Be a Fishers Friend (Fishers Bistro)

Member Name: x_elff_x

Product:	Fishers Bistro
Date:	07/10/00 (366 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful food and attentive service

Disadvantages: It is very popular, so do book early

Take a stroll along The Shore in Leith and you won't find any sand - but you will find a huge array of eateries and bars.

One of the best, and most respected around Edinburgh is Fishers Bistro.

Handily situated next to Malmaison Hotel, Fishers enjoys a mixed clientele of (predominately) US visitors and locals and offers the closest thing to the perfect meal experience I've come to in Leith.

The menu is largely seafood based and offers firm favourites like the creamy seafood chowder with crusty bread - almost a meal in itself - and less common dishes such as queenies with pesto - a healthy portion of queen scallops with a homeade pesto dressing.

Main courses include Hake with pistachio nuts, steaks of all shapes and sizes, the inevitable seafood platter and the last time I went, an exquisite Hake rolled in bacon, served on vegetables julien with a nutmeg jus.

These main courses vary from day to day, making each visit to Fishers unique.
The only word of warning would be about the size of the portions. The main courses are sizeable and it is worth remembering that fact when you choose your starter.

My father, who we took for his birthday, also suggests that if you are going to attempt the seafood platter, you bring a sheep, to graze on the huge amounts of salad that come with it!

In the event you have room for desert they will not disappoint as they are mainly homemade and include such sumptuous offerings as Brandy basket filled with rocky road ice-cream, sticky toffee pudding and pecan pie.

The wine is reasonably priced - starting from about £9 and because of the bistro's bijou size (there is room to swing a cat, but only just) the service is nothing short of excellent.

The head waiter is attentive and pleasant from the second you walk through the door, but they are more than happy to let you take time out before desert or coffee.

Not the cheapest place in town
(It will cost you around 20 pounds a head for two courses including wine), but well worth the money for that special occasion.

I have largely updated this opinion to briefly comment on dooyoo's description of Fishers which reads: 'It's taken root at the end of The Shore, at the foot of an old windmill, with the restaurant giving views to the harbour and beyond.'

Well, yes, it is indeed at the foot of a windmill and situated beside the water of Leith just before it meets the sea. This makes it a nice spot to sit outside in summer and watch the ducks on the river.

However, to describe it as giving views of the harbour is over-egging the pudding. To my mind the word harbour evokes a picture of small fishing boats and the like, when in fact Leith is a working port. In the 'harbour' today, for example, there is a NATO friggate and a large crane ship!

In summary, this is a great place to eat and pleasant to sit outside, but don't come expecting rural fishing smacks and strolls round the quay!

Summary: