The Fat Pony might not seem like the most obvious name for Edinburgh’s newest wine bar.

But then restaurateur David Ramsden has usually preferred to take the road less travelled.

Following a stint in the music business, David’s career has seen him helm much talked about restaurants such as Rogue and (fitz)Henry.

Open around the millennium, the latter gave a fair amount of prominence to offal and other less common cuts at a time when such an idea was not nearly as widespread as it is now.

Heavily swagged and draped, it was also a theatrical space. As, in a very different way, was the very minimalist Rogue, his next project.

If his restaurant spaces could have been stage sets, then the food was always the star of the show.

Sense of drama

And Mr Ramsden often played the role of colourful supporting actor. One who knew how to work the dining room.

I remember a meal at Rogue where he was dressed as though he had just walked off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Looking splendid in cowboy boots, huge hoop earrings and with a red silk scarf hung from his leather trousers, he cut quite a dash.

I’m not saying he was always ‘on’ – he always knew when to discreetly disappear – but a service with David Ramsden on the floor was never dull.

The Dogs: serving food people want to eat

His master stroke was opening The Dogs on Hanover Street in 2008.

The Dogs sold, and still does sell, hearty no-nonsense food that your grandmother would recognise.

The menus have the occasional flourish and is no stranger to flavours from further afield. However, the dishes are solid, gastropub comfort food rather than frou, frou cheffy creations.

They are also keenly priced. A factor which stood The Dogs in good stead as 2008 unfolded and pitched the economy into the worst recession in living memory.

Before all that horror revealed itself, Edinburgh’s restaurant scene was showing severe signs of – technical term here – being right up itself.

A neighbouring restaurant to The Dogs was selling Vichyssoise – cold leek and potato soup – at £11 a bowl. It closed in less than three months.

By contrast, The Dogs offered decent food that people wanted to eat at a price which most could still afford. Deservedly, it prospered as the recession bit.

Granted, further Dogs-branded adventures did less well but The Dogs continues to pull them in.

The Fat Pony

Anyway, fast forward nearly a decade and David is expanding his operations again and scratching an itch by opening The Fat Pony, a contemporary wine bar on Bread Street.

It’s pencilled in to open at the end of June – a lifetime in fit out terms – so we can’t tell you what it will look like.

Following a chat with David, we can tell you that it will serve around twenty wines by the glass – all kept fresh by one of those clever Verre de Vin doodahs – plus an extensive list by the bottle.

Natural, organic and biodynamic wines are very fashionable at the moment and The Fat Pony will stock some. It will also feature wines from places like Bulgaria and Romania as well as California.

Classic Burgundy, Bordeaux and Loire wines will be well represented and David’s interest has been piqued by wines grown in volcanic soils in places like Crete and Corfu.

Raeburn Fine Wines in Stockbridge is helping advise on the wines. Attractive pricing is promised.

The food offer is still in development but there will be cheese and charcuterie with preference given to local producers.

There has been mention of terrines, warm salads and escabeche options. Things will be smoked and pickled and cured.

Wine bars are back

Given the popularity of Edinburgh places like Smith & Gertrude, the Good Brothers and Fred Berkmiller’s bar à vin, it seems that the wine bar is very much in vogue again.

This blogger is looking forward to seeing David Ramsden’s take on it with The Fat Pony.

By the way, the name comes from David’s nickname for a horse owned by his partner Roz.