23 Elm Row, Edinburgh 0131 556 4140
Style: Howff turned boho hangout
Prices: Pint of Baltika £3.30; glass of house wine, £3.30 (175ml), £4.20 (250ml); mulled wine £2.20; cappuccino £1.80
Best for: The family that drinks together
Not for: The solitary drinking man
Wheelchair access: No
What have the Swedes ever done for us? OK, apart from saunas, meatballs, the Nobel Prize, affordable designer furniture and Dancing Queen? Well, to this list we can now add reinventing the traditional Leith pub. Until recently, this was a sacred institution, infused with the heady incense of Lambert & Butler; a sanctum for the seasoned drinker, to be tampered with at the publican's peril.
But times change, even in Leith. Proof has been supplied by Anna and Mike Christopherson, the Swedish couple who are steadily buying up traditional pubs and turning them into attractive, laidback cafe-bars. Their efforts have paid off, as demonstrated by the success of their existing establishments Boda and the Victoria on Leith Walk and Sofi's on Henderson Street. Towards the end of last year, they added to these Joseph Pearce's, a venerable drinking establishment at the smarter end of Leith Walk, which suggests an infiltration of the city centre might be on the cards.
The reconfiguration follows a now-familiar formula, apparently based on the Christophersons' beloved Cafe Sirap in Stockholm. Little has been done to alter the fabric of the pub's split-level layout, but the decor and ambience have changed dramatically. There's a mishmash of eclectic furniture: a feature pillar in pink floral pattern; walls of stripy wallpaper; enigmatic prints; antique mirrors; bird cages and houseplants. There's also a menu offering pancakes (savoury or sweet, £3.90-£4.50) and Swedish delicacies such as savoury tart (with peppers, courgette and broccoli, £5.30), gravadlax (£6.30) and hot-smoked salmon (£7.30). Candles flicker on every table.
And in an unheard-of move, the Christophersons have introduced a children's play area, with microwave, bibs and other paraphernalia, available until 5pm and test-driven by their own two children. It's an idea so smart and simple that you wonder why more pubs aren't making the requisite licensing arrangements. By throwing open its arms to the mewling and puking generation, Pearce's is extending a rare welcome to their parents, who all too often find themselves shuffling miserably into the garish portals of characterless chain restaurants.
But you don't have to be under 18 to enjoy a nice pub. Part of what makes the new-look Pearce's so appealing is that the owners have had the good sense to retain some of its stolid Victorian charm - in the handsome brass light fittings and the cornice work, for example. If you want standard Scottish beers and drams you can have them, though there are also imports, including Russian Baltika beer on draft and, from Sweden, bottles of strong Stockholm beer and the aromatic digestif aquavit.
The only obvious loser in this new arrangement is the traditional drinking man, who prefers to sup his pint in an environment blissfully free from nagging wives and squalling brats. Fortunately, there are still plenty of pubs in Leith ready to service his needs.
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