Teuchters Landing – Whisky galore and more

As you approach the Teuchter’s Landing pub the first thing you become aware of is the warm glow that emanates through the windows. The feeling of conviviality continues the moment you walk through the door.

The bar and gantry to the right is a feast for the eyes of any beer or whisky lover. Staff are always attentive and greet you cheerily when you arrive. 

This pub, on Dock Place, Leith, is rarely empty and as you wander through the building there are up to five distinct areas where you can choose to sit.

Reminiscent in style to many traditional English country pubs this converted ferry ticket office has small rooms and snugs aplenty and is finished at the back with an inviting conservatory area overlooking Leith Water. 

This area has an arresting painted mural along one wall that depicts many local celebrities and luminaries. 

The challenge is to identify characters, though drawn with undoubted enthusiasm, the artist appears to have recalled mostly from memory. Perhaps having sampled too many spectacular malts during the process. 

However J.K.Rowling, Ian Rankin and Oor Wullie were readily spotted. And a couple of guys in the background could have been the Proclaimers. Or just a couple of guys in the background wearing black rimmed spectacles.

Teuchters serve hearty portions of Scottish pub food but with a little more effort and finesse in the kitchen their menu could have broader appeal. The Ploughman’ Deli Board was just plain bad unfortunately. 

Their haggis, neeps and tatties were on par with what you might expect at some of Edinburgh's best eateries. They came served in a small ½ pint mug with a jug of whisky and Arran mustard cream for £5.25.

But it is the character and ambience of this venue that wins the day. A marvellous place to watch the six nations rugby and a rare treat on many a dreich Edinburgh evening. Global warming if it comes quickly enough will also allow the pretty seating area out back the chance to shine more often.

The SCAMPI Test 22/30

Service: 4

Cooking: 3

Atmosphere: 4

Music: 4

Price: 3

Inspiration: 4

To find out more information visit their website at http://teuchtersbar.co.uk/.

____________________

Follow us on Facebook to hear more stories about people and events across the capital.
_______________________

Tuk Tuk's Review - You Tuk Tuking to me?

Looking for somewhere to walk this weekend? Try our Blackford Hill route.

Roseleaf Cafe Bar Review - Wherever I lay my hat that's my home from home

Beginners are on to a winner with our Mars Bar Cake

Our Mars Bar Cake is a perfect treat for chocolate lovers as well as a great snack idea for children’s parties.

The cake is simple to make using few ingredients including four Mars Bars which give them their sweet caramel flavour.

Fun Fact – ‘Pleasure you can’t measure’, ‘A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’ and ‘Who knows? In 1,000 years we could all be sitting on Mars eating Earth bars’ - were advertising slogans used by Mars Inc. in the UK to promote the chocolate bars.

Ingredients:

4 Mars bars

130g butter

85g crispy rice cereal

250g chocolate

Chocolate Icing (optional)

Instructions:

• Melt the Mars bars and 90g butter in a bowl above a pan of boiling water.

• Once smooth stir in the crispy rice cereal.

• Press the mixture into a greased tray.

• Melt the chocolate and the remaining 40g butter and stir them together until they become smooth.

• Pour over the mixture in the tray.

• Place the tray in the fridge for one hour.

• Cut into slices or triangles to serve.

• Decorate the top with chocolate icing (optional).

Nautical Five Mile Circular Running Route from Leith

Stunning views of The Firth of Forth and Newhaven harbour make this five mile nautical run from Leith enjoyable.

The route.

Route Information: 

• Distance: 5 Miles (8km), Terrain: Pavements and cycle paths, Elevation: Flat (110ft highest).
• Highlights: Newhaven Lighthouse and pier, views of the Firth of Forth, and the Forth Bridges.
• Tracks for Playlist: Sunshine on Leith (The Proclaimers), Lighthouse (Lucy Spraggan) and When The Ship Comes In (Bob Dylan).

Set sail from Leith’s Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre where ample parking is available.

Turn right on Melrose Drive - a route that passes Leith Cruise Terminal where large, luxury ships are often moored.

Continue beyond the Asda Superstore taking care to avoid any abandoned or capsized shopping trolleys.

