Toasted goats cheese on garlic bread

We have previously reviewed the wonderful Bon Papilion, but returned today on a cold winter’s day to experience their warm hospitality and excellent food.

Owned by Ingrid Nilsson and Stuart Allan, their specialities are divided into Nilsson’s art on the wall and Allan’s framer’s service at the rear of the premises. The couple come together at the food counter serving up home-made soup, savoury tarts and tasty salads to hungry Edinburghers.

Today we plumped for the ‘chèvre chaud’ – a delicious combination of goats cheese toasted on garlic bread accompanied by salad (£5.25) and a ‘hot-smoked’ salmon salad with a large roll (£5.95).  Both dishes were of quality equal to be found in a bistro, but then that’s only to be expected since Stuart is a former chef.

Other savoury choices included savoury tartlets (£6.25),  BLT’s (£4.50) and a bacon ciabatta at a bargainous £2.50.

The highlight of a visit to Bon Papilion for us is the freshly made cakes on offer. At a very reasonable £2.10 a slice, we managed to devour a slice of chocolate and beetroot cake and a lime and ginger topped chocolate creation. From past exerpience, you can’t go wrong with their scones either.

Tea is a very reasonable £1.60 per pot and coffees start at £1.50 for an espresso and a latte will cost you £2.

Everything on the menu is available to take away as well.

We’ve been regular visitors to Bon Papilion since it opened last summer and regularly use it as a working space. The free wi-fi is fast and reliable and there’s such a creative energy in this arty hub, it’s hard to leave. You can take a seat by the window and watch the world walk up Howe Street, or savour your coffee and admire the ever-changing art work on display.

Chocolate and beetroot cake

The word has obviously got around town that this place serves wonderful food with a smile, as it was full by the time we moved onto dessert.

Bon Papilion is well worth a visit whatever side of town you live on and we are pleased top award it out ‘highly recommended’ award after providing us with perfect food and service for the last 8 months.

Information

Bon Papillion is situated at 15 Howe Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6TE. Telephone 0131 538 2505

Open every day except Tuesday 9am – 5.30pm (10 am Sunday).

You can have a look at their website and read their blog.  You can see what the forthcoming are here.

Bon Papillion are on facebook and on twitter and also appear on our Edinburgh Cake Trail.

Suitable for disabled? There is one step up into the gallery and ample room to move around once inside.

Open in Edinburgh from 2nd November 2011

Fans of Wagamama that live in Edinburgh can finally get excited as they open a branch in the city on Wednesday 2nd November 2011.

Taking up residency in the former Bank of Scotland on Castle Terrace/Lothian Road, the new 130 seater eatery is sure to be a hit with residents and visitors alike.

Ahead of the official opening, we visited today, along with several dozen other  lucky diners getting to experience the complimentary food on one of two ‘preview’ days.

We were talked through the menu by a friendly member of staff and considering it was only a training day, we really couldn’t fault any of the service. It was fascinating to take a seat near to the kitchen pass, where up to twelve chefs at any one time were freshly preparing the dishes.

Seafood ramen

We had the following dishes to eat:

Duck gyoza – deep fried duck dumplings with a spicy cherry hoi sin sauce (£5.25)

Beef teriyaki soba – on a bed of teppan fried soba noodles, with vegetables and various seasonings (£13.50)

Seafood ramen – noodles in vegetable soup, assorted seafood with seasonal greens and garnish (£10.35)

For dessert – sweet ginger and apple gyoza with vanilla custard sauce (£5)

All of the dishes served to us were delicious and our neighbours at the table commented on how pleased they were with their curry choices.

There are explanations on the menu about all the dishes and types of noodles, so those new to this type of cuisine can easily understand what they’re choosing.

Time allowed for us to have coffee and tea after our meal and we both concluded we couldn’t fault the quality of the food or the experience of dining in Edinburgh’s newest restaurant.

We will definitely be returning and exploring some of the other dishes on the extensive menu.

Full menu is available here and take-out menu here. There is also a children’s menu.

Information:

Open Monday – Saturday 11am – 12pm and Sunday 12.30pm – 10pm.

You can find Wagamama at 1 Castle Terrace (on the corner with Lothian Road), Edinburgh, EH1 2DP.

Beef teriyaki

Suitable for disabled? Yes, despite how the entrance looks, there is a wheelchair lift to the side and accessible bathrooms on the main floor.

