Edinburgh

Dinner @ Number One

First class fine dining courtesy of an innovative menu, the highest quality of ingredients and culinary flair in the kitchen. A faultless service from friendly and knowledgeable staff. Exquisite surroundings with an intimate ambience. Dining at the Balmoral's Michelin starred Number One restaurant, you expect the very best, from beginning to end.

Walking down the steps from Princes Street to the basement restaurant lies an opulence to rival the iconic Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. From the deep lacquer red walls, the bold black framed works of art to the sumptuous gold velvet soft furnishings, Number One immediately oozes style, character and luxury.

Perusing the menu in the bar area, over a rather good G&T, it's hard not to be impressed. Everything from the seriously imaginative cuisine blending Scottish and French produce to the interior of the restaurant has the wow factor. The white linen table cloths, gleaming crystal glasses and cutlery you can see your reflection in tick all the fine dining boxes. There's the utmost attention to detail - even the canapés served whilst we mulled over the menu were meticulously presented on bone china plates.

And the almost art like presentation continued into our starters. The pressing of lightly smoked red mullet with langoustine, razor clam and squid mille feuille, £14.50 -a perfect marriage of textures and deliciously fresh ingredients- looked amazing and tasted great too. The Isle of Skye scallops were also seared to perfection, and the braised chicken wing, pancetta, savoy puree and perigord truffle, £16, added an extra welcomed dimension. Teamed with a glass of Chablis Premier Cru, recommended by sommelier Sam, it was faultless.

Just the right amount of time passed in between dishes and as some freshly baked bread was served -rosemary, bacon or walnut, you name it, they had it- our mains arrived. Rich and oozing with flavour, the Perthshire venison loin with pomme croquette, red cabbage and salsify, £27.50, was perhaps the preferred choice of the two but the special dish of the day, Dover Sole was thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. A superb selection of cheese, £10.50, coffee and homemade petit fours rounded off the evening.

Number One is fine dining at its best. Sophisticated and luxurious, it is one of those places that can't help but make you feel special. If you're looking for a place for a romantic meal, an occasion or just some seriously imaginative cuisine in swish surroundings, it is the place to go - and, though expensive, it's worth splashing the cash.

Number One at The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Tel: 0131 556 2414

Lunch @ Tex Mex II

I often find Mexican restaurants a bit of a hit or miss but the man behind the newly opened Tex Mex II on Thistle Street is no newbie to the enchilada and fajita scene and he knows how to get it right.

The original Tex Mex first opened back in ‘84 and was the first Mexican restaurant outside of London. The Hanover Street haunt was a local favourite for more than 16 years before family circumstances brought that culinary era to an end. Now, however, the patron-chef Donald Mavor is back - and the frozen margaritas are as good as ever.

Small but perfectly formed, the reborn Tex Mex II is bright and cheerful, kitted out in a colour scheme of purples, pinks and greens. Sipping a very drinkable margarita and nibbling on spicy popcorn whilst mulling over the menu, there were flaming fajitas (literally) being served to the surrounding tables - quite the spectacle.

There's a good selection of dishes on the menu with veggie, fish, meat lovers catered for. Putting the nachos to the test, £3.70, we were pretty surprised by the freshness. Different from the usual salsa, sour cream and guacamole dolloped on top of tortilla chips, these were fresh corn chips smothered with cheese and jalapeños, with a delicious spicy salsa sauce hidden at the bottom. The soft shell crab flautas, £3.95, were also a favourite; crisp tortilla flutes stuffed with fresh crab meat and served with salad.

For mains, the taco salad, £8.50, was visually fantastic, served in a bowl shaped tortilla filled with the freshest salads and salsas, and my choice of chicken - although I wasn't too sure about the sprinkling of pink peppercorns. My partner went for the Tex Mex burger, £6.95. Six ounces of prime beef, hand formed into burgers and cooked over an open flame, it had a superb smoky taste like it was just off the barbecue.

There's an authentic feel at Tex Mex II and the food is all fresh and homemade - the jalapeño jelly and chef's ‘hot sauce' come as a standard accompaniment to the appropriate mains - and it's good value for money. The place has a great atmosphere, the staff are friendly and it works for lunch, dinner or for a catch up with friends over a margarita or two...

Tex Mex II, 64 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Tel: 0131 260 9699, www.texmex2.com . 10% discount is available for students. 2 for 1 burgers on Mondays.

Drinks @ Canny Man's

Palm trees, exotic plants, terracotta pots and Spanish bull fighting artefacts line the warm red brick walls, while tables filling the intimate outdoor space are decorated with lanterns and white linen cloths.

Champagne, fine wines and ice cold beers are the drinks of choice from the designer-shade wearing clientele who are soaking up the rays in the chic beer garden. Even a few minutes relaxing here has you forgetting that you are in the capital. Which is precisely the point. Welcome to the Canny Man's.

The Morningside institution has stood proud on the corner of Morningside Road and Canaan Lane for over 125 years. Inside, music sheets line the walls of the iconic pub which is also adorned with fascinating bric-a-bracs, such as traditional mandolins and prams, and antiques, including military uniforms, swords and paintings. There's polished glass, glittering tableware and Persian rugs, and its reputation and regulations are as famous as its traditions - the Canny Man's is a public house in the truest sense, owned by the same family since it opened its unassuming wooden doors in the 19th century. 

But a pub is nothing without its drinks offering and this is where the Canny Man's excels. This place is famed for its drinks, and takes them seriously, too; there are over 250 malts behind the bar, a menu of fine French wines and Champagnes, and a grown-up spirit selection where 35ml measures are standard.

With a maze of brightly-lit spaces in which to relax and unwind, it's tempting to take a seat among the genial knick-knacks and people watch. But, in the summer, al fresco dining or some cool drinks served in crystal glasses in the beer garden is where it's at.

On a sunny weekend afternoon, the beer garden was thronging with couples reading the papers over a Bloody Mary or two, friends catching up over some chilled Chablis and lobster, and the Morningside locals going solo with a pint. Cream parasols provided shade for the skin aware while others happily sought the rays. By evening, when the sun had cooled and the typical Edinburgh breeze had returned, the stylish gas heaters and lanterns provided the Spanish cosiness that could have you sitting outside and enjoying the great outdoors all evening.

Undoubtedly, the Canny Man's is still one of the city's top watering holes, and its beer garden boasts some of the most covetable seats each summer.

Canny Man's, 237 Morningside Road, EH10 4QU, Tel: 0131 447 1484