Reviews The Magnum Restaurant & Bar

A bit away from the busy street but still a short walk from the North Bridge. The menu was a great sharing experience, oyster and clams to start in the best way together with two glass of prosecco rose'. Service discreet but present and responsive. Good atmosphere for the occasion.

A beautiful restaurant. I've been here two times and I eat salmon, venice and haggis. It was greatful. Also the desserts are beautiful. I tryed cheesecake and another dessert and they were stupendous!!!! The atmosphere is great and the staff is very kind. I suggest you.

We booked here for a team Christmas lunch. A couple of us had been meaning to try The Magnum for ages, so were looking forward to visiting. The Magnum is a nice venue and seemed bigger on the inside than it appeared on outside and is serenely decorated. We were all struggling to pick what to have from the menu as much of it sounded yummy. In the end as we had all eyed up the baked Camembert to share, we got two of those between the four of us. Then I went for the sausage of the day, which was lamb and thyme, another colleague went for tempura battered haddock and the other two went for the beef and rosemary burger. One of my colleagues had dithered on whether to get the burger as she was worried it would be big so asked the waitress for advice. She tried to describe it as best as possible to help her make a decision, which I thought was good service.

GIVEN THE DISTINCT lack of summer we’ve been having, I think this sunny(ish) day has to go down as one of the better ones, as we laud the happy drinkers outside The Magnum on Albany Street. Sarah and I had enjoyed a visit to this gastropub last year, meaning there would be added scrutiny this time around.

The Magnum had a lot to live up to after our last visit, but it dealt with those expectations confidently, with superbly presented plates of food at reasonable prices. Well worth a visit if you’re in and around the town centre.

Fantastic local place. Food hearty and tasty, great friendly service. Cannot ask for more.

Warm and friendly place with great food. You can eat in the bar area or the slightly more formal reataurant area. Food flavoursome, atmosphere lovely. Worth a visit.

The sweetness of the gazpacho was enhanced by the crunch and warmth from the green peppers, which really made the dish for me.  Crab is a ridiculously underused ingredient in my opinion, and the delicate meat was delicious alongside the chilled soup, although a crack of salt wouldn’t have gone a miss. Sarah started the eve

There was considerable jealousy when I was invited to visit Magnum and enjoy a complimentary dinner with my besty. The rest of the team thought it was rather unfair and I was depriving them of a great opportunity, to be honest they may have a point. One would have spent the review making continual references to Dirty Harry movies, whilst the wine buff would try and reference all the types of wine bottle, both would throw in at least one reference to a moustachioed, Ferrari driving PI (who I only know as Monica's boyfriend Richard.) I will do none of these things and instead concentrate on writing about what a great dinner I had.

There was considerable jealousy when I was invited to visit Magnum and enjoy a complimentary dinner with my besty. The rest of the team thought it was rather unfair and I was depriving them of a great opportunity, to be honest they may have a point. One would have spent the review making continual references to Dirty Harry movies, whilst the wine buff would try and reference all the types of wine bottle, both would throw in at least one reference to a moustachioed, Ferrari driving PI (who I only know as Monica's boyfriend Richard.)

I will do none of these things and instead concentrate on writing about what a great dinner I had.

We walked down to the restaurant from Harvey Nicks and it only took a couple of minutes, but not in a direction I would have ever thought about before, which it turns out was very silly of me. We were going to look elsewhere for a drink before dinner, but as we turned the corner we realised that the restaurant was much bigger than it first looks and as we went in the door we found ourselves in a nice comfortable bar. So we did the sensible thing and got a couple of glasses of wine.

We hadn't told anyone who we were yet, so it was good to see how friendly and relaxed the staff were with all the customers, including us. The bar is child friendly and judging by the regular who appeared with his spaniel, dog friendly too. It was a nice laid-back environment that was very welcoming and much nicer than some of the pretentious wine bars you get a little closer to Princes Street. Considering The Magnum is five minutes from the shops, the same from the Playhouse and just down from the York Place tram stop, I can't work out why I have never been here before.