Another meal at Edinburgh’s first supper club

We have been lucky enough to dine at Charlie and Evelyn’s Table before. You can only imagine our excitement when we were invited by friends to a ‘chef’s table’ experience last weekend.

Since Chris and Rachel Rowley last hosted a supper club night, they’ve not only moved to a new home, but also have a new addition to the family.

Almost two years on from their first supper for the public, the husband and wife team still ooze enthusiasm, creating different menus to share with food lovers across our culinary rich city. And, there’s no catch. All you’ll find at Charlie and Evelyn’s Table is the sort of service you’d be hard pressed to find in some Edinburgh restaurants, partnered with exquisite food and served on Chris’ grandparents, Charlie and Evelyn’s, table.

The couple cater, without fuss, for dietary requirements and strong food dislikes, to arrive at a fixed menu which suits all guests’ tastes. Our party was a prime example of this with allergies, dislikes and an intolerance to wheat to take into account.

Dunsyre blue cheese mousse on buttery oat biscuits

Arrival

Taking shelter from the fierce Edinburgh winds, eight of us were warmly welcomed into Chris and Rachel’s Comely Bank home, with a glass of champagne, and delicious canapes of spiced mushrooms and a delicious home-made buttery oat biscuit, topped with Dunsyre blue cheese mousse. This only whetted our appetite for what was still to come.

The food

Sitting at a table that could make many a mouth water, we continued our culinary experience with an amuse bouche of curried parsnip soup, garnished with an apple crisp, presented delicately in an espresso cup. It was hard to fathom how something presented so delicately could deliver such intensity of flavour.

As the starter arrived, the aroma of home-made soda bread filled the room. This accompanied a delicious winter salad of seasonal squash, served with rocket, Dunsyre blue and delicately flavoured with rosemary.

Just as we thought my meal couldn’t get any better, the star of the show arrived, venison wellington. As any food lover knows, wellingtons of any description are incredibly difficult to get right. With the threat of soggy pastry and meat that could either be over or underdone, it takes a most accomplished cook to attempt this dish. And in silence, we ate what could only be described as accomplished. Served with caramelised red cabbage and green beans, the whole dish could be summed up in one word  –  perfection!

Seasonal squash, served with rocket, Dunsyre blue and delicately flavoured with rosemary

Rounding off the savoury with something sweet is always the best way to end a meal. A dessert of baked chocolate pudding, hazelnuts and ice cream was served on stylish slate plates (which we later found out came from Chris’ parent’s roof). The combination of the warm chocolate pudding, and ice cream, with crunchy hazelnuts, left us speechless as we devoured our puddings. And it didn’t end there as we were presented with macaroons from local favourite Patisserie Madeleine, to accompany our after dinner coffee.

The cost

Considering the standard of the food served, the suggested donation of £25 per person is hard to digest. A meal of this calibre in certain Edinburgh eateries would cost a great deal more, and it’s highly unlikely you would receive the same level of service, and have your glass topped up all night long. Using only seasonal and local produce where possible (including Stockbridge legends Armstrongs and George Bowers), the best advice we could give you would be do everything you can to get a seat, at this truly wonderful table.

Contact

Email rachelandchrisrowley (at) gmail (dot) com to be placed on their mailing list and to be notified when there are new places available.  Chris and Rachel still work on trust with their diners, no tickets required to book, just a ‘donation’ on the night which is done at the end of the evening into an envelope with the coffees.

Dessert to die for

You can read their blog which also has entries on past dining events and delicious recipes.

The couple are also on twitter – @Charlie_Evelyn and  on Facebook for those that don’t tweet.

Catering

Chris and Rachel have supplied canapés for numerous events in recent months (both corporate and prviate) and even fully catered for a wedding in the summer.

If you have a special event that you would like them to cater for, drop them an email to discuss.

You can also read their most frequently asked questions.

If you are slightly nervous what to expect at an Edinburgh supper club, please read our previous post which covers arrival, seating and how it’s perfectly acceptable to dine on your own and make new friends.

Edinburgh secret supper clubs

There are several supper clubs in Edinburgh now – it certainly seems to be the new ‘eating out’ and we’re determined to get round them all. Dates vary, but spaces tend to go fast for all clubs, so don’t delay in reserving your spot at the table you want. Some hosts ask you to book tickets in advance (leaving a small ‘donation’ to pay on the night) and some require full payment.

Here are the links to the other supper clubs hosting in Edinburgh at the moment (and coming soon).

Kitchen Porters – email kitchenports@yahoo.co.uk to be placed on their mailing list and notified of new dates.