Then bear right along the Western Harbour Drive past multiple waterfront apartments. The path enters Lighthouse Park and there are stunning views of the Firth of Forth.

The path circles back on the other side of the apartments and from here you can see the Forth Bridges in the distance.

You will pass a David Lloyd gym before reaching Newhaven Lighthouse. The pier looks romantic with small boats bobbing on the water.

A view of Newhaven Lighthouse.

Turn right on to the path along the waterfront and then take a left on to Granton Road when you reach a roundabout.

There is a steep hill here with picturesque views of the estuary as you ascend.

A photograph taken from Granton Road. 

Keep going on this path through the district of Trinity. This area was largely developed as a mansion house district in the early 19^th century and many buildings were second homes to rich families in the New Town who used them as a country retreat.

Trinity is sometimes referred to as Leith’s Grange as the neighbourhood is comparable in style to The Grange area of Edinburgh. Today, the housing is mixed, and developers remain keen to build modern accommodation here.

When you reach Rosebank Road on your left, cross to the other side of Granton Road to a cycle path and walkway which is signposted.

Go down the steps and follow the path to the left, then straight along until it comes to an end at Lindsay Road leading back to Ocean Terminal.

An Elevation Graph of the route.

Snap Review: The Post

Have you ever wanted to find out a little bit about a new film to get an indication of whether you’ll like it or not, and ended up reading the entire story? We have. That is why our snap reviews are designed specifically to help you decide if it’s one to watch without giving everything away. 

Star Rating: 4.0 Very Good

Two Multi-Oscar Winning greats, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks team up for the first time under the Multi-Oscar Winning director Steven Spielberg in The Post. This biographical drama has as a central character Katherine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American Newspaper. Timely in many ways, the story line stresses the need for freedom of press. Given the calibre of the director, leads and supporting cast The Post has been nominated for two Oscars. Best Picture and, for the 21st time, Best Actress Meryl Streep.

The story, set in 1971, focuses on the true events leading up to the controversial publication of the ‘Pentagon Papers’. Top secret documents that implicated five different Presidents of the USA in a catalogue of deceits regarding the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Meryl Streep unsurprisingly excels in her role as owner of ‘The Washington Post’ who was known to be insecure, with a dislike of public speaking, but nevertheless faced huge challenges head on and stood up to her critics. This film pays homage to Katherine in a way that the hugely successful 1976 film All The President’s Men did not. The latter film about the Washington Post’s exposé of the Watergate scandal that engulfed President Nixon and his in house confidantes soon after. Katherine was basically airbrushed out of that story altogether. 

Ben Bradlee, the editor in charge at the time is played by Tom Hanks with familiar avuncular charm partially concealing a hard edged conviction that they must publish or be damned. 

The supporting cast is littered with familiar faces from Acting School’s top rank. Bob Odenkirk, hugely popular as Saul from Breaking Bad, plays journalist Ben Bagdikian whose doggedness allows him to play an important part in the story. Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave) is Ben’s wife, Tony, who although she doesn’t get much screen time, is allowed a moving speech that encapsulates the superior motives of the free press.  

This movie has, as you would expect from Steven Spielberg, its tense and dramatic moments. But it is essentially a talking heads piece that draws superb performances all round.

Great effort has been made to recreate the 1970’s journalistic setting. The Production Design team have deployed old photos from The Washington Post archives and replicated everything from the furniture, telephones, type writers, papers and even the old-fashioned Linotype machines used to print the newspapers. Characters period clothing and hairstyles are lovingly copied and there is a sense of another time, another world.

The war in Vietnam is the background noise in this movie but the real battle being fought was for, with The Post’s very existence at stake, the freedom of the Press. Parallels today abound and one is left to ponder if the paranoia and self-interest of government has lessened. Has the casual misogyny and sexism in the corridors of power been extinguished? In the delirious time of President Donald Trump, can we dare to believe that there is more honesty in the Oval Office?

The Post is a reminder that the winds of change blow slowly.

Details

Language: English

Release Date: January 19, 2018 (UK)

Genre: Drama, Biography

Length: 116 minutes

Country: United States

Director: Steven Spielberg

Producers: Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macoscko Kreiger, Amy Pascal  

Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson