Smith and Gertrude are set to open a new wine and cheese bar in Portobello - and they want a late night licence.
Edinburgh Council validated the planning application on January 6 for the new eatery at 254 Portobello High Street.
The company already operates from Hamilton Place in Stockbridge but are now branching out and opening their second premises.
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However, they have applied to extend the opening hours because they say the current 10pm restriction on the venue would be unsustainable.
Instead, they hope to be able to open until 11pm on weekdays and midnights at the weekends.
They say that they have not had one complaint from local residents in Stockbridge since they opened in 2015, and in fact they have been active in the community and participate in book clubs, local school parents evenings, and charity events.
Agents at Pritchett Planning Consultancy prepared a planning statement for the new wine bar.
It reads: “Smith and Gertrude have carefully selected the premises at 254 Portobello High Street as it is in a location where the operation can provide a new high quality venue in a High Street location, but in premises which are not large which will allow an intimate atmosphere to be created.
“The opening will add to the vibrancy and quality of Portobello High Street with Smith and Gertrude becoming part of the established Portobello High Street business community providing a new high quality evening venue.”
Smith and Gertrude explain the origins of their company on their website.
They say “The seeds for Smith & Gertrude were sown during our time living in Melbourne nearly a decade ago. But the environment we want to create & the experience we want to deliver has been shaped & developed just as much by our time spent living, working & travelling in New York, San Francisco & Italy as it has by our Antipodean adventure.
“We’re an independent cheese & wine bar in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge district, born out of a passion for great wine, great cheese & enjoying both of these with friends & family. We like to keep things simple. We use only the highest quality produce available, source locally wherever possible & serve everything as unadulterated as we can.
"Luckily for us, we’re part of a brilliant food & drink community here in Edinburgh so we’ve always got plenty of amazing produce to showcase from the likes of Company Bakery, East Coast Cured & George Mewes Cheese.
“We’ve got an amazing team who are genuinely passionate about what they do (& what they drink) & we’d love to have you join us at the bar so you can see for yourself just how exceptional the simple things can be.”
The City of Edinburgh Council are expected to make a decision in the coming weeks and months.
