Restaurant Review: The Reverie

The Ultimate in Bespoke Burgers!

Living the other side of town I had not heard of The Reverie before so I did a little bit of pre-review research and was pleased to find it was a location known for live music and the ultimate in ‘Build your own burger’.

We arrived a wee bit later than planned but the owner, Edwin van der Ven, couldn’t have been more friendly, welcoming or polite – even after our tardiness! So once seated we took in our surroundings and the menus.

The Reverie is very much a pub, and a lively one at that. Due to its location you could be forgiven for assuming it was a ‘studenty’ hang-out but it really wasn’t. As we sat in the restaurant area looking out the window or overlooking the bar, it felt like a proper vibrant local little pub.

After ordering a great glass of red we examined the menu. Main courses were a no-brainer, how could we come here and NOT order the infamous ‘build your own burger’. It was great to see that it wasn’t just the normal burgeresque accompaniments like cheese bacon and lettuce! The Reverie offered halloumi, sliced beetroot, tomato chutney and a mass of other choices – the thought of some grilled halloumi had my mouth watering already! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves….

For starters Celia opted for her trusty favourite of Cullen Skink and I went for a pot of mussels with white wine and garlic cream. The Mussels were really tasty and much better than other moules on the menu around the capital. The sauce was good enough to drink, and I happily drained the pot. (Be surprised if you didn’t! Ed.) Now Celia is a bit of a Cullen Skink connoisseur and although she enjoyed the dish it lacked the thick chowder like substance of her preferred style of the recipe.

And now for the burger….a delight. A beautifully bespoke burger with hand cut chips (or shoestring fries as I opted for). It was just how we had imagined and wasn’t it a treat! Celia built hers with cheddar and bacon (terribly traditional) but mine was a bit more ‘far out’ with halloumi and yummy tomato chutney.

It’s not often I can say this, but we were well and truly beaten! As the live band started Celia and I were offered pudding but after our big burgers we just couldn’t find room for another morsel. We did have a quick browse of the puddings and I must say they looked delicious (I had been eyeing the sticky toffee pudding on another diner’s table earlier in the evening). So instead of a pudding the lovely Edwin offered us a fresh mint tea – a firm favourite of ours and it was the perfect way to end an evening at this vibrant little spot.

As well as great food The Reverie offers so much in the way of live music and diverse malts and ales too. Every other Sunday the pub plays host to live jazz – the perfect way to unwind after a busy weekend.

The Reverie, 1-5 Newington Road , Edinburgh , EH9 1QR,  0131 667 8870

The Reporter Food reviewer, Holly Jones, is a partner in The Lifestyle Company Scotland  You can follow the company and their lifestyle tips on Twitter