Shapes Restaurant

working at the gyle industrial estate means that my lunch options are fairly limited. there’s a greggs, a chip van, my work canteen, or i can bring in my own lunch. but then ms kelly f, brought me to the light and introduced me to shape restaurant only a short ten minute walk from my office building!
we decided to be a bit ladies who lunch on a friday afternoon and i had a quick walk over to meet kelly. from the outside this place doesn’t look like much, it’s part of the auction house in sighthill industrial estate, so just a plain black building that looks like it may have had better days. but walking into the restaurant, i felt like i was being transformed back into the 1920s, all chic dark wood with black cushioned chairs, a black and white tiled floor, and a i think maybe a marble bar top. the dining room was just gorgeous and made me feel so elegant and refined. the restaurant is only open during the day, but i saw a note that they hire out the dining room for private functions at night if anyone is look for a bit of glamour.
now the food… after ordering we were brought a nice bread basket with some white french bread. it was still warm from the oven, but i was a little disheartened by the plastic packets of butter. it sort of downed the classiness factor. however, i needn’t have worried as our meals arrived after an appropriate amount of time which assured me they were made fresh and they did not disappoint. i had ordered the beef and chorizo stew (picture is above) and it was just lovely. big bits of tender beef and chunks of chorizo in a rich sauce with carrots and mushrooms mixed in. it was just mmmmmmmmmmmm. and then the spring onion mash on the side, which i think had some root veg in it and bits of chopped up chorizo. my tummy was certainly quite happy by the end of the dish. i also had a lovely glass of merlot that felt like a perfect match to the richness of the stew.
there was only one woman as wait staff and the bartender, but she was friendly and helpful and neither of them seemed rushed. it helped to make a very enjoyable experience and i look forward to having another ladies lunch here soon! however, as i did find my lunch and glass of wine a bit pricey, i’ve taken off one star. also if you have time for a wander around the auction house there are endless delights (think beautiful china sets and real fur coats!).

Working outside the city centre it’s always nice to find somewhere good to go for lunch near the office, Shapes Restaurant is a little gem of a venue hidden away in Sighthill Industrial estate.
Right before Christmas my team and I came here for lunch together. The restaurant is part of the antique and auction house next door which is why this gorgeous venue is tucked away on an industrial estate. The restaurant is furnished inside as if some of the antique furniture from the auction room next door has been forgotten about here. It might seem a little grandiose to have a baby grand piano in the corner but it fits in well with the eclectic style the place has. You don’t question why there are electric guitars hanging on the wall next to large ornate mirrors, it just works.
When the next closest eatery is a burger van you tend to have low expectations of the food in a place that is so far out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t have been more wrong, the food here is phenomenal. I had the beef bourguignon with root vegetable mash. The meat was so tender and juicy; it fell apart when you tried to coax it on to your fork. It was also served with a generous portion of crusty bread to mop up the rich wine gravy that it was served with. The portions were generous but you could clear your plate without feeling overfull. However it being Christmas everyone wanted a dessert. Not wanting to be left out I opted for sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. As delicious as dessert was I did regret it somewhat when I got back to the office and started to slip in to a food coma.
Aside from the obvious drawback of being stuck in the middle of an industrial estate, Shapes is also only open during the day so you can’t come here for dinner. Lunch only! Unless you’re willing to make the effort to get out there at a weekend it really relegates the place to only being accessible to those nearby. It’s such a shame really as the food here is so good that the place would constantly be packed if it was in a more convenient location.
The food is well worth the effort you have to make to visit Shapes and lunch here plus having a nose around the antique and auction house next door sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.