I’d been wanting to go to Fork & Field for a wee while now since hearing of a big refurb of the old Torphican Inn in my boyfriend’s native Mid Calder.

Owned by the same owners of quirky gin bar The Jolly Botanist on Morrison street right by Haymarket train station in Edinburgh, I had the feeling I’d be in for good things. 

We were greeted with a fun foodie-filled quote on entry and the menu had me licking my lips in anticipation. As you enter you are met with a long wooden bar and a spacious front which looked ideal for cocktail sipping as this is something I’ve heard they do well here. 

I love this peacock 

I really like this table it was to your right on entry to the bar and the decor and ambience felt really chic and chilled. There were people scattered at miscellaneous tables all over the large premises which was really encouraging on a Sunday lunchtime. We were seated round the back in a lovely glassed area with views of the courtyard where a family were seated all wrapped up with their dog enjoying Sunday lunch – the little girl even had a fancy cocktail glass for her mocktail so she could be just like her mum.

Outside decking area

Down to the tucker, and there was a good selection to choose from including sharing nacho bowls, haggis fritters and a halloumi starter. For mains it wasn’t too cluttered which I liked, there were about 10 options and they all sounded mouth-wateringly good from vegetarian haggis lasagne, Mac ‘n’ cheese served with garlic focaccia and a side salad, East Coast fish & chips, pie of the day, a sweet potato burger and a beef burger with Applewood smoked cheddar with sweet cured streaky bacon and a bowl of fries. The veggie options on offer were fantastic and I swayed on whether to get the Mac ‘n’cheese or steak sandwich. In the end it was the Lauder fillet steak sandwich with mustard mayo, carmalised onions, a bucket of fries and blue cheese dip that won both of us over. I think if the Mac ‘n’ cheese had the option of some haggis or streaky bacon through it I could have been persuaded as today I was very much in a meaty mood.

When the above was put down in front of me I immediately became excited about this board of deliciousness. I wasn’t too sure about the blue cheese dip I thought a garlic aioli or sweet chilli may have been a better fit but how wrong was I, I couldn’t stop dunking my chips into it it was so moreish. Gav didn’t feel the same though as he is not a cheese fan in the slightest! The steak was melt in your mouth fantastic, the ciabatta was soft but crisp in all the right places, I was very happy and ate every morsel!

Dime bar cheesecake with vanilla ice cream 

I’d spied the Dime bar cheesecake on my first scan of the menu and I knew I had just enough room to squeeze some in so we decided to share it. The bowl of ice cream was unexpected but in hindsight was needed as the base of the cheesecake was quite rich but perfectly accompanied with the cool creaminess of the vanilla. 

Pretty much every other table had reserved signs on it for Sunday evening in the form of a small photo frame which just goes to show its popularity. They had Sunday roast on the menu for £14 as a special so I’m not surprised people were booking up. One of the staff members, a man with a beard and glasses, came to talk to us to comment on how much he loved the cheesecake which was quite friendly. We ordered a pint of coke and fresh orange and lemonade and in total we paid £34.20. We received love hearts in a wee green bucket with our bill which was a nice change to the mints you normally get in restaurants. I’d definitely love to come back for some drinks with dinner as I’ve heard their cocktails and gins are something to shout about which I’m not surprised about due to the Jolly Botanist connection. 

Located perfectly on the Edinburgh to Bathgate bus route, the bus stops right outside Fork & Field if you fancy grabbing yourself a few drinks here. Or a 20 minute or so drive from Edinburgh will bring you to the quaint village of Mid Calder. Also Mid Calder is situated in the next town, a stone throws away from Livingston’s shopping centres so swap the chain restaurants for something a bit more special, but whatever you do you have to check out the buzz that everyone in this area is talking about because the buzz is justified.