June is going to be a very busy month at Centotre.

The sun has been shining and the Prosecco has been flowing.  It’s funny how sunshine and bubbles go so well together.

As you know, we never like to stand still for too long at Centotre. To celebrate our imminent anniversary, we have decided to have a 10 year Refresh and Party Dress!

Yes, you may not believe we’ve been here that long, but it is because of all your support over the years. We’re still going strong but we just want a little freshen up.

Now don’t worry, we’re not changing too much. We’re keeping all the bits you love and adding a couple of new tweaks.

Maybe even a few more booths, a little extra lighting and a Michelangelo to the ceiling, or something similar :-)

Celebrating Slow Food Week: up to 9 June

But before we get going on the prepping – and partying – there’s some serious food celebration going on.

As firm believers in high-quality, well-sourced food, June offers us the perfect opportunity to spread the word: through Slow Food Week activities.

Want to show your support in person? Come and try our special Slow Food Platter at The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant.

This month, we’re serving up a Robert Corrigan award-winning chicken and ham pie. Served with homemade chutney, it also comes with our Kitchen Garden salad and two mugs of soup, all for £17.95.

Suitably fortified, now you’re ready to come and see us in action.

Victor will be at the Edinburgh Farmer’s Market this weekend in his bee suit. Come and discuss bee keeping, the importance of protecting bees and the added bonus – honey!

Come and see us as part of the Slow Foods Chefs Alliance event at Summerhall on 9th June. Suzanne and I will be doing a cookery demonstration at 2pm.

Suzanne will demo barley risotto with Clava Brie and I will make traditional Italian risotto with Parmigiano. Both of us will be using seasonal produce from The Scottish Kitchen Garden, to show off the best of what we’re growing just now.

Tickets are just £20 – Call 0845 8743001 or visit http://www.summerhall.co.uk to book

Come along and celebrate good, clean, fair food and share the chefs’ secrets in the Masterclasses.

Book for Father’s Day (16 June) and dads get a free beer!

For the week leading up to the refresh we have lots of fun things happening, starting with Sunday 16th: Father’s Day of course.  We still have some availability so don’t forget to book.

When you book a meal with us at Centotre for 16 June, there’s a free glass of Birra Moretti for all dads.

Not to be outdone, if you book a meal for that day at The Scottish Café, there’s a free glass of Williams (local artisan beer) for all dads.

Getting ready for the refresh – and when it’s happening

Our dear friends Mr and Mrs Design, Jackie and Callum at Ampersand Interiors www.ampersandinteriors.co.uk and Mr. No Problem Andrew Paterson at Ambience www.ambiencedesigns.co.uk have been busy designing, choosing, selecting, specifying and getting us ready for the party!

We will be carrying out the work from Sunday 23rd June until Wednesday 26th June.  Bookings are being taken from 6pm on the 26th June.

Extra activities to fuel the fun

All week we’ll also have our fun Golden Ticket Lucky Draw.  A little complimentary gift for all our lovely customers in the lead-up to the refresh.   Don’t miss the big vase at reception for all our friends to get a little treat.

Remember The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant will be open from 9am to 5.30pm (10am on Sundays). So if you need a coffee, lunch or just someone to make you feel special, Ross and the team at TSC will be on hand.  The office will still be open to take bookings and you will still be able to book online.

We’ll be tweeting and updating all the new and exciting things to keep you hooked. So remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

We won’t be changing so much that you won’t recognise us, we’ll just look slightly more our age! 10 years younger!

Carina Contini

In addition, The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant also got Tip Listed for Best Sourcing Policy and Centotre for Kids & Family.

It is wonderful being part of such a highly valued Edinburgh institution. We are especially proud to be listed this year as it is their 20th edition

20 years in any business deserves a medal, Robin Hodge and the the team at the guide, we would like to send our warmest thanks and gratitude for giving us an honest and true review of the full range of eating venues that Glasgow and Edinburgh has to offer.

We love The List and Robin, from our team, may we wish you all best wishes and another 20 years of helping us keep on our toes!

We’ve made choices that have helped us deliver an even better product with even more care and attention to the source.

WHY TRUST IS AT THE HEART OF THE FOOD BUSINESS
Foodies are thrilled that all the horror stories about horsemeat, supermarket scams and fish fights are coming to the surface. For anyone in the know, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The complex food chains that have been created by the corporations have created a monster that is just starting to show its head.

