The 5pm Dining blog has been polishing up its crystal ball in search of new Edinburgh restaurant talent. We predict two new venues: Rabble and Brewhemia.

We’ll start today with Rabble as it’s scheduled to open to the public on Friday 23rd June.

We’ll bring the Brewhemia news on Friday. All being well, tomorrow, we’ll have the gen about ‘Babs launching their gourmet kebabs in Glasgow.

New Edinburgh restaurant

Rabble is the new incarnation of the premises formerly known as Rick’s Bar on Frederick Street.

After a little under twenty years, Rick’s has called it a day and is reincarnating as a ‘rough luxe taphouse, grill and rooms in the heart of Scotland’s capital’.

‘Rough luxe’ is a new one to us but Rabble are defining it as being for ‘those who treasure luxuries but also take pleasure in items that have stood the test of time’.

In terms of the food and drink offer, Rabble has nailed its colours firmly to the mast of the good ship zeitgeist.

Gin cocktails, food cooked low and slow – think brisket and pork – plus tank beers are all promised.

Increasingly popular, tank beer allows drinkers to enjoy beer which is as fresh as the day it finished brewing.

It fits in well with the ongoing interest in craft beers.

Goodbye Rick’s

Of course, all things come to an end but we suspect that there will be large numbers of Edinburgh’s thirty and fortysomethings who will be raising a glass to the memory of Rick’s.

When the Montpelier’s Group launched it in 1999, it was a good-looking magnet for the city’s young professionals.

Not least because they made decent cocktails. Hard to imagine now but this was something of a rarity in Auld Reekie back in the Nineties.

The Montpelier’s staff training program was groundbreaking for its time. Many of the people now running Edinburgh’s high profile cocktail bars have spent some time manning the Boston shakers at Rick’s.

Their influence on the city’s bar scene has been huge.

More news on Rabble as we get it. And keep checking back regularly for new Edinburgh restaurants. We’ll post it as soon as we hear about them.