We got up and said we were booked in and were shown to our table, again the friendly staff were lovely and rather efficient, providing menus, taking a drinks order and bringing over water and then a delicious crusty olive bread and butter within a few minutes of us making ourselves comfortable.

Our starters arrived quickly, but no so fast that we felt rushed, girls need time to gossip remember!

The smoked salmon starter was a generous size and the dill pancakes were perfectly soft, but with a little bit of crispiness outside, beautiful. The horseradish cream was a perfect accompaniment, sometimes a heavy horseradish-laden hand can ruin a dish, but the balance here was perfect. The parsnip crisps on their own are worth a mention and were a delicious garnish to the dish.

The carpaccio of duck starter was again generous, with slices of perfectly pink duck breast all with a slightly spicy crust. The orange dressing was initially concerning, I worried that we were delving into a retro eighties, duck a l'orange style meltdown, but no instead it was again very well balanced to the spice and succulence of the duck. I am starting to think at this point that the chef has a pretty good idea what they are doing with all these flavours.

We were asked if we enjoyed our starter as the very empty plates were cleared away, I think the answer may have been obvious! Whilst we sat waiting for our main course we looked enviously at the battered haddock that a neighbouring table were tucking into. It was nice to see the flexibility that the bar menu was served through in the restaurant, if that's what you fancy, but that again points at the relaxed style that Magnum has going on.

The venison was cooked exactly to our order and because my fussy friend doesn't like mushrooms, it came without. I maybe just a little bit upset at her as I would have quite happily had the garlic and thyme infused fungi myself! Presentation was sharp, with a tight square of dauphinoise potatoes, neat broccoli cylinder and a generous venison steak. The redcurrant sauce ran a touch, but as it pulled the part of the meal together so well, I definitely don't think that a generous Saucier should be criticised! The potatoes had a rich creaminess and again a good balance of flavour with the garlic so as to not be overpowering. It was declared “the best venison” that had been eaten in a long time, high praise indeed.

The rib-eye was a generous size, there is no weight on the menu so I can't tell you exactly how big, but even my hubby would find it an ample meal. It was again cooked perfectly to order. The chips have that excellent contrast of crunch outside and fluffy middle that in my mind defines the perfect chip. The vine tomatoes added just a touch of sweetness to the dish and livened up the plate. I couldn't help thinking that a steak really could do with mushrooms, and may have muttered something under my breath about my buddy not having any...! The redcurrant jus from earlier puts in an re-appearance and manages to raise a good meal into the excellent category.

During the meal the ever attentive staff checked we were happy (which we very much were) and I noticed that they did so with all the other customers, occasionally stopping for a chat and a friendly word before moving on.

I was feeling rather full and contented, but the dessert menu was just too tempting. I initially put up a brave defence and thought about saying no, but peer pressure and the option of a sticky toffee pudding was just too much for my brains feeble protestations.

An excellent choice it was too, served warm it was a beautiful contrast of salted caramel, sweet pudding and the rich creamy vanilla bean ice cream which served to pull out all the flavours, textures and temperatures and, wow that is all...

The Cranachan cheesecake was a gorgeous twist on the Scottish classic. The oat and honey base was not sweet, like a digestive cheesecake base, but truer to the original dessert. The smooth creaminess of the cheesecake was slightly flavoured with honey and served as the perfect backdrop to the Raspberry compote on top, which was simply stunning. Why the chef's don't put it in a jar and sell it separately I don't know, they'd make a fortune!

All in all, an excellent meal in a friendly relaxed environment. The kitchen brigade are clearly a talented bunch and make good use of blending flavours beautifully. The front of house staff, as well as being friendly are very efficient with service smooth and well timed. We were there on a quiet Sunday, so I don't know how they would perform under pressure, but on the evidence we saw, I reckon they'd be just fine!

When it comes to counting out the pennies the restaurant menu is well priced for what I would expect for a decent meal in Edinburgh at between £27-£35 for three courses and the meal we had was easily worth that price. I would definitely go back and would quite happily recommend The Magnum, a meal there will make your day...

One benefit of blogging has been the discovery of so many new places to eat, we now rarely eat in the same place more than once (excluding home) and are on a mission to find the best Edinburgh has to offer.

