The Magnum

Why hello there.

I've said it once and I will say it again, I love food. Sometimes I think eating if my favourite hobby. Recently I've been very lucky with being able to incorporate my love for eating with my blog. A lot of my food reviews have been about 'chain restaurants' which honestly I do love. I'm one of those people that likes to stick to what they know. However, I was recently given a chance* to check out a local gem in town. 

Just a short walk from Princes Street, The Magnum is a lovely little restaurant and bar situated on Albany Street. They describe themselves as a 'hidden gem' which is very truthful. You could easily think it was just a normal old fashion pub from the outside, but inside it's full of fairy nights, chandelier lights and beautiful modern decor. 

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the lovely and helpful staff who showed us to our seats. We had a lovely little table right by a mirror (great for someone as vain as I am!) and had a good view of the rest of the restaurant.

Fairy lights are the key to my heart

First thing we did was order our drinks obviously. I ended up going for my old favourite, gin and lemonade. Now they have a pretty good wine menu at The Magnum but past experiences have taught me that wine and myself, we just don't get on too well. The last time I got a bottle of wine for a meal, let's say I was a little worse for wear. It's a shame as I do love a glass of red!

Now onto the food!

THE STARTERS

Arbroath Smokie Pate

Buccleuch Haggis

Sam and I always tend to try order different things. Especially when we are planning to do a review. Gives us a chance to try new things too. 

I went through most of my childhood hating haggis but recently I've had a massive change of heart of it, so naturally I couldn't resist ordering the Buccleuch haggis with creamy mash, neeps and a whisky sauce. This was a pretty ambitious choice for a starter I will say. It was possibly a little too much for me but in all fairness Sam managed to eat a good part of his starter and finished mine off, so maybe it was just me!

The haggis itself was pretty incredible. The mash and neeps were smooth and full of flavour. My only issue sadly was the whisky sauce. I hate onions, I hate them so much and alas this was pretty onion heavy so I didn't really get chance to try it. 

Sam went for the Arbroath Smokie Pate. Now in hindsight I wish I had ordered this for myself. Not that I didn't enjoy my haggis, but this was just amazing! It was just so light and creamy. The perfect starter I would say. We ended up swapping our dishes because I loved it so much. 

THE MAINS

Chicken fillet burger

Scottish rib eye steak

 Okay so this was another situation in where I chose wrongly. I ordered the chicken burger, now that's not to say it wasn't lovely because it seriously was but that steak was just pure heaven. I only got to try a little bit of it but from what I had it was by far the tastiest bit of steak I have ever tasted. The redcurrant jus just complimented it so well. Make sure you order this bad boy when you pay The Magnum a visit. You won't be disappointed. 

As I said my burger was lovely though. The chicken itself was cooked beautifully. You always worry about chicken being too dry, especially when it's part of a burger but no no, this was tender and juicy. The bun wasn't too heavy which is always a plus for me. I also really enjoyed the wedges. I'm not normally a big fan of wedge type chips, I'm normally a sucker for a french fry, but these were fluffy with a good crunch!

THE DESSERTS 

Chocolate fudge cake

Assiette of apple

Remember when I said I kept favouring Sam's dishes over my own? Not this time!

When a dish is described as chocolate fudge cake with chocolate sauce with vanilla bean ice cream, you can't ignore it. I was actually tempted by the cheesecake but I am glad my love for chocolate won in the need. I'm a girl who does tend to favour desserts when it comes to a big meal and this one was just bliss in a bowl. Everything in this dish just worked. The warm gooey fudge cake, the dark chocolate sauce and the wonderful vanilla ice cream. You would think this could have been heavy on your stomach but it was surprisingly light!

After three courses though, I was getting pretty full and sadly didn't get chance to try Sam's assiette of apple dessert. It did look very cute and instagramy (yes that is a word). He wolfed it down pretty quickly, which can only mean that he loved it! I did get to try a little bit of the brandy snap and apple sorbet which I really enjoyed. When I go back, I hope this will be on the menu again! 

I do love a gin and lemonade!

We were very lucky that our meal was actually complimentary but we went in knowing we would have to pay our drinks, which we were more than happy to do but after asking for the bill, we found out that the drinks were 'on the house'. Which was just so lovely! 

The staff really were lovely and made sure we were well looked after throughout our whole meal. So a massive thank you to all the staff at The Magnum. It's been a long time since I've had a proper 'date night meal' and this one was just wonderful. I can't wait to go back. Even if it's just for a naughty glass of wine or two.

The Magnum really is a 'hidden gem', so next time you are on the hunt for new restaurant to try out, I cannot recommend them enough. I'm going to make it my mission now to get out there and find more local places to visit!

Thank you again to The Magnum for a truly brilliant night, full of delicious food and to Katie at Crimson Edge for sorting all of this out!

Till the next time.

X

*This meal was complimentary. All opinions are 100% my own though.