Girdy & Birdy Review: Foresters Guild, Portobello

The blog in which Girdy & Birdy went on a long walk to Portobello and back, accidentally stumbled across a zine fair, and then had a later-than-planned-yet-delicious lunch! 

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Girdy & Birdy went on a wander to Portobello Beach, before visiting Foresters Guild for some much-needed refuelling – before walking all the way back again! #edinburgheats #placestogo #edinburghrestaurants #diningout #portobello #fyp #foryoupage

♬ Bossa on the Beach – Amanda Rosa

Birdy: I had never been to Portobello beach before – had barely been to Portobello at all – so I was really grateful Girdy had suggested we walk here and find somewhere for lunch. Foresters Guild had made Girdy’s short leet (Scottish for list), and he usually knows where the good food is at, so I followed his lead! 

Also, I must preface this interview by saying I was HUNGRY. We’d walked from the centre of town, but on the way there, we stumbled upon a zine fair – and as an artist and relatively new lover of zines, I was EXCITED. Two impromptu TikTiks, much chitchat and some zine purchases later, we were definitely running behind for lunch. I think it was close to, if not after, 2pm by the time we got to Foresters Guild. 

Girdy: Once there had been a plan for Birdy to join me on a megapotter and for the destination to be the rewards of the Sugar House. You might remember (past tense) that as the ice cream parlour on the corner of King’s Road and Portobello High Street. It had the giant ice cream sign outside. Yeah, that closed down.

Also, yeah, I’m so late on my half of this review that Printworks Coffee has bought, refitted, opened and become successful in the space Sugar House left behind.  

The other place I wanted to get into was the Foresters Guild. I’d tried before, but been left lurking at the door waiting to be seated (even though a visual inspection suggested there were no free seats), before giving up (grumpy git) and going elsewhere. As you’ll see, this trip was more successful. Maybe it was a Birdy-effect. 

The vibe 

Birdy: Despite us arriving later than planned, Foresters was busy! There was one – small – free table for the two of us, but I was just happy to be seated at that point. Food was on the horizon! Made a mental note that the back of my chair was directly behind a pillar, then promptly forgot. 

Once I was settled and was reassured food would be imminent, I started looking around the joint and found Foresters to have a lovely vibe to it. Details like the map on the ceiling, the sign that says today’s date, and the slightly edgy signs such as ‘Sorry if I looked interested. I’m not’ were a really nice touch. 

I’m still curious about the wee seating area in its own room, with the sign ‘knowledge is power’ above the door. I was so tempted to go in there, as it was empty and the quiet appealed to me, but Girdy rightly said they might not have the staff to cover that area – it was super busy! Didn’t want to be a rude Karen or anything. 

And it was only when Girdy to the loos that he spotted the colourful and utterly charming wee beach houses outside, around the back! Next time, if it’s warm enough, I’d be tempted to sit in one of those! How fun. 

Girdy: We got seats and that took pressure off my mind straight away, imagine luring Birdy all the way to Portobello on foot only for there to be no seats. Also, my feet! Ouch. That was a weight off my feet too.

I liked the vibe straight away. Staff were busy but friendly, and the gastro pub seemed friendly with all sorts of demographics and dogs. That’s Portobello for you. I’ve lived here in the dark ages before and never really got the best out of it but also never had anything but pleasant experiences with the community.

I’ve just used the phrase ‘gastro pub’ to describe the Foresters Guild and I think that’s the best label for it. 

Birdy’s review

Did I mention I was HUNGRY? Yeah. I ordered a grilled halloumi burger, with some crispy, streaky bacon (which was the CRISPIEST AND STREAKIEST BACON EVER, NO REGRETS) just to be extra contrary – and alongside that, I also ordered the summer slaw-loaded fries. 

The halloumi burger towered, and looked amazing when it came out – but it did make me wonder whether I’d be able to fit the whole thing in my gob without a) making a mess of self and b) the burger falling apart. I took the chance, and luckily it held together well and didn’t leak sauce absolutely everywhere, so that was a win. AND it was delicious, so double win! 