My knowledge of The Magnum was fairly limited, I knew roughly where it was and was certain I could locate it without referring to my phone (I was wrong, I have a terrible sense of direction). I didn't really know what kind of food they served up and described it to my dining companion as pub grub, a wild shot in the dark which turned out to be far off the target. My error in judgement resulted in a nice surprise for EdinBloggette, she was filled with glee when she saw the menu and realised this was no ordinary pub grub.

Within moments of holding the menu my eyes were drawn to cheesecake, a cranachan cheesecake no less, the best of both worlds. My dining partner felt things were moving too quickly, we had to take a step back and focus on the bread that had just joined us and decide on starters and mains before ordering cheesecake.

After much deliberation we had decided on our meal, EdinBloggette was going to start with Smoked Salmon and I was intrigued by the Goats Cheese Mousse. 

The Salmon was sliced to perfection and sublimely smoked, it was the perfect balance, in no way overpowering and consistently melting in the mouth. EdinBloggette was in heaven, I visited briefly and could see exactly why she was enjoying it so much. The parsnip crisps offered up a little crunch and the horseradish cream provided a subtle warmth to ensure every mouthful was a whole new adventure.

Now, I have a confession to make, I'm not mad on beetroot, so why would I order a dish boasting three different types? You have to get out of your comfort zone every now and again, also there was goats cheese in the mix so this was bound to end well.

The goats cheese was scattered around the garden on my plate, it was a visual feast and one that I was incredibly excited about. The texture of the goats cheese was heavenly, I've always wanted to eat a cloud of cheese and was finally getting around to doing it. When accompanied with the balsamic drizzle it became even more exciting, it was such a simple dish but one that impressed on a number of levels, it was light and refreshing and the beetroot went down a treat too.

I'm a beetroot beginner and I assumed it was always purple, but soon learned it could also be orange and white. Different levels of sweetness between the beetroot ensured plenty of variety on the plate, my favourite of the three turned out to be the classic purple variety, something I had avoided throughout my childhood.

Starters were a success and we were eagerly anticipating our main courses, EdinBloggette had opted for Venison whilst I ordered steak.

The Venison was served alongside a square of dauphinoise potatoes, broccoli, garlic infused mushrooms and - as if she wasn't sweet enough - a redcurrant jus, with a few berries scattered around for artistic and tasty purposes. Venison isn't my bag, but EdinBloggette was over the moon with it, announcing that it was superbly cooked, terrifically tender and full of flavour. 

EdinBloggette was certain she made the right choice and I'm sure I saw a look of relief when I didn't want to try more of the venison, too good to share! The dauphinoise potatoes were a great accompaniment, tightly packed and perfectly cooked, especially good with a little of the juice from the venison.

I had requested a medium steak, it arrived a touch under medium and was all the better for it. The hand-cut chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the perfect sidekick to the steak and begging to soak up some of the juices on the plate. The tomatoes bursted with flavour and were a lovely contrast to the slightly charred steak, absolutely delicious!

We were truly stuffed at this stage, but I felt committed to cheesecake already, we could even share if necessary...

The cranachan cheesecake was so light and fluffy, indulgently creamy and the oats gave it an unusual (but interesting) texture - every mouthful resulted in one extremely satisfied cheesecake addict. EdinBloggette wanted to try the sticky toffee pudding, it's one of her all time favourite desserts and this one obtained her seal of approval.

True to its name, it was very sticky, it was still a light dessert but also very large. The combination of hot pudding and cold ice cream was a real treat, but it did turn out to be a bridge too far. The smaller half of EdinBlogger was now at full capacity so the larger half* had to step in to and finish every last bite (what a delight).

* The idea of one half being bigger than the other makes no sense, but let's just roll with it, we'd eaten an awful lot and mathematics was no longer appropriate.

The Magnum prepared six dishes which were loaded with flavour, the service was spot on and food exceeded both of our expectations. I was glad to be wrong about The Magnum by thinking it served pub grub, this is clearly a restaurant with a passion for food.

