MJ’s Verdict
I guess it can be said that the first thing you notice about is the green; good Lord the green frontage(!), which, oddly, on Lothian Road, tucked near the strip clubs, doesn’t stand out as much as you would think.
Blythe’s Verdict
I must admit to being a little disappointed to find out that the “rombo” in the title of this place refers to the kingly turbot, rather than a resplendent rhombus, but I suppose for an Italian seafood place this makes better sense.
Freshly opened under new management, on the site of the old Lazio, Rombo Verde offers a broad range of Italian classics, with seafood a speciality. The setting is an incredibly bright room, with a curious, eclectic array of artwork, dotted around the walls. A little thought about how the wall coverings contribute to the overall perception of the long narrow room might be in order, but in general the surroundings are tranquil and relaxed.
Their lunch menu offered a good number of choices. Our merry little group had fevered discussion about our potential options, which is usually a good sign. Our deliberations were rewarded with pleasing starters and mains.
I had the zucchini fritters, served with a little salad, and the most garlicky dip in the history of humanity. It turned me into a one man vampire exclusion zone, within seconds. Having said that, the combination worked pretty well, and made for a good opening.
Both MJ and I opted for the catch of the day, which were mussels and clams served in a light tomato and herb broth. I’m a big fan of mussels. There are some people I’ve lunched with who’ve rarely seen me eat anything else. So, as a mussel gourmand if not gourmet, I have to say that these were excellent. They were simply prepared, with the quality of the ingredients allowed to shine through.
In typical fashion, we gave dessert a miss, which seemed to be no bad thing, as the reaction of our fellow questers was not favourable.
By the end of lunch, we had made a terrible mess of their lovely white table linen, through a combination of factors. I’m not sure we don’t get extra marks for that, though.
Overall, Rombo Verde offers good value and well-executed dishes. As a mid-market Italian I think it’s one of the better ones, so a welcome addition to the Edinburgh restaurant family. I have a feeling that if you stick with the specials, particularly the fish, you won’t ever go too far wrong. I would gladly pop back, when I’m next in the neighbourhood.
Scores on the Doors
Out of 20 Miriam gives Rombo Verde:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13/20
Out of 20 Blythe gives Rombo Verde:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13/20
In attendance: Miriam, Colin, Helen, Mel, Blythe.
We wore: Tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses, pastoral tank top, eye-catching pendant, volcanic red nails, square-toed brogues.
We ate: Courgette fritters, pate, tomato bruschetta, veggie stew bruschetta, catch of the day, chicken with creamy mushroom sauce, meat bolls [sic], cheese cake, chocolate mousse cake
We drank: House red, sparkly water, espresso, black coffee
Total Bill: c.£65 (Two course lunch deal - £8.50; three course - £10.50)
Rombo Verde
95 Lothian Road
Edinburgh
I guess it can be said that the first thing you notice about is the green; good Lord the green frontage(!), which, oddly, on Lothian Road, tucked near the strip clubs, doesn’t stand out as much as you would think.
Bravely, we soldiered inside and sat perusing special lunch menus with ‘meat bolls’ and other delicacies. After spending quite a while trying to decide and staring at other diner’s choices, we ended up with a variety of starters and mains and a bottle of the house red, a Montepulciano, that was nothing if not entirely drinkable, but winequest we are not (not yet anyway, though I do love a good Chianti). When the starters arrived, I was lucky enough to not have food envy. My mix veg stew on bruschetta was quite good. The toast wasn’t special, but was served with the right amount of veggies, which were well cooked and seasoned. I even had a half a slice of tomato and basil bruschetta along side.
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| Stew and bruschetta |
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| Bruschetta |
The pate and courgette fritters of our dining companions were said to be tasty and everything was really well presented and quickly eaten. Clean white plates and no fuss was the order of the day, even if the plates left mysterious dark rings on the white tablecloth.
