Pub quiz – The Bar Fly

The Brass Monkey Leith and its student vibe

The Brass Monkey on Leith Walk, complete with roast beef Monster Munch on the bar

Anywhere that serves roast beef flavoured Monster Munch is always going to score highly with me. If it happens to also sell Jonny’s Onion Rings, real ale and hot dogs then they’re going to have to really offend me to not get an enthusiastic reception. Thankfully The Brass Monkey hasn’t done too shabby at all on my many visits there.

Firstly, a note of caution – if you intend to meet someone in the Brass Monkey, Edinburgh then note that there are two of them. This one is situated by Pilrig Church on Leith Walk while its sister, smaller venue is up on Drummond Street, near the Festival Theatre. A non-cautionary note would be that you should feel free to meet in either as they’re quite good.

Tuesday football and quiz at Robbie’s, Leith Walk

To my shame, I didn't recognise Katy Perry — To my shame, I didn’t recognise Katy Perry

Robbie’s on Leith Walk is an Edinburgh institution. Situated on the corner of the Walk and Iona Street, it’s a no-nonsense pub with more televisions than you can shake a stick at. Popular Edinburgh author Tony Black has even penned a short story about the place, Ten Bells at Robbie’s, and admits he’s a huge fan of the place.

@thebarfly I love that pub. Set a whole story there … TEN BELLS AT ROBBIE’S, it’s in my London Calling anthology.— tonyblack (@TonyblackUk) February 8, 2013

So it was that Robbie’s was chosen as a decent, local, football-showing pub for a recent catch-up with a mate. Despite an initial worry that they were showing Chelsea in the Champions’ League rather than the Celtic game, this proved to be unfounded as the channel was switched in time for kick-off. The less said about Celtic’s performance against AC Milan, the better, but how did Robbie’s perform?