No matter how successful a business is, they always have to be on their toes. Smoke Stack in Broughton Street has been such a business since 1994 yet they are doing just that.
We took advantage of their imaginative offer in November’s i-on magazine where a free round of drinks was available to anyone willing to read a poem singing the praises of Smoke Stack that was printed in the magazine. (I’m not proud!)
The deal had limits – no Saturday night bookings and a maximum of four people. We were in luck!
We were a party of three on a Thursday afternoon and our lovely waiter upgraded the complimentary drinks to a full bottle of Marques de Calado Cariñena Tempranillo, a very smooth and fruity Spanish red. One of our party was about to celebrate a birthday so we were off to a good start.
Upgrading seems to part of their ethos. Smoke Stack was recently refurbished and the plain beech tables, utilitarian canteen style seats with padded wall seating are among what they describe as ‘upcycled’ furniture.
There is one large stone wall, some white tiled and the rest of the walls are grey/white with mounted round caged lights. Doors are in distressed wood which fits in perfectly with the clean, basic look. Edison style light bulbs suspended artfully from the ceiling add a subtle point of interest.
£8.95 for two courses made Smoke Stack ideal for EdinburghGuide.com’s £10 challenge.
Being a steak house, this is carnivore heaven. There is a gesture towards non meat eaters in the vegetarian soup of the day, which on our visit was curried parsnip. It came garnished with fried potato shavings and was generously served with butter and oval slices of bread. M., whose choice it was, found it bright, warming and full of flavour.
L’s choice was prawn cocktail in a classic Marie Rose sauce. It was served in a tumbler with a small portion of salad and bread and butter and reported as delicious.
I opted for Smoke Stack’s chicken liver and bacon paté. It was served in a deep wee pot, with two slices of oval toast and a little mixed leaf salad. The texture was smooth and the flavour was fulsome. The starter portions were all just right – not too much, not too little.
There is a good selection of mains and L. decided on steak and ale pie with mash, though there was the option of chips. The rump steak was tender and tasty and the pastry light. M. went for traditional hamburger and chips.
It could have been beef, chicken or spicy bean each of which comes with one topping from a choice of nine, extras costing 50p, and the usual token salad. M. chose bacon which was beautifully cooked, adding an extra layer of flavour among the many already on the plate.
The chips were golden and looked very tempting, however I stuck to Crombie’s sausages and mash which should have come with red onion gravy but I opted out of that. The table was given tomato ketchup and mayo, though brown sauce and mustard was also on offer.
All three plates were cleared with gusto by the diners and just as efficiently by the pleasant waiting staff! Coffee finished off a hearty lunch that would have been improved by the addition of some seasonal vegetables.
This diner style steak house is currently offering an introductory buy one get one free burger offer on their new take away menu. (See www.smokestack2go.com). The set lunch in not available in December.