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Chain restaurant Vapiano proves a most pleasant surprise
Culinary delights in the capital with Juliet Lawrence WilsonPizza, pasta, perfetta
VAPIANO
Vapiano, an international chain of Italian
restaurants certainly had a pre-pandemic appeal
for workers in Edinburgh’s city centre. A huge
barn of a place I can imagine it might be filled
with 30-year-old women who still call themselves
‘girls’ meeting for an after work dinner.
For that reason I wasn’t expecting to be as
utterly impressed with it as I was on my first
recent visit. Part of the attraction is that you can
order via an app and pay separately without
bill-splitting fuss but the main reason to go is
that the food and service are really good. They
do still allow server orders and ours was the
charming Simone all the way from Rome - a
true Italian with a winning smile.
The sourdough for the pizzas and hand made
pasta is all produced on site, and I can say
without doubt my pizza with its thin, crispy all
the way through base was the best I’ve tasted
since a holiday in Tuscany 30 years ago. I no
longer call myself a girl, by the way.
We also tried the Tagliatelle pasta with acognac sauce which was splendid in its unctuous
tomato creaminess. Even the side salad was
fresh, generous and beautifully dressed. You can
add options and extras to lots of the dishes. They
are sent out pretty fast, so it’s perfect for a treat
on a Christmas shopping break or even a proper
relaxed dinner. Pastas started at £8.45 and pizzas
at £10.45, which seemed good value considering
the quality and the city centre location.
Although we opted for the regular menu there
are always seasonal specials to choose from. Oh,
and they cater for vegans - who doesn’t? Thedrinks were on point too with a generously
poured Negroni being a highlight.
I’m often too full to eat dessert with dinner,
but their Tiramisu was as light as a feather, and
just the right amount to bring dinner to an
elegant finish.
The service was very friendly, something you
don’t get in all chain restaurants and certainly
not in all independents either, I might add.
Torneró presto, Vapiano!
7 South St David Street
vapiano.comHAUTE DOLCI
It seems as if hardly a day goes by without
another restaurant opening in the (what
seems still new) St James Quarter. At the
opening event for Haute Dolci they had a
rather charming magician. Could he magic
up some hospitality staff to work in all
these new joints? This new offering has a
prime spot at the Princes Street end of the
centre and the USP of being a dessert only
restaurant after 4pm.
As my daughter and I had opted to eat at
6pm it was sugar rush time. The sweet
offerings were plentiful and almost infinite,
as there are ‘build your own’ choices where
you can select how many scoops, which
flavours, toppings, sauces, sprinkles and
extras you would like. I had a sundae with
coconut ice cream, Raffaello chunks and
chocolate fudge sauce.
My Christmas party frocks looming, I
had a modest two scoops but I was drawn
to the potential indulgence. My daughter
had a milk chocolate fondue with all the
marshmallow, strawberry and other
confectionery dipping accoutrements you
could want. It was insane in scale. A mild
coronary waiting to happen.
For a beverage she chose the Chocolate
Avalanche Milkshake and I opted for a
tropical Mocktail. Everything was delicious,
sumptuous and beautifully presented, fit for
an Instagram photo.
Equally, the decor with its blush pink
banquet seating and gold light fittings is
what young women with lots of eyelashes
apparently call ‘bougie’. Those who know
me at all might be surprised I had a
‘mocktail’. No, I’m neither knocked up or
fresh out of rehab. Haute Dolci is, and
always will be, a no alcohol establishment.
Fair enough as this allows underage people
to be admitted later on in the evening and
also a proper going out place for those who,
for whatever reason, don’t like to be around
the inebriated. I once made a rather show
of my self in the Van Gogh Museum in
Amsterdam after scoffing a large pistachio
ice cream cone and even my then ‘four
sheets to the wind’ boyfriend was taken
aback, so too much sugar can come with its
own humiliations. If the sugar fairy and a
healthy cardiovascular system are your
friends then Haute Dolci is for you.
St James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AD
Hautedolci.co.uk