My Home Supper – you can also find the club on twitter and on facebook

Crescent Dining – also on twitter

Inside out chef –  also on twitter

Table for ten – also on twitter and on facebook

Chai Lounge – Edinburgh’s first Indian supper club. Also on twitter and on facebook

Avant Edinburgh – coming early 2012

Venison Wellington with caramelised red cabbage

Photos courtesy Chris and Rachel Rowley.

In Jubliee Gardens

Stockbridge Market opens for business

Stockbridge Market opened for business today in Jubilee Gardens.

Open from 10am – 5pm every Sunday, the market aims to get bigger and better, encouraging locals to do their shopping there. If the market is a success, it will also be open on Thursday evenings from 3pm – 8pm.

There was a good selection of producers today including a fish stall, meat stalls, jams, baked goods amongst many others.

Artisan Roast had a cute corner where you could buy one of their excellent coffees accompanied by a slice of Cake (from North Berwick).

Stoats had a stall selling their excellent porridge oats and bars and also in attendance was Real Foods and Ziggy’s Really Good Food (vegetarian specialists).

We were pretty impressed at the selection for this inaugural event and there was certainly enough choice to buy Sunday lunch and dinner and into the start of the week.

Not just food

A handful of stalls selling soap, cashmere gifts, jewellery and handbags complete the market and judging by the amount of people in attendance around 12noon – the market is going to be very popular!

Suitable for disabled? Yes, on ground level with ample room around the stalls.

Artisan Roast

Liddlesdale Selection

Freshly baked bread

Jams and chutneys

One of the cake stalls

Fish and seafood

A selection of mushrooms

We do love dining out at Edinburgh Spotlight and have a whole section dedicated to eating out. Edinburgh is well served by a host of fine places to eat, drink and relax.  With more pubs and bars per square mile than anywhere else in Europe, it enjoys a varied and exciting nightlife, whilst those who enjoy all kinds of cuisine will find a restaurant to suit any taste.

And if you’re pushed for time, there is a fabulous selection of cafes and takeaways that will help fill you up if you’re in a hurry.

During the busy festival period in August, restaurants can be extremely busy and if you want to dine at a specific place,  it would be sensible to book ahead. Also take into account that the Military Tattoo runs nightly at 9pm (7.30pm and 10.00pm on Saturdays) and many people choose to dine before they head up to the castle.  Try dining around 6pm, or after 8.30pm to avoid the busiest times.

The majority of the Fringe venues have their own bars and cafes supplying food and drink between shows, but we understand that someone people want to experience good food at local places whilst they’re in town and avoid being handed flyers as they eat.

Tea Tree Tea, Bread Street

Need a drink and a quick bite to eat?

Look no further than our recommended Tea Tree Tea in Bread Street.  Drew, Jamie and the team always warmly welcome tourists amongst their regulars.  A wide selection of drinks alongside fresh soups, salads and paninis are offered with an amazing range of cakes (gluten free choices available).  They also have fast reliable wifi to check out the latest festival news and reviews.  Open early until 9.30pm every day (8pm Sundays).

Around the corner on Lothian Road, there is the excellent Illegal Jacks who offers fresh tex mex food at reasonable prices.  Allow the friendly staff to help you select your ‘weapon’ and munch your way to happiness through one of their excellent burritos and quesadillas or tuck into their sizzling fajitas. Their vintage chilli has been taking Edinburgh by storm recently.

In the centre of town we recommend Fredericks Cafe. A friendly welcome awaits for a spot of breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea at reasonable prices. Free wifi.

Looking for a curry in a hurry?   Look no further than the excellent Kebab Mehal in Nicolson Street.  You may have to a share a table as you eat their halal dishes, but it’s a foody experience not to be missed in town.  The best Malaysian in Edinburgh has to be the neighbouring Kampong Ah Lee, which also offers an informal dining experience.

Prefer a more relaxing meal?

In the town centre, we recommend Urban Angel who have branches at Hanover Street and Forth Street. They only use local, organic, free-range and fairly traded produce.

Our current favourite Indian restaurant in town is the Spice Pavilion in the New Town.  Serving excellent food with a genuine smile in sumptuous Indian surroundings, you will not be disappointed.

Indian delights at Spice Pavilion

Avoca in Stockbridge has consistently good food and a warm local feel, as does their sister restaurant near the Botanical Gardens, The Orchard.   Another Stockbridge gem is The Saint in St Stephen Street who offer top notch food at very reasonable prices.

