Absolutely Fabulous bar

By Jonathan Trew

Details Fourth Floor Bar  Website  Harvey Nichols  30-34 St Andrew Square  Edinburgh  EH2 3AD      0131 524 8350 The last time I was in Edinburgh's Harvey Nicks it was for their opening party and so many celebs were floating about I was rendered speechless. Actually, I wasn't speechless. It's just that afterwards my mates said they could not understand what I was saying because of the clanging noise coming from all the names I shamelessly dropped. They swore if I started another conversation with, 'As Ewan McGregor said to me...' they would beat me to death with several copies of Heat. Fair enough, and besides, I think they knew fine well I had got about as close to McGregor as Tony Blair has to finding any weapons of mass destruction. This visit, the celebs were a lot more thin on the ground but the place was heaving with ordinary people. Or civilians as the stars snottily call us. Thanks to Ab Fab's Patsy and Edina, Harvey Nicks has a bit of a snobby reputation. If the TV's terrible twosome are to be believed, you won't get in the door without a platinum credit card and a bad Bollinger habit. It's nonsense. I would be pretty near the back of the queue to buy a pair of designer-label jeans, but I would quite happily join a line to taste another of Harvey Nicks nutty vanilla espresso cocktails. Not everyone can afford to buy their wardrobe here, but for the price of a drink anyone can feel at least a little like a star for the night. There is no red carpet at the side door entrance to Harvey Nicks, but a lift whisks customers from the street up to the penthouse level bar and restaurant. We parked ourselves at the island bar and took in the skyline over Edinburgh city centre. The wall overlooking South St Andrew's Square is all glazed and the views alone are worth the price of a drink. The Scott monument was all lit up in the foreground while the castle glowered down from the hill in the background. After half an hour or so, a blizzard struck and the views were replaced by the mesmerising sight of snow being blown upwards against the windows. At the risk of sounding as though one too many pink buffalo bourbon cocktails had been consumed, it was a magical sight. While the views are spectacular, it's the staff that make you feel as though you are in the right place. Friendly and chatty without always hovering around, they made us feel at home from the moment they brought the complimentary bar snacks to the time that they waved us good night. What's more they make great cocktails. Too often cocktails are a chance for bars to flog cheap spirits mixed with watered fruit juice. The cocktails here were carefully made with fresh ingredients and top spirits brands they tasted fantastic. Outside, the increasingly-wild weather made it look as though we might be stuck in the bar all night. And by about the third cocktail, I would have been happy to be stuck there in the bar all week. Unfortunately, the snow stopped almost as suddenly as it began and we had to head off. I'll be back though. The Harvey Nicks bar is not the sort of place where you go to sink pints with a crowd of mates. It's too smooth for that. But if you want to feel like a million dollars or make someone else feel they have had a special night, head to Harvey Nicks. Especially if it's snowing. Opening hours: Mon, 10am-6pm; Tue-Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun, noon-6pm. Prices: Bottle of Stella, £3; glass of wine, from £3.50; cocktails, from £5; bottle of Bollinger £63.50. Rating: Four out of five

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