While most of us may have our eyes on the Christmas finishing line, Santa’s little helpers aren’t the only ones who are still beavering away.

In Giffnock, Double Dot Burger restaurant has just opened on Fenwick Road.

Rather than follow the existing trend for offering a dozen burgers, each more outlandish than the last, Double Dot’s burger range has been whittled down to a select four: a beef patty, a lamb burger, a veggie burger and the big Bird chicken burger.

Shakes and red velvet cake

The rest of the menu is as American as apple pie and civil unrest. As well as shakes and ribs, they offer a dessert menu which includes cheesecake, red velvet cake and a diet-destroying pecan pie.

On the other side of the M8, Usher’s of Edinburgh have formally launched underneath The Pear Tree on West Nicolson Street.

Formerly the Dhaba Diner, the basement bar opened quietly, earlier this summer.

Basement brewery

While it may have been trading for five months or so, it’s only in the last few weeks that they have got around to installing their on site brewery.

According to this Scotsman report, the bar’s owners, Caledonian Heritable, have teamed up with Inveralmond Brewers to make beer on the premises.

The food menu – a mix of updated pub grub/Scots classics and global influences – looks fun. Naturally, many of the dishes are paired with a matching beer.

Hopes dashed

Incidentally, was the 5pm Dining blog the only one who got excited by all of the recent stories about pizza becoming classified as one of the government’s recommended five a day portions of fruit and veg?

Obviously, the moment you read any further than the headline, the story turns out to be complete Horlicks but a man can still dream.