A short walk from Haymarket sees some of Edinburgh’s favourite restaurants.  Italian food galore at La Partenope and across the road, First Coast always delivers.

A slight longer walk or bus ride from town, but well worth the journey are a couple of Leith favourites.  Tony Crolla will warmly welcome you to La Favorita for any meal occasion and in true Italian style, families are well catered for.  Their log-fired pizza is the best in Edinburgh.  The Roseleaf in Sandport Place is a bar, but their food is tremendous. They also offer ‘pot tails’ which is alcoholic drinks served in tea pots!

Fine dining

There’s a wonderful selection of fine dining places in Edinburgh and we recommend the recently opened Mark Greenaway at 12 Picardy Place. Another newbie that’s taking the Edinburgh food scene by storm is Martin Wishart’s Brasserie – The Honours.

Put simply, Edinburgh provides a feast of food and drink for locals and visitors alike.

Bon appetit!

Mark Greenaway's Dornoch Lamb

London Street

A slice of France in London Street

I stumbled across newly-opened The French Fancies during the week and could have sworn I had been transported to a cute cafe in France.

Having been warmly welcomed by the French owners, I opted to take a seat in the rear of the premises. A mixture of tables, sofas and throne-like chairs were there for the sitting and I chose the table that looks out to the leafy rear garden.

No outside traffic noise to be heard, just the traditional French music playing softly through the speakers.

The menu is basic, but does the job and as much as I would have liked to plump for the sweet crepes as a main, I had already eyed up the home-made French pastries for dessert. I finally chose the home-made soup and half a roll at £2.90 and was delivered tomato soup and a generously filled ham and cheese baguette on a lovely china tray.

My dessert choice of home-made  raspberry tart (£2.20) and blended black tea (£2.20) was served on more mix-matched china crockery and I kicked back and relaxed whilst savouring every mouthful of the French tart.

The French Fancies has a huge selection of teas including Jasmine White, Moroccan Rose and Genepi that are served in a tea pot with knitted tea-cosy and ample supply of hot water.

Tea and French Tart

A selection of coffees and hot chocolates are also served.

Everything on The French Fancies menu is available to take away (slightly lower priced) as well as an amazing selection of home made terrines, sausages, jams and macarons. I couldn’t decide whether to go for the chocolate and banana jam (£2.20 or 2 jars for £4) or the raspberry, strawberry and pastis jam. I went for the latter and have nearly finished the jar in under 24 hours.

Oh well, it seems I will just have to go back to The French Fancies and stock up on more French goodies and whilst I’m there, I may as well try out the crepes and will report back.

The French Fancies is definitely worth a visit whilst in the Broughton Street area and I am sure that the menu will develop over the forthcoming weeks as the staff work out what their Edinburgh audience prefer.

Information:

The French Fancies

42 London Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6PT

The French Fancies on facebook.

Suitable for disabled?

Unfortunately not as it is down a set of stairs.

The French Fancies appears on our Edinburgh Cake Trail.

Soup and baguette

The table with garden view

Raspberry tart

Excellent cafe

A refreshing new cafe/gallery in Edinburgh’s New Town

It’s not often we fall in love instantly with a new cafe in Edinburgh, but as we stepped through the doors of Bon Papillon it was love at first sight.

Bon Papillon is a gallery, a cafe and a framers.  The walls are decorated with beautiful artwork and the staff are incredibly welcoming.  The framers part of this cafe/gallery is situated at the rear of the shop so doesn’t disturb those in for a light bite or coffee and cake.

We’ve been a few times in the last couple of weeks and munched our way through freshly baked cheese scones, delicious filled rolls and of course, sampled their excellent home made cake.

The prices are incredibly good value for the New Town with a pot of tea only £1.50 and a generous slab of cake at £1.75.

Bon Papillon pride themselves on freshly made rolls which  are plated up with salad and hand-made crisps (also available to take-away).

Glossy magazines are available to read every day and on the weekends, there’s papers and Sunday magazines galore.

We’ve tried their cheese scones straight out of the oven that were heaven on a plate, shortly followed by a piece of orange cake served with creme fraiche which was so deliciously moist, I wanted another. They also had a chocolate flour-free option of cake.

The poppyseed rolls filled with smoked salmon hit the mark one lunch time visit and the accompanying coffee was so good, my dining companion immediately asked for another.