For full review and photos please visit:http://www.edinblogger.com/2014/magnum-restaurant-edinburgh/

In the fullness of time we’ll need to start a more structured programme of revisits for two reasons: some of our reviews will become out of date; and we will start to run out of places, especially within navigable distance during working lunchtimes.

For now we’ll pick off a few on an ad hoc basis. In the case of The Magnum our decision to go was based on an invitation from their PR people, Crimson Edge. The obliging folks at the venue picked up the food and drinks tab, which was very generous of them.

With revisits I’m going to try to ensure that there’s a fresh perspective offered that brings a potentially different slant to that in the original review. In the case of this evening this manifested itself in the shape of guest quester Eleanor, who was joining for the first time. I’ll turn over the majority of the review to her, in a moment.

What I will say is that I enjoyed this visit to The Magnum more than the last one. I’d previously caught them at the height of a serious fad for using microherbs with everything which unbalanced their dishes. The duck wellington I sampled on this occasion was an outstanding dish that will live long in the memory.

Their wine list was impressively good with an excellent selection of wines by the glass.

So overall, thanks to The Magnum and Crimson Edge. As the busy room of diners on our midweek visit could attest it’s a smart place serving dishes to a high standard.

Eleanor’s Verdict

I have enjoyed reading Blythe’s reviews for a good while now so it was with great pleasure that I accepted his invitation to dinner at The Magnum. I’d passed it on Albany Street many a time but had never eaten there before.

Diving in out of the cold that evening, I found Blythe in the busy bar area enjoying a pre-dinner drink and I joined him for a glass of rioja. We were shown to our table, one of the few still available, and perused the menu with a good five options for starters, mains and desserts. After some discussion, Blythe and I settled on the asparagus tart tatin and the beetroot gravadlax to start and the duck wellington and ribeye steak for main. We allowed the wine choices to be made for us.

Our starters arrived quickly and we both admired the lovely presentation. The beetroot gravadlax was delicately flavoured and went extremely well with the horseradish crème. However the pumpernickel bread was quite strong and tended to dominate. Fortunately, we had a delicious basket of fresh bread to hand so employing that I soon demolished my plate, which was well complemented by the selected chardonnay.

I was very much looking forward to my steak – I am quite a fan of a good ribeye – and I wasn’t disappointed. It can be difficult to find a British restaurant that doesn’t err on the side of caution and cook a steak for just that little bit longer. This was lovely and juicy and worked well with the French cabernet sauvignon.

With very little room left at all, we took a moment to enjoy our wines and catch up. A good strong espresso finished off the meal and we were ready to head out into the wintry Edinburgh evening. As Blythe rightly points out, the wines selected by The Magnum throughout the evening were a definite highlight of this most enjoyable midweek visit.

Scores
Eleanor scores the The Magnum
3.5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
4/5 for setting
giving an overall 15.5/20

Today’s questers were: Eleanor, Blythe

We ate: asparagus tart tatin, beetroot cured salmon, ribeye steak, duck wellington

We drank: white wine, red wine, Stewart’s ale, espresso

We wore: geometric patterned dress; algebraic striped suit

Total bill: food and drinks paid for by The Magnum

The Magnum sits just back from Broughton Street on the corner of Albany Street and Dublin Street in the New Town. It’s a good place to be: the area is has several good restaurants, pubs and bars. The Magnum stands proud on its corner. The large windows glitter invitingly and there’s always a bit of a buzz about the place. C. was away, so one of my glamorous companions kept me company. I can tell you now that she’ll be back – and so will I – because we had a great evening and some very good food.

Choosing A Balanced Meal

Sometimes, you sit down to look at a menu and think about how to balance your meal, finding starters and mains that will work together and give you a balance of flavours and textures. This time, I didn’t do that. I ordered the two dishes I really, really fancied, regardless of the fact that they were both beef. My starter was a lovely Asian beef, fennel and coriander salad with thinly sliced, seared beef on a crispy salad with a sweet plum glaze. The aniseed flavour of fennel works well with the deep flavour of beef and the veg was fresh and crunchy.