Suppliers have been placed under huge pressure to continually produce food at a cheaper and cheaper price, while quality and trust has been thrown out the window.

Any of you who know us, know that quality and trust is paramount in our product at The Scottish Cafe, at Love Happy Food Events and at Centotre.

KNOWING WHERE ALL OUR INGREDIENTS COME FROM
Our relationships with our suppliers are not only crucial but they are special. We made a choice a long time ago to work with suppliers at source rather than through distributors.

Wherever possible we deliver on this promise and that results in a very different but hugely rewarding relationship. We know exactly where our food comes from and we are proud of every ingredient.

We are 100% committed to bringing the best quality, clean and fair produce to you and we love making you feel special every time we see you.

Our kitchen garden is the next part of this journey in knowing exactly where our food comes from.
Exciting times ahead.

PUBLIC RECOGNITION FOR THE WAY WE WORK
It’s not just the teams at Centotre, The Scottish Cafe and Love Happy Food Events who support this commitment – or you, our customers, who choose us.

I am very pleased to confirm that The Scottish Cafe has just received a 3* rating (the top score) in the Sustainable Restaurant Associations accreditation.

I’m equally proud to confirm that Victor and I have been named in the Hot Scots Power 40, an acknowledgement of influence in the Scottish catering industry. The only husband and wife team listed.

With our absolute trust in our product, you can be safe knowing that our choices are the right choices for our food, our suppliers, our team and our customers.

NOMINATE US FOR THE SCOTTISH RESTAURANT AWARDS
Following on from last years at success at The Scottish Restaurant Awards where The Scottish Cafe won Best Customer Service, it would be amazing to win again!

Please nominate Centotre for Best Italian and The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant for Sustainable Restaurant of the year.

BOOK NOW FOR MOTHER’S DAY
As well as making the right choices, we love an opportunity for making you feel extra special. And who better to focus on than mummmy? Let us make your Mother’s Day even more special – treat mummy to lunch, and we’ll take care of the rest.

With so many special ladies to celebrate, there is limited availability for Mother’s Day lunches, so please book early at The Scottish Cafe and Centotre.

Give us a call – if you say ‘we love mummy’ when you book, we’ll give mummy a complementary cocktail.

Alternatively, if you’ve got plans for earlier in the day, make time instead for a Mother’s Day afternoon treat. Why not come to The Scottish Cafe for heavenly afternoon tea – prepared by the team just for mummy!
Book now at The Scottish Cafe.

Mother’s Day: Sunday 10 March

Telephone booking for The Scottish Cafe: 0131 226 6524

Telephone booking for Centotre: 0131 225 1550

See you soon,

Victor and Carina

…The Scottish Cafe Do something different during the day on Valentines Day.  Why not spend the morning in a leisurely way, strolling through the Scottish National Gallery?

Enjoy the peace and quiet of the gallery’s atmosphere – and the beauty of your loved one on your arm. Or simply take in the paintings for a while. Whenever I have a free moment, and this isn’t often enough, I love doing this – especially if my darling is beside me.

Then head down to The Scottish Cafe and share one of our delicious platters.  The Winter Gardens Platter will hit the spot in this cold weather.

… at Centotre Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo?  Unlike this romantic tragedy, we can guarantee you’ll be in ecstasy at the end of your evening at Centotre.  Food ecstasy that is.

I’m not sure if this is going where I intended it to, but be assured Victor, Lara and all the team will be on hand to make your evening a memorable one.

Love Happy Food. What more could you ask for on the most romantic evening of the year?

Monthly Menu Changes Although we have been doing this for almost three years, many of our dear friends haven’t realised that we change our menus every month.

Believe it or not, this is a mammoth task. Speaking to all our suppliers to see what’s new and in season, and checking availability for different dishes, takes a great amount of time and effort – and our team love doing it.

Suzanne and Marcin (with help from all the kitchen team) get so excited by learning and bringing new ingredients and combinations of flavours to you all.  We hope you enjoy those choices as much as we do.

Highlights of The Scottish Cafe February menu It has to be the Six Nations Platter.

To celebrate all the international rubgy matches we’ve paired two mini buckets of fish and chips, mugs of our lovely homemade soup and two halves of one of our favourite Scottish beers.

Available all through February so don’t miss your opportunity to test it out.  As good as scoring your own try!

