A Night at Oscars

Oscars is a newly opened establishment on Slateford Road, on the west of Edinburgh. Previously known as an old man’s drinking den, The Moat Bar, it has been transformed into a chic, modern grill bar under the stewardship of Darren and Jenny Love. The Art Deco style works well and the ladies and gents facilities are excellent.

One drawback was that some of the staff had little to no experience of working in a restaurant. Our waitress was unable to answer a couple of basic questions, although that said, she made every effort to find out the answers.

But on to the food. My mussel chowder starter was plentiful in portion, tasted delicious and, if anything, had too many mussels in it! For my main course I had an 8oz sirloin steak, medium done. On first sight, this had been prepared to perfection, although as I progressed towards its final quarter, it became drier. Six out of ten for that, then. For pudding I opted for the ice cream, one ball of each; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. I expected this to be served in the usual manner; three balls in the same bowl. Wrong! Oscars had come up with the wonderfully imaginative idea of serving each ball in a separate little bowl of its own. It looked exquisite, and the ice cream wasn’t bad either.

The bar section is rectangularly divided, albeit clearly visible, from the main seating area for diners. It too was of the highest class, with colourful lounge style seats. Even as a non drinker, and one who is indifferent to bars, my wife said that she would gladly accompany me here for a drink any time I liked. That was a genuine stamp of approval for the facility if ever there was!

You would be well advised to book in advance for the more popular weekend evenings and if, like me, you’re not overly keen on crowds, try going mid week or at lunchtime instead.

Oscars Bar and Grill, 1-2 Moat Place, Slateford, Edinburgh. Telephone 0131 443 8180.