Clouds And Soil - Edinburgh, City of

Horrible booking.. Quality of food is great... Horrible service... I normally don't write more than my 5-7-5 reviews but the main server made it very uncomfortable to be there. I don't expect much but when you clearly don't want us to be there then don't stay open so late. We were 1.5hrs before close and were not the last ones by the time we left so I do not know what the issue was. If it wasn't for the quality of the food and the friendly bartender, this would havd been a 1 star review.

Such a beautiful venue, especially since we got a table by the window which had a great view of Calton Hill as well. We stopped in on an early Saturday evening without a reservation and it wasn't busy at all. Disconcerting, but we needn't have worried, because the food was very good! Between us, we tried quite a selection off their menu. Highlights were the Indian-inspired Scotch eggs with apricot chutney (it really works), the pan-fried plaice with arancini and beurre blanc (very fresh) and the cheesecake (light as air and not too sweet). I thought the prices weren't bad for the city, with mains hovering around the £15 range. Everyone in our party enjoyed their meals and the service was friendly and efficient. They also have a good selection of wines by the glass too. I'd definitely drop by again and maybe try a few of their cocktails next time!

Clouds and Soil gets five stars for the following: Lovely, decadent but not overbearing decor. The staircase on the way up is great. I want to walk down it in a big dress and have someone announce me. A straightforward, broad and interesting menu. The usual fish and chips but not quite as we know it?! Not only that but the food tasted great! An amazing cocktail selection, I mean wow, woah those cocktails tasted great and definitely packed an alcoholic punch (believe me, they won and I suffered for my ten rounds in the ring the next day) Staff who were fun and friendly. Our waiter was a great guy who mocked and bantered with us. The whole dinner was fun from start to finish. I had the scallops for starter while my parents had the meat and cheese sharing platter. The selection of cheeses was fantastic and I'll admit to stealing a few bites. For main I had a straightforward burger, but it was fantastic. My mother had the steak I stole about half of it and it was ah mazing. Bordering on addictive! Meanwhile the two boys had the fish and chips which was ginormous! We had cocktails for desert. I indulged in an Octopuses Garden which tasted purple and smokey. My mother went for Flight of The Bumblebee which was as sweet as the name suggests. The only word of warning I'd have is watch the stairs after a few of those drinks! I would recommend Clouds and Soil to anyone. It's reasonably priced and made for a great night out!

We bought a voucher, which we do sometimes to try new places. The staff when we arrived were helpful and lovely, and they were attentive all evening; pleasant, not like sometimes when you have a voucher (you know, when staff are jerks to you but you see them nice with others). Also it is a beautiful space, where you feel absorbed by the ambience. We got a superb cocktail, a version of daiquiri we delighted in so much that we ordered another round. Which, at 6.50 each, we do not usually do (we were celebrating, so we went for it). The starters: cullen soup and fowl terrine, both gorgeously made. I discovered that I am not a huge fan of terrine, I had never had it before, but that's due to childhood disgust of meatloaf which is near a terrine, and nothing to due to the on here. The mains: lamb and chicken. The chicken had a slightly crispy skin, which was so good I even ate a piece, though I usually keep those fatty portions for my hubby (not to keep him fat, but because I don't eat them and he does). It seemed like small portions of the sides: the zucchini came as three slices, and I was like, hmm. But I couldn't finish the meal because the chicken was a massive size. I had a bite of lamb, and though I didn't think it was the best lamb, hubby liked it. Dessert: yes, we had to celebrate, and though neither of us wanted to eat more, it was that pushing it to glorious heights that makes you feel like you are celebrating. So we did the fondue. And here they lose a bit. It was meh.

I booked a private room for 6 on my birthday. The booking went without a hitch. Very friendly. On arrival we were guided upstairs and into the Hendricks Room which indeed was exactly how I imagined it. Nice compact cosy and very much like a grannie 's private back of the house dining room. Lots of Hendrick 's Gin paraphernalia. However on arrival in the room we noticed that the actual room wasn 't set, it looked like they forgot to fully clean up after the previous occupants. That became more apparent when we noticed that the 'glitter ' on the table was actual pieces of glass. We were promptly ushered downstairs to wait so they can properly clean up the room. tsk tsk. When we went back in the room we swiftly ordered and settled in. It was a nice experience. With regards to the food I wasn 't so much impressed. My venison was a dry and a little too over medium, leaning to done. I remember ordering dessert and eating it, but I cannot remember what it was.. (well it was my birthday and I probably concentrated on other things) We still had a bottle of wine on tap unused and asked if we could exchange that for a couple of gin tonics instead. Which was agreed upon. That was a low point. The G Ts were .. awful, undrinkable and waaaaay to watery. (see I do remember that.. unfortunately) In all it was a bit of a mixed bag of experiences and I don 't think worth repeating anytime soon.