][1]If you had to choose between eating out on The Shore in Edinburgh or Byres Road in Glasgow, which would you choose? There are plenty of great restaurants on both and we have listed the 5pm members on The Shore and
Byres Road below.
In a sense, it’s a daft question and a bit like trying to compare apples and pears. However, it is the sort of topic that gets people talking.
Any circuit comedian will tell you that the best way to get a crowd on side is to start making jokes about the nearest town or city. So in Dundee, make fun of Perth. In Glasgow, make fun of Edinburgh. Most of the time, the wisecracks don’t need much tweaking for the comic to use them the next night when he or she plays the place they were slandering the night before.
The actual content of the gags doesn’t matter much. You will hear the same ones made in Liverpool/Manchester as you will in Aberdeen/Inverness. What counts is that the comedian stirs up a sense of local pride by pointing out the perceived inferiority/snobbishness/penny-pinching nature of the next town along the motorway.
Those clever bods at Google have come up with something similar, just rather more positive, in their quest to find Britain’s Best Foodie Street. According to their blurbs: ‘The winning street should offer a unique mix of mouth-watering options which could include fine dining, cafés, market stalls and delicatessens, all covering a diverse mix of food types and price points.’
The judges have come up with a shortlist of twenty streets of which Byres Road in Glasgow and The Shore in Edinburgh are the two Scottish representatives. They are both strong contenders.
As well as the Michelin starred Martin Wishart’s restaurant and, if you squint, both The Plumed Horse and The Kitchin, The Shore area contains the following 5pm members: A Room in Leith, Daniel’s Bistro, La Cantina, Malmaison, Mya, Skippers Bistro, Tapa, The Granary and The Raj.
You would also find it hard to go hungry on and around Byres Road with the following 5pm members all keen to see you sat down at their tables: Brel, A Great Pub, Ad Lib West End, Ashoka Ashton Lane, Bo Bar, Brasserie at Oran Mor, Budda West End, Cafe Andaluz, Cafe Mediterraneo, Curry Leaf, Di Maggio’s West End, La Vallee Blanche, Number 16, Stravaigin 2, The Blind Pig, The Bothy, The Loft and The Ubiquitous Chip.
Which do you reckon is the best foodie street? Vote here.