 Pan Fried Fillet of Sutherland Venison, Braised Savoy Cabbage, Grain = Mustard=20 Pomme Puree & Honeyed Shallots =C2=A318.50
=E2=80=A2 Crispy = Fillet of Wild Scottish=20 Salmon, Smoked Haddock and Parsley Risotto, and Salsa Verde Dressing = =C2=A318
=E2=80=A2=20 Islay Whisky Ice Cream Parfait with Gingered Plums =C2=A36
=E2=80=A2 = Sticky Toffee=20 Pudding with Toffee Sauce =C2=A36
=E2=80=A2 Glass of white wine = =C2=A33.70
=E2=80=A2 Large glass=20 of white wine =C2=A34.70
=E2=80=A2 Bottle of house red =C2=A314 =
=E2=80=A2 Bottle of water =C2=A33
=E2=80=A2=20 Ginger beer =C2=A32
=E2=80=A2 2 x Espresso =C2=A35
=E2=80=A2 = Cognac =C2=A33.50
Total=20 =C2=A3114.15

Quality of food ****
Menu choice ***
Surroundings **** =
Service=20 ****
Price ****

Marble, high ceilings, great lighting and, not so easy this, tasteful = background music pitched at just the right volume all add to the sensual = onslaught.

Though first impressions may edge towards the chintzy, once settled = into your=20 incredibly comfortable seat and attended to by staff who know exactly = what they=20 are about, any thoughts of the overly gaudy will be lost immediately in = an=20 incredibly calming atmosphere. It would appear no shortage of know-how = in=20 creating a relaxing room for gastronomic indulgence has been at work = here.

And the food itself is simply tremendous (head chef Bryan Inglis = previously=20 worked at The Golf Inn, Gullane).

Two glasses of perfectly chilled Pino Grigio first oiled the wheels = of this=20 particular dining juggernaut, with two starters in quick pursuit.

My Arbroath smokie mousse with lemon and caper vinaigrette was light, = hugely=20 refreshing and perfectly presented, with the mousse worthy of high = praise in its=20 own right.

Fee opted for Gullane asparagus spears with parma ham, Scottish = goats' cheese=20 and lemon olive oil. This would generally be a winning combination, but = when the=20 ingredients are as fresh and of the quality presented here, then a dish = really=20 worth reckoning with is to be had.

The asparagus was perfectly cooked, with crunch in abundance, setting = the=20 tone for what was to follow.

Our ten-year-old passed on the starters, but the fresh bread and = butter=20 served up seemed to disappear at an impressive rate.

When starters are so good, mains can often disappoint but my fillet = steak was=20 faultless, 10oz of char-grilled Aberdeen Angus with black pepper and = creamed=20 horse-radish.

Ordered medium-to-rare, it arrived just so, cooked to perfection and=20 literally dripping with sensational flavour. Helped down with the house = red, a=20 robust Merlot, this turned out to be the sort of meal which you want to = last=20 forever.

Fee had the pan-fried fillet of Sutherland venison, which came with = braised=20 savoy cabbage, grain mustard pomme puree and honeyed shallots. This was = suitably=20 rich and succulent and the flavours worked a treat together, though in = truth I=20 was too engrossed in my own offering to over scrutinise a competing meat = dish.=20

With only four mains to choose from, our youngster wasn't exactly = spoiled for=20 choice but she excelled herself in adventurous eating and decided to try = the=20 crispy fillet of wild Scottish salmon, smoked haddock and parsley = risotto, with=20 salsa verde dressing.

And this despite some younger French diners on the adjoining table = happily=20 tucking into helpings of chips and parma ham - so much for stereotyping = the=20 eating habits of the Auld Alliance nations.

The lure of chips did nothing to dampen Maisie's enthusiasm for the = grown up=20 fare on offer, however, and so another impressive dish was duly = dispatched,=20 helped by a particularly refreshing ginger beer.

The salmon, like everything else sampled, was cooked to perfection = and the=20 risotto added extra punch without detracting from the main attraction. =

The vegetables which accompanied all our mains were of a similarly = high=20 standard and the ideal complement; fresh, crunchy and full of natural = goodness.=20

Too often in restaurants, many of them highly regarded, vegetables = arrive on=20 a side dish overcooked and lifeless, their natural attributes boiled, = steamed or=20 micro-waved out of them. No such basic pitfalls here.

Failing to indulge in further consumption after such faultless = cuisine would=20 surely represent a deadly sin, so Islay whisky ice cream parfait with = gingered=20 plums followed for me - another big hit - while Maisie rewarded her = healthy=20 eating and kept her sweet tooth sweet by ordering sticky toffee pudding = with=20 toffee sauce - "the best I've ever had".

The Chocolate Nemesis, an Inglis speciality by all accounts, will = have to be=20 sampled next time.

Espressos and the odd cognac put the finishing touches to a memorable = meal,=20 in which the hardest task of the evening was lifting three sated bodies = from=20 their intensely comfortable surrounds.

The only hiccup was an overly long wait between courses, though the = excellent=20 staff were quick to apologise, explaining that a sizeable party in the = private=20 room had led to a backlog in the kitchen. And to be honest, it was worth = the=20 wait.

Until just this week, Shapes restaurant has been operating as = something of a=20 private members club, with non-members only able to dine on certain = evenings.=20

However, it is now open to all, Monday-Saturday, and adopting a more=20 bistro-style approach with food available between 9am and 6pm.

If last Saturday's meal is anything to go by, this is one out-of-town = eatery=20 well worth going the extra mile for.

Auctions of less edible fare are held on the first Saturday of every = month=20 (next one, July 7) with viewings available beforehand.

=E2=80=A2 Shapes, Sighthill Industrial Estate, 0131- 453 3222, http://www.shapesrestaurant.c= o.uk/

This article:=20 http://living.scotsman.com/food.cfm?id=3D899882007

Last updated: 08-Jun-07 16:40 BST

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