Highlight of Centotre February menu Aperitivo Time If you didn’t try this in January, it’s not too late.  Tiny tastes of your favourite Centotre flavours for you to enjoy in a selection of 3 or 4 dishes.

So: contadino, bruschetta and calamari fritti without the conscience!  Perfect at any time of day – but ideal mid afternoon or early evening for an unexpected little dose of decadence.

Scotland v Italy Six Nations Competition Your chance to win free tickets to Scotland v Italy this Saturday. We’re supporting both sides!

Still limited availability if you haven’t booked for the big games so please email info@centotre.com if you need to make a reservation.

Look forward to seeing you soon.

Our set menu is now a feature of our wider lunch menu, and this month, our focus is all on Turner.  Take in the wonderful watercolours upstairs in the Turner in January exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland, then come and see how we’ve been inspired in our kitchen.
It’s a good time for fish just now, and we have plaice and salmon, both in the starter section.  We’re bringing some new touches: to accompany the plaice, sea purslane.  A succulent that grows close to salt marshlands, it offers a distinctive crunch against the organic oats that we use to coat the fish.

We know you enjoy Carroll’s Heritage potatoes that we often feature on our menu.  This month, it’s the turn of Sharpe’s Express – a firm potato that offers texture to a salad, and soaks up the lovely chilli-enhanced dressing that accompanies the salmon.

Pork belly has become a popular choice for chefs – it’s one of our main courses this month.  Ours is served with that classic companion, apple, but we’ve also added in black pudding and wholegrain mustard dressing to add depth of flavour.  Our black pudding comes from Stornoway, famed for its version of this sausage as ‘a taste of the Isles’.

We’re familiar with lamb in this country, but mutton less so.  Yet it makes for a wonderful stew, with plenty of homemade dumplings to soak up the sauce.  Peelham Farm has come up trumps again as our meat supplier for this dish.  Try it – the flavour is amazing.

Over in the popular sharing platters section of our menu, we’ve developed two new ones.  The Bellany platter draws inspiration from renowned painter John Bellany, and offers mini fish and chips, soup and half a beer.  A perfect lunch when you’ve been on your feet all morning, taking in the Bellany exhibition at the galleries upstairs.

We also have a Winter Gardens platter, featuring a very special macaroni cheese with smoked bacon and leek, plus salad, soup, and house white wine.  Ideal for those days when only something warm will do.

Like Centotre, we’re offering a 2 for 1: in our case, on our signature Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, served with a Highland Park Whisky Sauce.  Available between 3 and 5 daily – Slàinte mhath!

Last but not least, Burns Night is coming soon.  Where better to celebrate than with us, where you can savour the best of Scottish in the cooking as well as the atmosphere!  With favourites like cullen skink, haggis and cranachan, it’ll be a night to remember.

See you soon.

What if we could change the way we feel about January – keep the good things from the Christmas season, and still continue to celebrate what’s important to us?

Because if Christmas is about coming together, enjoying each other’s company, sharing what we’re doing – sharing our food too – why stop?

Make it your new year’s resolution to continue to celebrate in 2013. Get togethers. Reunions. Long chats. Quick lunches with a friend.

At Centotre and The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant, we’re all for celebrating – family, friends, and of course, good food.  Our 2 for 1 offers in January are designed to help you do just that.

At Centotre, we’re offering 2 for 1 on our classic pasta and pizza dishes.  Whether you want a light bite, or something soothing for those grey January days, you’ll find it here – and a warm welcome too.

And with Burns Night around the corner, why not get in the swing of things now with The Scottish Café & Restaurant’s own special?  We’re offering a 2 for 1 on our signature Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, served with a Highland Park Whisky Sauce.

2 for 1. More incentive to get together.  And more celebration.  Join us soon.

A new year can bring us to thinking about what matters in life. The years pass so fast but I’m glad to say that the good things get better.

On my list of good things: friendship, wine, whisky, great books and movies, a lovely smile, a warm hug, beautiful pictures, lovely gardens, a plate of pasta and fish and chips…

New Year brings us to thinking about our business too. 2013 is going to be a contemplative year for us. We’re going to concentrate on all the good things we do and try and make them even better.

One new thing: this year we’re even going to have our first sale ever – but we’re calling it a celebration!
Lots of 2 for 1 offers all through January. Find out more about these in our 2 for 1 article.