You don’t often see a chips-and-slaw combo, which is a great shame – I believe a lot of restaurants are missing a trick there, as whenever I have ‘slaw, I usually combine it with crispy fries (or a nuked baked potato in the microwave, but that’s another story) and so I was delighted to see this on the menu. And when it came out, it was a lovely purple colour – very photogenic! Again, no regrets, this was just perfect. 

I washed this down with a lovely mango-flavoured mocktail, which I was happy to have spotted on the menu – since Girdy had missed the mocktails completely. 

For my dessert, I went with the sticky toffee pudding and vanilla ice cream. It was a perfectly acceptable dessert, but the stand-out part of it for me was the ice cream – I could probably just go for three scoops of that next time and leave the sticky toffee pudding, which I only ate around half of. 

And Girdy, having eaten all the calories the day before and inexplicably deciding he was going to be ‘good’ that day, refused to help me with the rest! Since when does this man ever refuse desserts?! Harrumph. 

Girdy’s review: 

Was I supposed to take photographs of each of the courses? Oops. Look, there’s probably video coverage. What can I say? I was distracted; I was hungry and hiding a banana zine (complete with earrings) that I picked up at the zine fair when Birdy wasn’t looking, planning to use them as a birthday gift later. That’s how you treat your business partner, by the way, fruit for their ears and zine poems for their brain.

Despite my own lack of brain, I did get food and took the healthy chicken option and hoped it would fill me up. Lunch was a grilled chilli and ginger chicken breast with bulgar wheat tabbouleh. I’m not food smart, I had to Google what tabbouleh was so I can also confirm GiffGaff customers have phone reception. 

 It kinda did but not enough that it wasn’t very hard to resist the siren lure of offered sticky toffee pudding when that song started.

I’ve now been to the Foresters Guild but I’ve still not been successful at getting a table more often than I’ve been fed. I should try and change that. I note the website says guests are strongly advised to book. Trust me; that’s not an exaggeration. When I go back I’ll want to try one of their steaks because if they don’t put the price on the menu, as Foresters do not and refer you to the staff instead, then I know I’ll love not being able to afford the treat and do it anyway. 

The service 

Birdy: The staff at Foresters Guild were pleasant and friendly. As soon as we were seated, we were given a bottle of water and glasses for the table, which was nice. 

Again, I was HUNGRY – and I know Girdy was also HUNGRY – so the wait for our food felt like an hour, when really it was a much more acceptable wait time than that, and understandable for a busy establishment. 

There was another bit of a wait after we’d finished our main courses, and it had started raining elephants outside, so we decided to order dessert and coffee. We weren’t in a rush, and again the wait was understandable considering how busy it was. 

Girdy: I don’t think we waited long. I think it felt like we waited very long. Importantly, it never felt as if we had been abandoned, no matter how busy this popular Portobello High Street location got.

I imagine staff are used to the pressure and the crowds. However, it was my first time. The next time I might be a bit more demanding and ask about alternative seating arrangements or fancy steaks. It’s a good sign that I feel confident enough to do that, somewhat reassured that staff have time to answer and totally reassured that they won’t snap at me for asking. 

Foresters Guild as a place to eat in Portobello

The biggest, most overwhelming thing to do in Portobello is just like Ken’s job – it’s BEACH. We did BEACH and we’ll (hopefully) do BEACH again in the not-too-distant future, where we’ll be sure to review another Portobello eatery. 

If you were to make your way back to the city centre along London Road, you’ll stumble (just as self and Girdy did) across Edinburgh Palette at St Margaret’s House! Their tagline is ‘creating places for creative people’ and they often have events on – incredibly cool! 

A quirky photograph op is the Portobello Kilns, if you’re feeling fit there’s the Portobello Swim Centre and, if you’re feeling plush, Noble’s Amusement. I think it’s also worth checking out whether there’s a maker’s market at one of the churches or the Portobello Town Hall. 

Overall 

Birdy: I had a really enjoyable meal at Foresters, and my favourite part was that delicious grilled halloumi with the naughty crispy bacon – mmmm, such a good combination! And we definitely got enough fuel in our bellies to last us the journey back to the city centre again – in the sodding rain! 

Girdy: I’ll come back. The one time I got a seat, it was excellent, and the food delicious, but I must remember to book. Tempted? Sort out the details later; book now.