I tried an unusual dinner at this quirky and bright Edinburgh pub
I tried an interesting take on Mexican food
You’re probably more likely to see a dog cycling along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile than spot me in the pub on a weeknight. Or, any other night, to be honest.
Still, if any boozer is going to drag this old lady from her herbal tea and well-worn settee groove, it’s Paradise Palms. I’ve always been a fan of this 11-year-old destination, mainly because it’s non-contrived yet quirky, with its stuffed toy display, slightly scuzzy toilets, disco balls and op art flooring. Also, it was once bar Negociants back in the Nineties, so the building and I have history. Let’s say we’ve had a few Moscow Mules together.
Now, there’s more reason to visit, as Antojitos Cantina has taken over their kitchen. This Mexican street food stalwart was established in 2020 by John Kelly, and their outposts include Edinburgh Street Food and The 78 Bar in Glasgow. They’re also - drum roll - vegan.
It’s been a while since I’ve had anything of this genre. That’s partially because, in recent years, there have been approximately zero exclusively vegan establishments opening in my vicinity. Perhaps regular restaurants are more accommodating these days - there’s always at least one tiny “vg”, “ve” or “pb”(plant-based) on the menu - and venues don’t want to limit their demographic. Still, build it and they will come, as Paradise Palms was busy on a Wednesday evening.
I was very much up for a cocktail, and had settled on their delightful-sounding banana bread old fashioned (£11) about five days before my visit. This coddling butterscotchy sweetie contained Martell VS Cognac, Wild Turkey Rye, banana, demerara and walnut.
He went for the peach picante Margarita (£11), which was pretty in cherry blossom pink but had a real eye-watering kick, with Cazcavel Reposado Tequila, peach, lime, red chilli and a chilli lime salt rim. Ay-ay-ay. Two brilliant cocktails, but don’t order the wa gari ta (£12) with Patron Resposado, wasabi, lime sherbet and carrot juice. It was too much of a challenge for someone who’s not a savoury drink fan. Our server did try to warn us.
The food menu is quite lengthy, so we went for a spread of the most interesting bits. The first to arrive was the queso birria (£14.95) - three tortilla triangles that contained Juicy Marbles meat-free soy protein steak, which was a charred, sweet, rich and pretty decent beef imitation, with chopped white onion on top. It came with a ramekin of gently spiced chipotle consomme for dipping. Anyway, this dish did a good impression of a cow, beyond just saying “moo” and strapping an inflated rubber glove to one’s torso.
I also enjoyed the Southern fried pineapple (£8.95), which really needed to be eaten when hot, to avoid the soggies. This pair came with lots of colourful accessories, including a pink chipotle crema, chimichurri, grilled peppers and onions. This, along with our heady cocktails, set off a rendition of Black Lace’s Agadoo, since it features the only lyrical tribute to pineapples in existence.
As a tattie fan, I felt compelled to get the papas taquitos (£9.95), which were skin-on faux cheesy mashed potatoes wrapped in corn tortillas and fried. They were a little stodgy inside, but I loved the accoutrements, which include a decent queso fresca cheese substitute and chipotle crema, with a caterpillar green tomatillo salsa verde on the side.
There were similar colourful toppings on the jalapeno rellenos (£10.45) - beer-battered roasted jalapenos stuffed with a cream cheese substitute. My favourite thing about this dish was the portion of curtido, which is a lightly fermented Mexican take on coleslaw, with cabbage, carrot and lime. It was bright, acidic, crunchy and addictive.
We’d over egged (or aquafabad) our meal with an unnecessary fifth dish. It featured ch*kn (£11.95), which is not a swear word, but something from the meat-free Antojitos lexicon. These were bouncy bits that came in a toasted tortilla, and this was probably my least favourite dish, just because I’m not a fan of the texture of squidgy orange queso, whether that’s vegan or non-vegan. Still, it came with another helping of that brilliant curtido, plus chimichurri and crema.
Did we miss meat and dairy? To be honest, no, we were quite happy and I’m impressed with the ingenuity that’s gone into every plant-based dish.
The food is super vibrant, and I got to experience my first Southern fried push pineapple. (Shake the tree).
That, and singing Agadoo, made it worth any separation anxiety I got from leaving my precious sofa on a Wednesday evening.
41 Lothian Street, Edinburgh (0131 225 4186, www.theparadisepalms.com)
Read more: “I visited this historic and charming Edinburgh Old Town pub after £1million transformation”
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