No 12 Picardy Place

We normally stay in 5 Star Hilton Gardens, however the budget is tight and a very reasonable offer enticed us to the 4 Star Picardy Place.
This building has a mix of character dating 300 years and with only 11 rooms, their attention to detail was just «WoW!»
The décor was fantastic and there was no a single spot of dusf in the room. With a beautiful view, the TV at the bottom of the bed & a deep bath complete with TV.
My only grumble was that there was no elevator, but I can’t give it less than 5 Stars. If you want luxury and some down time this is by far the best hotel I have ever stayed in and most certainly recommend.

After a second stay in the last few months, the rating stays the same. The first one was apparently just after a changeover in ownership or management, and while we noticed a few unsteady moments the first time around, everything has only gotten better in the last few months. 12 Picardy Place has grown into its own.
This boutique hotel has their T’s crossed and their I’s well and thoroughly dotted.
WHAT’S GREAT?
fantastic staff, the bed, location location location, the interior design, the bed, linen, electronics, lighting, the building itself, the bed, right next to an express Tesco, the ever-​beloved rain shower, all the usual and expected perks that come with a top-​class hotel, oh and did I mention the bed?
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
having to leave :(… and drivers, leave your cars elsewhere
ps. do request a room facing away from the main street and you’ll be delighted with superb views of the Firth of Forth
pps. class bar with the usual concoctions, and the lounge makes for a really nice and quiet place to decompress next to the fireplace
ppps. we didn’t eat in the in-​house restaurant, but have heard great things. The space looks beautiful and warrants a visit on its own merits

Is there anything this place doesn’t do? Cocktail bar, check. Whisky room, check. Fine dining restaurant, check. Night club, check. Gorgeous outdoor garden, check. Large room for live music, check. Seriously, No 12 Picardy Place (former Hawke & Hunter) holds everything you would need for a wonderful night out in its gorgeous Georgian house walls.
I was recently at their Global Party which opened up all areas for a full evening of dining, cocktais, canapes, dancing — the works. I’ve previously dined in Mark Greenaway (
) and the canapés that were circulating were equally as divine. I’m sure one of them was foie gras (I had to have several to confirm).
The cocktail bar is really quite different to many I’ve been to in Edinburgh. It’s just the Georgian house surroundings, you can’t get away from how impressive and lush the whole place is. White, stylish, lots of comfy booths, I was very in my element. The only downside is the ladies toilets only have two cubicles — and we all know what they can be like anyway with queues. But they are quite lush inside, big mirrors, a chaise longue. You know, just if you feel like lounging in the swishest way possible.
I really appreciated the difference in style and tone of the whisky room upstairs. All dark wood, much more old-​fashioned and obviously suited to the whisky itself.
The whole place is like Narnia and every room you walk in to is another wardrobe door leading to a different world.
If you head next door, the Green Room is a large gig-​type space that can be used for functions and that night had live music (I think afterwards I went up to meet Leon Jackson and spilled some margarita on him. Sorry Leon!) And nip downstairs to Under the Stairs for the basement level club which is all low ceilings, lots of booths for sitting and a reasonable sized dance floor. It all just *works*.
The Secret Garden outside is perfect for smokers, or if you just want some fresh air after lots of dancing and drinks. One of those things that when you’re normally in a full club and you think «I just need some fresh air» — well at No 12, they can provide et voila! There it is.
How else can I put it to show my appreciation for how well No 12 works as a whole? A perfectly fitting jigsaw of quite different parts.
It’s not somewhere I would spend every Friday night perhaps — not quite my scene as I’m a little more rough /​frizzy around the edges — but if I do ever want a full night out with options for all in the party, from cocktails to whisky and a dance if you feel like it — No 12 is definitely the place to go.

I also had Broken Lemon Tart which consisted of yuzu parfait, frozen shortbread, pistachio purée, compact watermelon, and coconut jelly. This was fun, light and each item had a distinct unique flavor.
As all good culinary opera’s must end, so must this one and it did with my signature doppio espresso with a twist. In keeping with the spirit of the rest of the evening, this near perfect espresso was accompanied with a delicious collage of petifores, (Fudge cheesecake, honey of raisin granola, honeycomb tuile & tanka bean ice cream). I mean seriously how often does one get to eat tanka bean ice cream. This dish was actually the best desert I had this night and it was served on a groovy piece of drift wood. Which reminds me, everything from the preparation, presentation, service and taste at Hawke & Hunter was above and beyond my expectations. I have been to several places that boast food of this level but fail to deliver. Hawke and Hunter was quite the opposite. They didn’t boast but they sure did deliver.
Bravo!
(Pictures are available for all these dishes on the Hawke & Hunter Unilocal link)

A Friday regular before my travelling year (even had my leaving do here!), I was not keen upon return to find Hawke & Hunter had finally given in to the Happy Hour ban that had come into play in 2009, of which they had initially managed to find a way around. And sure enough, upon my return to Friday H&H drinks, it looked like the effect had well and truly set in, as my fellow socialisers and I found the bar to be downright empty.
So with a heavy heart (and a fickle attitude) I shunned Hawke & Hunter from my social itinerary… forever!
Or maybe not, fate would have it!!!
With my sister’s birthday this Saturday past, she had the idea of a Voodoo Rooms/​Hawke & Hunter double-​whammy. I didn’t even know either were on her radar but who was I to argue? So off I trot.
And my faith in Hawke & Hunter was re-​ignited.
Now I should clarify that my reasons for the aforementioned shunning was down to the lack of atmosphere and NOT the lack of happy hour. Hawke & Hunter is an exremely pretty bar, make no mistake, but with no clientele or atmosphere it is all for nought.
However, you pour over a helping of bohemia, throw a dash of posers in with a sprinkling of working class and even a sprig of student vibe to top off, shake up this eclectic mix of Edinburgh patronage and you end up with the buzzy atmosphere of Saturday night Hawke & Hunter.
On paper, this place should be more pretentious than it actually is. You have the immaculate upstairs bar, playing a retro movie across the linen-​draped wall; you have the intimate outdoor garden with its inviting plush seating; you have the intriguing array of eclectic cocktails at slightly above average prices. However the crowd that make up an evening here are such a mixed bag, you never get that ‘are they judging me’ feeling. Not even from the staff… something you can’t say the same for somewhere like Electric Circus let’s say.
Hawke & Hunter… I missed you!
PROS: All of the above.
CONS: No JD! For shame!

