Wine Stories: Gary Ralston's restaurant overview: Anfora Wine Bar, Edinburgh

ALL those that claim make sure to on no account combine grape with grain may still are trying an evening out in Leith.

Tucked in a quaint, cobbled courtyard just off the shore nestles the Anfora Wine Bar, immediately below the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

A experience of a dozen steps from Cardhu to the Cote du Rhone has by no means been so easy on the feet, even if it proves heavy on the head.

hands up who hears the time period "wine bar" and thinks "Del Boy" Trotter on the pull with trigger and plummeting during the serve?

fortuitously, Filofaxes and fall guys are conspicuous by means of their absence when ducking during the door and into the cosy, candlelit, cave-like atmosphereof Anfora.

It's like stepping returned into the 19th century or entering a kind of historic, average eating places built into the historic walls of medieval European cities.

a protracted and handsome mahogany bar dominates and off to the left sits the fundamental eating room, where Edinburgh wine merchants once sampled the prosperous reds lately arrived from France.

red meat Tartare

Admittedly, the view from the window is extra Nelson Mandela Heights than Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Cables Wynd apartment, normal in the community because the Banana flats (it's to do with the constructing's curved form) makes Del Boy's Peckham gaff appear to be a penthouse in Park Lane.

throughout the road, Anfora takes you back a couple of hundred years but the Banana apartments – ill Boy lived right here in Trainspotting – drag you back only so far as Bucharest circa 1962.

It's not by myself in the capital, I remarked to Ronnie, as there's an identical architectural monstrosity across at Gorgie, a hideous and dreary carbunkle just in the back of the new Sainsbury's.

"Aye," remarked the arch Hibee, "It's known as Tynecastle."It's a peculiarity of Leith, or maybe simply an illustration of polite Edinburgh society, that mention is infrequently – if ever – manufactured from prosperous people consuming meals upto Michelin star typical within the shadow of social housing the place some residents may be relying on meals banks.

Rump of red meat

solutions on a postcard, please, youngsters the economic worth and well-being of the restaurant change to Leith has long been established.

Anfora opened 12 months ago and is a welcome boost to the scene, combining suitable pleasant wines with an easy, seasonal, self-confident lunch and dinner menu.

regrettably, we may handiest appreciate half the journey on account of driving commitments but each dish comes with a wine suggestion, from a pitcher of recent Zealand sauvignon blanc at £4.50 to a flute of Champagne at £8.

The latter become a suggested complement to the starter of red meat tartare that caught Ronnie's eye and fortunately, for the sake of my pockets, the simplest bubbles losing on the linen table fabric came from his eyes in lamenting the fresh kind of his football favourites.

He cheered up on the beginning of his beef, a fragile patty of sentimental meat combined with crisp, eco-friendly peppercorns in a hollandaise sauce and he savoured each chunk.

My pearl barley risotto was equally nearly as good.

A wholesome iciness warmer, gloriously al dente in a juicy, purple wine stock with mint and parsley and shavings of crimson cabbage including even more chunk and texture.

The kitchen persevered to galvanize with the beginning of the main classes, of which there have been five to choose between, identical to the starters.

Ronnie went for the haunch of venison with wild mushrooms and turnip in a red wine sauce and stared at the plate so long it turned into in hazard of going bloodless.

There was no situation as he explained: "I don't need to consume it, but graphic it instead."

authentic enough, the soft cuts of venison, ruby red in shade, appeared superb.

Ronnie had spent the old 10 minutes reprising his winning role within the latest pub quiz at his local, The links, when he named the four actors who starred as Ghostbusters (no person ever receives Ernie Hudson, apparently).

Over the venison, he went all Harry Met Sally as he "oohedand aahed" earlier than telling me loudly he didn't need it to end. Edinburgh being Edinburgh, nobody batted an eyelid.

My pork stomach, sluggish cooked with kale and a broccoli puree, came with three crisps tucked into a serving of creamy mash potato.

but, sorry chef, it may have carried out with the whole packet.

The pork stomach changed into beautifully cooked, candy and gentle but the portion dimension turned into such that a consult with to the cheese board was a necessity for the last, filling direction.

It changed into an impressed option – flat, crispy do-it-yourself oatcakes and chutney, with five cheeses that reeked like large Foot's flip flop, including a smoked Brie, blue Stilton and a milder Dunlop.

We ate on a Friday at teatime, so Ronnie's decision to booking by means of Anfora's website entitled us to a 20 per cent bargain on the bill.

No Chablis perhaps nonetheless it became all still gorgeous jubbly.

● obtained a restaurant you want reviewed? electronic mail g.ralston@dailyrecord.co.uk

Anfora Wine Bar

87a Giles highway, Edinburgh, EH6 6BZ

Tel: 0131 553 6914

www.anforawinebar.co.uk

Disabled entry: sure.

Opening times: Wed-Thur and sun, 12-10pm; Fri-Sat, noon-12am

invoice for two: £sixty two (smooth drinks)

meals: 9/10 – fundamental and first-rate elegance.

carrier: 5/5 – a professional and whole of ardour.