My companion, meanwhile, had the crab gazpacho with avocado cream. What a lovely plate! Sweet crab on top of a very nice gazpacho, a cooling and refreshing dish on a muggy day, with a dollop of fluffy avocado cream in the middle. Gazpacho can be almost overpowering in its wholesomeness, but this was gentle and turned almost wicked by crab and the avocado cream.

Hoof and Wing

I was tempted by the aubergine and pine nut involtini (roullades) with passata and mozarella, as well as the pan fried sea bass but went for the chargrilled beef fillet with potato dauphinoise and horse radish and garlic butter. I take my steak rare and rather enjoy watching butter melt on top of it. The dauphinoise was presented as a tidy stack of thin slices of creamy potato with a crispy top. Everything on my plate was lovely but the steak shone. It was flavourful, tender and cooked perfectly.

While I was tucking in to my meat and trying not to eat too quickly, my glam comp enjoyed guinea fowl supreme with smokey bacon risotto and green beans. Rich and savoury, the risotto formed a soothing backdrop to the gamey guinea fowl.

Savoury and Sweet

Eating with someone who wholeheartedly enjoys food is a pleasure. When we couldn’t decide which dessert we wanted, we decided to share a chocolate and caramel pot and a cheese board. If we’d know how very generous the servings were, we would probably have shared just the one.

I expected the chocolate pot to be a teensy little pot of ganache (and would have been happy with that) but what appeared at the table was a good-sized jar of mousse resting on top of a layer of butterscotch. Served with a praline biscuit and Chantilly cream, it was beyond indulgent. And very, very nice. Caramel and chocolate just goes and the velvety texture of the mousse was fab with the smooth caramel.

Then there was the cheese board. I disappoint myself whenever I leave food but there was just too much on the board for us to finish. I did my utmost, and enjoyed every morsel of creamy Morangie brie, tangy Colston Basset blue cheese, oozy and crumbly goats cheese, firm wash-rind cheese and smoked Applewood. I didn’t have much of the last – I like it, but I like the others much more and when I’m full, I prioritise. The cheese was served with oat cakes, grapes, celery and a rather special chutney. Whole baby figs!

Dinner was fabulous and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The Magnum looks formal but not forbidding – it is about to get a paint refresh to lighten it a little – and is small enough to be intimate yet big enough to have an ambiance. They were busy the night we were in, and people of all ages were meeting up for food and drinks.

The magnum has a bar so you can go for a cocktail (glass of wine or pint – whatever is your pleasure) if you’re not sure you want dinner. Either way, enjoy your evening and a warm welcome.

We had an amazing experience at the Magnum restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious, and the portions were incredibly generous. The Magnum dish never disappoints, and I'm always impressed by the fresh and amazing quality of the food. It's evident that the chefs truly love what they do, and it reflects in every bite. Highly recommend this place for a delightful dining experience!

Oh my goodness, this lunch was delicious. We ordered various small plates: open ravioli, ham and potato croquettes, bang bang cauliflower, calamari, duck bao, and rocket salad. Delicious. All perfect sizes for two people to share. Service was excellent and everything down to the background music was perfect. Love, love, love The Magnum.

Six people in our party. Service was great, food ranged from bread and olives to seafood and beef and salad. Everyone enjoyed their meal. To finish it off was the strawberries, cream and pistachio cake. Found this gem from reading Rick Stevs guide book. Definitely worth eating there.

What a great find! Definitely 5 stars. The monkfish was so delicious … every mouthful felt like a treat. There was a delay with my dessert - they came to apologise before I even realised and made a great gesture as an apology. Service was simply top. My apologies for forgetting to tip. A great experience. Might have to come again to try the haggis bonbons …

We had our lunch a month ago in Magnum which is located at a relatively secluded part of New Town. It was our first time to have venison, and it was better that what we anticipated - the meat was done quite juicy and tender, though less flavourful than the other main we ordered, the slow braised beef daube. I loved the haggis beeps and tatties as well, tasty and not overwhelming strong in flavour. And they offer good dessert too. Every dishes we had was nicely presented, and really friendly service.