Nothing to beef about

Place: Buffalo Grill, 1 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh Telephone: 0131-332 3864 Other information All major credit cards accepted. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Smoking in all areas. Disabled access but no disabled toilet.

ALISON CRAIG gets her teeth into the new Buffalo Grill and finds it's a real sizzler

THE Buffalo Grill on Edinburgh's south side has been a thriving business for years. As you'd expect, it offers a hearty selection of big meaty things - lots of steaks and burgers, with a good choice of chicken, prawn and veg to boot.

The other marvellous thing is that it operates a bring-your-own- bottle policy, with a mere #1 corkage fee. So when a new branch opened in Stockbridge earlier this year it was greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm from diners.

But replicating any product is hard, and my first visit to the new Buffalo Grill proved singularly unimpressive. I was, however, willing to give it the benefit of the doubt - perhaps everything was too new and the systems hadn't kicked in properly - so it seemed only fair to give the new branch another shot when I found myself in the grip of a red meat frenzy.

Unfortunately, when we phone to book we are told the restaurant is full. Disappointed, we leave our number in case of a cancellation and reluctantly turn our attention to a couple of sachets of instant soup and some soft Ryvita. Just as we are mournfully stirring our croutons, we get a call to say the Buffalo Grill can fit us in at 8.30pm. Oh, happy day!

We arrive early and have a good rummage in the off-licence across the road for a bottle of red. As we enter, the wine is whisked away, opened and returned by the time we park ourselves in a window seat.

The lighting makes it very easy to have a good nose outside, and tonight is obviously street cabaret night. The entertainment consists of a man leaving Bert's Bar across the road and spending at least 10 minutes trying to get his jacket on. He slips one arm into his sleeve effortlessly, but then begins to spin in ever-decreasing circles while trying to hook his other arm into the other sleeve. He stops periodically when dizziness gets the better of him, leaning against a wall before trying again with renewed gusto. Eventually he gives up, slipping off the jacket, tying it round his waist and stumbling away down the road.

As we are mopping up our tears of mirth, the starters arrive. We have ordered tempura prawns - big fat juicy prawns in a light fluffy batter served with sweet chilli sauce, big slices of lemon and deliciously crisp shreds of salad. But it is my main course - a rare teriyaki steak blackened on the outside and a glistening deep dark red inside - that fulfills the red meat craving. It is meltingly tender and tasty - while my partner's chorizo chicken is a juicy breast smothered in a creamy, fresh tomato sauce and stuffed with thin slices of hot, spicy chorizo. Both dishes are served with thin, crispy chips and more freshly chopped salad, and we also enjoy a couple of side orders - a large dish filled to the top with whole button mushrooms, plainly fried, and another of home-made onion rings encased in more of that light fluffy batter.

After horsing this lot, there is no way we can contemplate dessert. One Budweiser, #1 corkage for our wine - and it all comes to just #35.

The new Buffalo Grill is definitely up to the standard of its illustrious counterpart. And who knows, you might get free cabaret too.

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