First Class lunch at First Coast, Edinburgh

On Saturday, I went along with a group of friends to First Coast restaurant on Dalry Road in Edinburgh for lunch. Bearing in mind that fifteen of us landed on them with very little warning, and some of us had to get away by a specific time to catch trains etc, they coped very well.

I'd eaten in there once before and had enjoyed my meal. We virtually all had the lunch and early evening menu. I'd never heard of Ling before, but decided to be adventurous and try it. It's a member of the cod family, apparently and it was served with Puy Lentils and a mustard dressing with some roasted cherry tomatoes on the side. 

Normally, I'd consider cooked, whole tomatoes to be the Food of the Devil. However, as I pushed them to the side of my plate, I was rebuked by a friend and decided that I'd try one. Actually, they really enhanced the dish - they gave some tang but without the unpleasantness I normally associate with cooked tomatoes. Does this mean I'm growing up? Maybe.

The combination of flavours was perfect. The earthiness of the lentils, the creaminess, meltiness of the fish, the kick of the mustard dressing. Nearly 48 hours on my mouth waters at the thought of it. I will have to go and have it again at some point. My friend and I also shared a bowl of delicious, proper hand cut chips.

The pudding menu was strangely uninspiring but I chose the banana and caramel crumble with ice cream more in hope than expectation of a great dish. I thought it would be way too sweet. In fact, it was lovely. The crumble was almost a granola sitting on the top of  a thin caramel and bananas that were not quite ripe and were consequently slightly sour. Again a lovely, balanced combination.

So, if you're in the West End and like well cooked, balanced dishes, why not give First Coast a try?