I had a hearty and brilliant Sunday lunch at my new favourite Edinburgh pub

There are the ones for live sports fans, the others for families dining in the day, gastropubs or drinking dens, old man boozers, trendy speakeasies and stylish wine bars.

It’s very hard to find a destination that has truly broad appeal.

I know this, as I occasionally have to organise a get-together, and there are always gripes, usually centred around the prices, though I can’t help being a cocktail-joint-loving gal.

Hooray, then, for Nobles. When I visited, all of Jock Tamson’s bairns were there. And not just the human species. As well as three dogs, there was a black and white cat in a pink furry jacket. Really. It wasn’t drinking a sachet of milk alone, but with its owner, who was on the Diet Coke.

Anyway, it’s been years - before the trams were even a twinkle in the council’s eye - since I was in this Leith institution, but I was happy to be back and reacquainting myself with the Victorian B-listed building’s beautiful maritime-themed stained glass windows, theatrically high ceilings, tiled floor and the wood panelling. What a space.

It was taken over by Bellfield Brewery back in October 2025, and has two newly appointed wunderkinds in the kitchen - Hugh Brown (formerly of The Palmerston and Fin & Grape) and Finlay Colvin (formerly of Mirin). My hopes were higher than the froth in a biersteifel.

The booze menu is, naturally, very beer-focused. It’s probably TMI, but my microscopic bladder has never been able to handle pints, so we went for a half each instead.

My first beer in forever - the crispy and citrussy Bellfield Brewery Joppa Juice IPA (£3.10) - went down rather well, as did his dry and hoppy Three Rivers Lager (£2.90).

I’d forgotten that I enjoy this drink, and that there’s more to life than negronis (though they have those too, as well as Aperol spritzes and whatever the plural of a Buck’s fizz is).

The food menu features pub classics, with a bistro twist. I can definitely see the influence from Brown’s previous places of work there, and that’s a positive thing.

We shared the fried monkfish cheeks (£10.50), which were five Ferrero-Rocher-sized juicy globules in turmeric yellow puffer jackets of batter. As is proper, they came with a generous tablespoon of chunky tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon. They are really spoiling us.

We could see the cat eyeing us up, as we ate the last chunk. Sorry, kitty, none going spare, and these are a bit more upmarket than your usual Sheba.

The beetroot starter (£8) was equally lovely, with cool hunks of the veg, mint leaves, yogurt, and some addictive dollops of a warm, dark, nutty and particulate Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp. We’re buying some of that, next time we’re at Leith Walk’s PCY Oriental, said my other half.

There are just four main courses, including a burger and chips, which was being delivered to most of the tables in our eyeline, and a vegan roast pumpkin based option.

However, we tried the roast cod, and, my goodness, what a dish. The brick of fish was silky, and smothered in an earthy masala-ish and mustard-seed-injected bright yellow sauce. Its accompanying chips were my fantasy versions of this carb - chunky, terracotta-coloured, and crispy.

Our pork chop (£22.50) was about the size of the elderly Jack Russell who was in the corner, and beautifully tender, in a glossy and acidic charcuterie jus that featured finely chopped gherkins, with roasted cubes of apple and cavolo nero on the side. Ooh la la. We could’ve been in Paris, rather than at the fag end of Constitution Street.

There is just one sweet dish - an ice-cream sundae (£6.50) - or you can choose cheese. We shared the kiddy dessert, and I really enjoyed the mixture of malty chocolate ice-cream, whipped cream, tooth-bothering and rainbow-hued birthday sprinkles, as well as about four boozy cherries to make this mixture suitable for adults.

I left feeling really excited about this place. Finally, a pub to keep everyone happy.

I could invite my colleagues to the Wednesday pub quiz, take my extended family here for Buck’s fizzes when I want to show off the Leith neighbourhood, or persuade the local cat out for some milk to wet his whiskers.

However, the people who’re going to love it most are my own tribe.

That’s right, the foodies.

Nobles by Bellfield, 441 Constitution Street , Edinburgh (0131-460 8345, www.bellfieldbrewery.com)

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