We’re suggesting some extra ways to bring celebration to your new year, by taking in the Turner and Bellany exhibitions at the National Galleries of Scotland this month. The Scottish Café has taken Turner as inspiration for its January menus – find out more!

We hope to see you lots in 2013.  Come and join us as we enjoy making the best things just that bit better for you.

Celebrate the birth of Scotland’s finest! Join us for a night of live music, dancing and a traditional Scottish supper.

£26.50 per person.

Call 0131 226 6524 or email events@lovehappyfood.com

Menu

That favourite, spaghetti carbonara, reappears on the pasta menu.  Its success depends on the quality of the eggs – ours are free range and organic, for a rich and nourishing lunch that slips down easily.

Another classic Italian dish, Saltimbocca, makes its way onto the grills section.  Traditionally made with veal, ours is made with chicken for a different take on the recipe, but with the all-important sage still there. We’re confident you’ll find this one ‘jumps in the mouth’, just as the name suggests.

And now…on to the specials!  Our sister restaurant The Scottish Cafe has been offering two- or three-course set menus for the last couple of months.  Here’s our response: our ‘skinny’ menu.  With two dishes each for starter, mains and dessert, and choices belonging just to this part of the menu, we know you’ll enjoy exploring our set menu.

One key ingredient for January: lentils, a traditional ingredient in Italy for New Year.  The coin shapes of the lentils symbolize money and good fortune.  Although New Year lentils are usually paired with pork, we’re combining them with chicken, for a ‘skinny’ main course that’s satisfying – and very good for you!

Pastas and pizzas are among people’s favourites when it comes to Italian food.  So we’re eager to please, with our 2 for 1 celebration!  Choose two of our classic pizzas or pastas in January, and the second one is free! Perfect for exploring new variations – just make sure your dining guest is ready to share…

Children are treasured within part of Italian culture, and at Centotre, we don’t want you or your kids to miss out on good food.  So in January, a child’s meal is free when the accompanying adult buys a main course meal.

And if that weren’t enough, we have a new way to try a wide range of dishes.  Our classic Milanese aperitivo menu allows you to pick any number of smaller dishes, at just £4.50 each.  Or choose 4 or 5 dishes for an offer that just got better!  You’ll find familiar cold aperitivo favourites like olives and salami, but we have cooked dishes too.

One we can’t help mentioning is arancini – ‘little oranges’, so named because of the dimpled look of the rice that forms these savoury treats.  For those who’ve enjoyed watching Inspector Montalbano on BBC4, you may remember that the prospect of arancini brings him to miss a flight north, just so he can taste these Sicilian delicacies. And who can blame him?

After all that choice, time for a pick me up…We devise our own cocktail every month, and this time, it’s the turn of pomegranate to feature in our special martini.  The beautiful pink of the seeds offers you a bright and attractive seasonal drink.

Or maybe you’ll want one while you mull over your menu choices…As ever, our knowledgeable staff are happy to advise.  Even more reasons to Love Happy Food with us in January.  See you soon!

These wonderful watercolours, given to the National Galleries collection by collector Henry Vaughan, are particularly special to many of us because they are only available to see in January.

Edinburgh loves traditions, whether centuries old or more recent additions.  Turner in January is one of the older ones: the paintings have been exhibited in January only, for over one hundred years.

Why just for one month? The paintings are delicate, and Vaughan stipulated they should be shown in January because of the low light levels at this time of year.

Even though museum curation offers much more now to safeguard its masterpieces than at the time of the bequest, Vaughan’s instructions have been followed, and the pictures remain in extremely good condition.

The paintings cover a wide range of subjects, including European settings.  Look out for the Lion of Venice, featured in the brochure picture for this year’s exhibition.

One thing we still have in common with our Victorian forebears who might have come to see the exhibition is an appreciation of tea and cake.  Or a good lunch out to reward our artistic journey.

At the Scottish Cafe & Restaurant, we enjoy the inspiration a good art exhibition can have on our food.
Our 3pm menu already draws on whatever exhibition is current.

Now we’re going a step further: our lunch set menu is Turner-themed.  How does that work? You’ll have to view the pictures first, then come and make your own connections over lunch.

And while you’re at the galleries, don’t forget the continuing exhibition for our dear friend John Bellany.
His paintings, prints, watercolours and more are still on the walls until the end of January.

Italy – and Scotland.  As ever, we think it’s a winning combination.