So, last time I was here, it was called Ego. This was 3 years ago and Mr. Scruff was doing a DJ set that I went to to photograph for the Student Newspaper. Ego had its weekend gay night (I hope that doesn’t sound inappropriate, but that’s very literally what it was), and so I heard about it from my flatmate quite often as well. It’s a really cool venue, very decadent looking and velvety.
Now, it’s the Hawke and Hunter and continues to be located in Edinburgh Pink Triangle (not to be confused with the Pubic Triangle) alongside GHQ and the Street. I went to Hawke and Hunter because (surprise surprise!) it’s been turned into a venue where they’re playing Hot Mess by Ella Hickson (I recommend seeing it). It was an interesting space, dark with paintings that lit up on the ceiling and strange lines of colourful lights on the floor.

This place is amazing.
I found myself in here after a family members birthday celebrations, and I had an absolute ball. Hawke and Hunter is really lovely, a great venue for a nice night out or a birthday celebration and seemed to be full of all different types of people, so we didn’t feel out of place!
The different sections of the place make it really special, although we found ourself spending most of the time in the Cocktail room! The men liked the Whisky Room best, which is to be expected I suppose. It isn’t the cheapest place to drink though, but I suppose you’re paying for the chic surroundings too. I’ll never forget a cocktail I had called LadyHawke, which I assume was a special one they made up, concocted from champagne, fresh strawberries, poppy liqueur and rum. I didn’t personally buy it but it was the best cocktail I have ever had!
Perfect place for a special occasion, you will not be disappointed!

Hawke & Hunter has that effortlessly polished, self-​confident feel about it that does equate to a pretty awesome eating and drinking experience. In its previous lives as The Hallion and Home House, this was a private member’s club, but thankfully no longer, and I would suggest to anyone tiring of staring at the same old dance floors and bar stools to come along to the East End and experience something a bit different.
Hawke & Hunter is set out over several floors of pretty spacious Georgian Townhouse grandness, with the inconspicuous entrance, which looks a bit like it could be the door to an office or someone’s house, leading inside to the restaurant on the ground floor. I recently came here for my friend’s hen do, for which we hired out one of the private dining rooms. It was really, really lovely, and beautifully decorated, with the fortune of having our own dining space being absolutely ideal for our purposes, which included a banterful quiz on my engaged friend’s life, plus a few speeches and some loud nostalgia and storytelling. The food was also lovely, classic with a bit of a modern tweak to it. It wasn’t the cheapest experience of all time, but not too expensive either considering the private dinner party experience.
Up the winding staircase you’ll find the main bar, which is really striking. With its sweeping bar surface and Art Deco looks, plus a tasty cocktail list, this is definitely a very cool place for a drink. The ladies toilets are something else too. Not something you flag up in a review, but the grandeur of the «powder room» (classier than toilet) is an amazing place for a quick gossip on the chaise longue provided for such activities.
Aside from the bar and restaurant, there is also a whisky bar up a further flight of stairs, and some boutique hotel rooms for guests. Hawke & Hunter has definitely been an alcohol scented breath of fresh air for Edinburgh, with a mix of well heeled and quirky individuals looking for something more than what’s on offer in other parts of town. Super recommended.

I used to associate this ultra-​chic restaurant/​bar with those who liked to be seen in Edinburgh (yah’s etc) as it was once a private-​members club, so imagine my surprise when I went to Hawk and Hunter for a friends birthday — it was really, really lovely! The décor is really chic and the toilets are amongst some of the best I’ve ever experienced in Edinburgh. There are two quality indicators I like to use when reviewing places — the toilet and the temperature of the wine. I give Hawke and Hunter 10 out of 10 for both. Especially the bathroom, it’s worth visiting for that reason alone.
The Georgian style of the restaurant is typical of Edinburgh New-​Town, with a really dramatic sweeping staircase taking you up to the bar, and up again to the restaurant. It’s really cool, and I loved just sitting on the sofa’s looking around me. The only thing I would criticize, which I would by lying if I said I didn’t expect, was the price. You just know you’re going to be paying for the drink as well as for the surroundings. Otherwise, it’s really worthwhile paying it a visit. PLUS it’s open till 3am — for the suave amongst us who like to be out but don’t like the stinky clubs, this is the place to go.

A bar that’s open until 3am is always a winner with a great team of bar staff and plentiful sheepskin, which is great when your face gets a little warm from the vodka and wine and you want to snuggle up (i.e my entire New Year). it’s a completely perfect place to spend the wee hours. What used to be a private members club is set in a tremendous Georgian townhouse set over 3 floors comprising of a restaurant, the main bar, a whisky bar, and four luxurious hotel rooms.
The food during normal operating hours is pretty good, could do with fancying down as it’s all a bit fiddly with the amount of jars and plates but it’s really topnotch. However, we went on a meal deal kinda day but I don’t doubt that the food normally might be a wee bit pricey.