IT’S always good to think you’re doing your wee bit to help charity.
And if it involves feasting on great food everyone’s a winner.
My pal and I had been meaning to visit The Foyer for ages.
Everyone we spoke to raved about the food and it has the added bonus of directing profits to a project aimed at preventing youth homelessness and unemployment.
Given that we planned to spend more than our usual weekly budget on one extravagant night, it was nice to appease our in-built, oh-so-stern bank managers with the notion a chunk of it would help others.
As we hovered near the entrance to be shown to our table, we drank in the seriously cool surroundings.
An atrium creates wonderful space and original art hangs on the walls. First impressions were excellent, and we were directed through to the rear of the room to our intimate table for two.
The restaurant changes its menu every couple of months or so and it was a tough choice to whittle down the enticing options.
In the end, my friend decided curried turnip and apple soup with a haggis fritter (£4.95) sounded intriguing while I plumped for hot smoked salmon with beetroot tartare, potato and chive salad (£6.95). She won the battle of the starters hands down. Every mouthful of the soup was a joy, and the fritter beautiful and quirky.
Mine was, well, the only low point of the evening. The fish was disappointingly bland so I ended up leaving most of it – an incredibly rare decision – and instead scoffed more of the delicious home-made bread.
However, my moment of being miffed passed when my main course of venison Wellington (£18.95) arrived.
This hunk of meat nestled in the very best kind of pastry – flaky on the outside, moist inside – was as good a meal as I’ve had in years. With oh-so creamy mash this was an absolute triumph.
And my pal’s blackened cajun monkfish with butternut squash puree and sweetcorn salsa (£16.95) was also top-notch.
Perfectly cooked fish for the seafood lover.
We shared a dark chocolate and pear tart (£6.15) in almost total silence apart from squeals of delight.
Wine and coffee took the bill to around the £90 mark so it’s definitely not a weekly treat for us, but it was well worth it.
And, hey, if it helps charity, we’ll do our best to save up to return to taste their next menu.