The New Bell

For my husband’s fortieth birthday, we decided to host a dinner in town for approx 20 friends. We looked on-line & there was a review about the New Bell Restaurant, Causewayside.

We spoke to the manager, Laura Crooks and booked our table. She clearly had experience arranging birthday parties and had some great ideas - a personalised menu, homemade birthday cake replacing dessert and even the seating arrangements.

The pub downstairs was an ideal place to meet before the dinner (our table was booked for 8:45pm), and we weren’t disappointed when we went upstairs.

The waiting staff were attentive but not intrusive. The food was great (I had the seared sea bass starter and lamb main course). The birthday cake - chocolate nut torte with crème fraiche - was delicious! The atmosphere was really friendly and relaxed.

We would recommend the New Bell and will be travelling in from East Lothian to eat there again - and so will our friends!
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Fiona Menzies
Friday, April 18, 2008

Quite simply one of the best kept secrets of Edinburgh dining.

Neighbourhood restaurants should know that have to try harder to complete with the lure of the City Centre and The New Bell does - but make no bones about it this is a place that is worth the trip from any part of the city!

Friendly staff, prompt service that also knows when to leave a table alone when a conversation is going and a inventive and not over-lengthy menu delivers a quality eating experience. The menu is clearly French influenced but lighter in style and making excellent use of good local Scottish ingredients.

The wine list is excellent and fairly priced; the clarets are clearly chosen by somebody that knows their stuff. The room decor is interesting but certainly not glamorous - more in the style of a Gentlemen's Club with the wooden panelling and historic prints - but the crisp white table cloths and napkins add a touch of class. The only negative is that I would advise you to book a table in the main room as the tables nearer the door can be rather draughty as diners come and go.

Overall however, a super little restaurant that deserves it's success.
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NCW - View all reviews by this user
Friday, January 25, 2008

Saturday 12th January - this was my first visit to the New Bell and it will definately not be the last.

My partner and I wanted to try something different and had read a number of reviews about the restaurant and also liked the look of the menu. We enjoyed a drink in the Old Bell pub which had a lovely atmostphere and then headed upstairs to the restaurant. The restaurant itself was busy and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.

We were not disappointed in the least with the choice on the menu and our starters of smoked haddock fishcakes with mull cheddar and chili jam and smoked salmon/mackerel terrine were amazing and only made us look forward to our mains even more. The main meals of fillet steak with spring onion mash and wild mushrooms and duck breast with braised cabbage and parsnip puree were out of this world (the steak was cooked to perfection).

We decided against desserts but the selection looked lovely.

All in all we paid £75 for two courses, a bottle of wine and coffee, which we both felt was value for money.

The service was informal and friendly and the staff were more than willing to top up our water glasses and ensure we had enough wine.

My only negative comment was our table - we had a round table in the corner and were sitting side by side as opposed to opposite each other. This gave us a wonderful view of the restaurant and it also made us feel as though we were staring at everyone. Also when the door was opened a cold draught of air blasted round our legs.

This is the only negative I feel I want to include on what was a wonderful and enjoyable birthday night out.

We will definately go back and have raved about it to anyone who will listen.
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Lee Scotland
Monday, January 14, 2008

In the interests of the city-eating.com’s ethos of fair comment on a restaurant experience I feel I am entitled to respond to negative comments made about The New Bell Restaurant, Edinburgh.

We make it our business to serve fresh, local produce, made from scratch on the premises, delivered with utmost respect and congeniality, always. As celebrations are discussed on booking we offer to mark any occasion with a home-baked cake or a favourite dessert made-to-order to the specification of our guests, with candles and all the trimmings! Without exception, when asked we are more than happy to accommodate our guests’ requirements, meeting all their requests.

‘Cakeage’ to desserts is exactly what ‘corkage’ is to wine. Cakeage is not an unheard of, arbitrary and greedy addition to a restaurant bill but a nominal fee charged when diners for whatever reason choose to provide their own dessert.

The party identified below was looked after by our staff from the moment they arrived. They all enthused over their starters and main courses. Their refusal to even view the chef’s considered dessert menu was quickly followed by their assumption of a B.Y.O. dessert option - a plastic bag produced from under the table containing a supermarket bought cake in its wrapping.

This discourtesy on the part of the organiser displayed an ignorance of seasoned dining, at best excuse. Having politely had the cakeage charge explained, the displeasure of this particular group was felt keenly by the entire clientele of the restaurant when raised voices, foul and abusive language was used toward the staff. The party was invited to settle the bill and leave.

I would like to offer my apologies to the guests that witnessed this ugly and unnecessary incident.
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Laura Crooks - Manager, The New Bell Restaurant
Thursday, August 16, 2007

Having booked a table for our daughters (2 of them born on the same day) - the restaurant new this - and having spent a substantial amount of money on starters and main courses and wine for 7 people we were astonished when the manager (via the waitress) were aggrieved we had brought a birthday cake to celebrate (our daughters both live away from home and this was to be our meeting place). They wanted to charge us £3 per head CAKEAGE??? = £21 - The cake only cost £9. It certainly left us with a very bitter taste after this response and spoiled the evening. Would certainly not go back as the friendly waitress became not so friendly when we then asked for the bill. Have eaten in many quality restaurants and have never had this reaction. Very bad publicity!!
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

An old favourite the New Bell never fails to impress, food, find service all top standard and very reasonable in price. Warm chocolate pudding to die for!
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F Murphy
Monday, January 08, 2007

At first it looked like a corner pub, but on going upstairs from the side entrance I was bowled over by the "buzz" within and the warmth and friendliness of the staff.

Being busy, we were offered a table in about an hour's time, which suited my husband, as he likes a few lagers and crisps before a meal (are there any more out there?)and so we enjoyed a drink in the "Old Bell" downstairs which was very pleasant and friendly also.

Back upstairs for a most gorgeous meal. I wish I had kept a menu as I cannot remember exactly the details of the sauce or jus and accompyments; except that I was torn between the seared organic salmon and the venison. I chose the venison and my husband the angus beef daube with horseradish mash. Both were divine! (Well, I had to have a tiny sample of the beef!). It was presented beautifully and tasted exquisit!

Desserts were a difficult choice too - they all looked so yummy, but it was the raspberry brulee with orange sorbet for me and local cheeses with oatcakes and fruit for John. And to finish a special coffee with cointreau.

The staff throughout were superb; even though they were so busy they still had time to offer friendly, unrushed advice on the menu and wine list.

We were lucky to get a table that night; in future I would book to guarantee a table; infact I will book the table before I book my B&B!!
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Lynn Bowman
Thursday, May 11, 2006