Our mains were brought out soon after and were hot and rather delicious. Again, I was counting myself lucky to not have food envy. B and I ordered the same seafood special and I can only agree that this mix of clams and mussels in a red sauce was really good. Not oily, or too heavy and just the right amount of flavour. I may go so far to say that these may be the best mussels I’ve had in this city-and I tend to go for them at every French restaurant I find myself in. A slice of crusty bready to mop up the sauces and a tiny bowl of hot water with lemon and an ice cube dropped in right before it reached the table, added to the class that Rombo Verde was trying to summon.
 |
| Mysterious black marks from the plates |
Our mains were brought out soon after and were hot and rather delicious. Again, I was counting myself lucky to not have food envy. B and I ordered the same seafood special and I can only agree that this mix of clams and mussels in a red sauce was really good. Not oily, or too heavy and just the right amount of flavour. I may go so far to say that these may be the best mussels I’ve had in this city-and I tend to go for them at every French restaurant I find myself in. A slice of crusty bready to mop up the sauces and a tiny bowl of hot water with lemon and an ice cube dropped in right before it reached the table, added to the class that Rombo Verde was trying to summon.
 |
| Fish of the day |
 | ||
| A wee washing bowl |
 |
| It was tasty. |
The desserts seem to have let down the meal; they looked like ones that were ordered in and jazzed up before serving. Not a problem for me, but those that go for the sweets might want to pop down the street to somewhere cakequest suggests to get your fix.
 |
| Puddings |
Overall, the velour seats didn’t do it for me, but the light and airy room with delicious, well made food, and great banter and just the right amount of attentiveness from the staff will make me go back. It’s also great value for the money.
I must admit that after eating at Rombo Verde I was glad I wasn’t meeting up with anyone for post-prandial canoodling, then again, the sheer amount of garlic I’d just consumed was pretty much guaranteed to keep me vampire free at least through the weekend.
Blythe’s Verdict
I must admit to being a little disappointed to find out that the “rombo” in the title of this place refers to the kingly turbot, rather than a resplendent rhombus, but I suppose for an Italian seafood place this makes better sense.
Freshly opened under new management, on the site of the old Lazio, Rombo Verde offers a broad range of Italian classics, with seafood a speciality. The setting is an incredibly bright room, with a curious, eclectic array of artwork, dotted around the walls. A little thought about how the wall coverings contribute to the overall perception of the long narrow room might be in order, but in general the surroundings are tranquil and relaxed.
Their lunch menu offered a good number of choices. Our merry little group had fevered discussion about our potential options, which is usually a good sign. Our deliberations were rewarded with pleasing starters and mains.
 |
| courgette fritters |
I had the zucchini fritters, served with a little salad, and the most garlicky dip in the history of humanity. It turned me into a one man vampire exclusion zone, within seconds. Having said that, the combination worked pretty well, and made for a good opening.
 |
| Pate |
Both MJ and I opted for the catch of the day, which were mussels and clams served in a light tomato and herb broth. I’m a big fan of mussels. There are some people I’ve lunched with who’ve rarely seen me eat anything else. So, as a mussel gourmand if not gourmet, I have to say that these were excellent. They were simply prepared, with the quality of the ingredients allowed to shine through.
 | |||
| The 'meat bolls' |
 | |
| Meat Bolls |
 |
| Chicken in mushroom sauce |
|
| It was tasty! |
In typical fashion, we gave dessert a miss, which seemed to be no bad thing, as the reaction of our fellow questers was not favourable.
By the end of lunch, we had made a terrible mess of their lovely white table linen, through a combination of factors. I’m not sure we don’t get extra marks for that, though.
 |
| Cheesecake |
 |
| Chocolate mousse |
Overall, Rombo Verde offers good value and well-executed dishes. As a mid-market Italian I think it’s one of the better ones, so a welcome addition to the Edinburgh restaurant family. I have a feeling that if you stick with the specials, particularly the fish, you won’t ever go too far wrong. I would gladly pop back, when I’m next in the neighbourhood.
Scores on the Doors
Out of 20 Miriam gives Rombo Verde:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13/20
Out of 20 Blythe gives Rombo Verde:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13/20
In attendance: Miriam, Colin, Helen, Mel, Blythe.
We wore: Tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses, pastoral tank top, eye-catching pendant, volcanic red nails, square-toed brogues.
We ate: Courgette fritters, pate, tomato bruschetta, veggie stew bruschetta, catch of the day, chicken with creamy mushroom sauce, meat bolls [sic], cheese cake, chocolate mousse cake
We drank: House red, sparkly water, espresso, black coffee
Total Bill: c.£65 (Two course lunch deal - £8.50; three course - £10.50)
Rombo Verde
95 Lothian Road
Edinburgh
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