Trying new places, I decided to eat at B’est on Drummond  Street.  I went because Rosemary sent me the article below from The List having seen it praised in the food magazine Olive.

The full menu costs £14.95, though there is a pre-theatre £9.50 one.  The place is conveniently situated near a major theatre.  The £14.95 can be quickly increased.  Vegetables are extra and some dishes also have a supplemental charge.

I started off with a liver au fois gras terrine.  Very nice, and it came with a little tower of something tasty, which to my surprise included one floret of cauliflower.

Mains was a tower of duck breast on some square chips arranged in Jenga fashion.

Finals was chocolate flan.

All the food was very well arranged.  The waitress always asked whether you enjoyed the food.  The word enjoy, though seemed to be number one on her vocabulary.  As she placed the food in front of you, you were commanded to Enjoy!

You could see the chef working, a small part of the restaurant being taken over by the very small kitchen.  Alas there were very few people eating there, which made for a rather poor ambiance.  And then there was the Abba musak.

The List review

 The b’est restaurant in town? Certainly one with a pedigree. Co-owner Jim Brown’s Dock Place bistro in Leith was the first Pierre Victoire franchise in the city, and his new venture (previous site of Khushi’s) revives the PV formula of three courses for little more than the average spend on a Saturday takeaway. It opened in August 2005, and locals and students were first to catch on but increasingly busy tables show word is spreading. Three big rooms do make for a slightly unwieldy space but dark wood and Gallic bits and pieces give some of the lived-in feel of a traditional Parisian estaminet. And if some of the interior design is slightly more Disney than Dijon, it isn’t putting anybody off their seafood pot au feu. Staff are quick to catch your mood with rapid service pre-theatre, or something more leisurely if you’ve time to linger. The half dozen or so choices on offer marry French with fusion, so you might pick Thai fish balls partnered by a silky coconut dressing and crunchy fresh salad leaves followed by pan-fried chicken with classic mushroom and port cream. Pud-wise, crème brûlée or summer pudding make a competent rather than startling finish.