There’s not many places in the New Town that offer a delicious roll, drink and piece of cake for around £7.  Bon Papillon have got the perfect balance for this cafe/gallery (and framers) right from the start and we’ll be back very soon.

Highly recommended.

Orange cake with creme fraiche

Smoked salmon roll

Cheese scone with tea

Information

Bon Papillion is situated at 15 Howe Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6TE.  Telephone 0131 538 2505

Open every day except Tuesday 9am – 5.30pm (10 am Sunday).

You can have a look at their website and read their blog.  Bon Papillion are on facebook and appear on our Edinburgh Cake Trail.

Since our last visit a few days ago, Bon Papillion now have wifi.

Suitable for disabled? There is one step up into the gallery and ample room to move around once inside.

Amazing interior

 

Now open

Candy Cupcake opens its doors offering more than cake

We do love a new shop in Edinburgh, especially one that sells cake and sweets!  Candy Cupcake opened its doors yesterday and we couldn’t resist paying them a visit today.

As you walk into the shop, you can’t help but squeal with delight at everything on offer.  It’s not just confectionary and cakes here, there’s cake-themed decorations, party invites and a selection of cards for all occasions.

Once you’ve walked past the pick n’ mix section, the shelves are full of retro sweets and jars of old favourites such as kola cubes and sherbet pips. A range of Stewart Tower Dairy ice cream is on offer and as you get to the counter, a selection of freshly made cupcakes awaits.

Some Highland Favours tablet was the order of the day along with some gourmet marshmallow from local company, Burgh Bakes.

As I headed out the shop, some popping candy and Love Hearts caught my eye as I returned to the counter to pay for the additional treats.

The assistants are friendly and took on board my request for Beer Pots and Chelsea Whoppers, but in the case of the latter, a supplier has got it in hand.

Well worth a visit.

Info: Candy Cupcake, 92 Marchmont Crescent, Edinburgh.  Telephone 0131 446 0907

You can also find Candy Cupcake on facebook and on twitter.

Leith’s cake heaven

Mimi’s comes up trumps again with the new menu dishes

Mimi’s Bakehouse  has only been open for 6 months, but is already a firm favourite with Edinburgh residents and tourists alike.  We’re not ashamed to say that we’re regulars, know all of the staff on a first-name basis and have had gone through several loyalty cards. 

We have previously reviewed Mimi’s and given it our ‘recommended’ award, but today was our first visit since they launched their new menu. The hearty breakfast options are still there, but new additions to the lunch menu reflect the summer season ahead.  There’s still an abundance of ever-changing cakes to choose from, but there lies the problem - which one to choose. 

The Mimi’s staff are friendly and efficient, even at their busiest times and never rush you out the door.   You are more than welcome to take photos of  the decor and cakes on display, it’s hard to resist the towers of traybakes and mammoth cakes. 

Excited over the new menu, I found it hard to narrow down my choices.  It was hard to choose between the special of the day a pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad and their range of sumptous sarnies?   I eventually plumped for their new coconut crispy chicken (£8.95) which was served with a generous portion of salad alongside mango, chilli and lime salsa.  

Coconut chicken and salad

The dish was certainly not shy in its size and filled me up, but of course, I had room for cake.  It can be traumatic choosing which cake to have when they all look divine.  The malteser slice is a favourite, as are the warm scones with clotted cream and jam. I finally opted for a portion of their lemon meringue slice and melted into my seat as the lemony biscuit hit the mark once again. 

Lemon meringue slice

There’s some excellent dishes on the summer menu and I for one, will be back to try them out.  Mimi’s Bakehouse really is going from strength to strength and deserves all its positive reviews. 

Information

You can check out Mimi’s Bakehouse website  or ‘like’ them on facebook and follow them on twitter.  Open weekdays 9am- 5pm and weekends 9am-6pm.  We recommend that you book ahead on weekends as there’s often a queue out the door. Telephone 0131 555 5908.  

You can also reserve the couch area at the rear for larger groups. 

Mimi’s also appears on our Edinburgh cake trail.  

Suitable for disabled?  Yes, ground even access (with ramp from outside) and accessible toilet. 

Mimi's Bakehouse

Cafe Connect on Comely Bank Road

The card and coffee shop premises on Comely Bank Road (opposite Waitrose) has been taken over by Nell Nelson and we were excited at the prospect of finally having good cafe in this prime spot. 

Cafe Connect is an interesting combination of people popping in for a cuppa whilst others pick up a birthday card and cute gift. 

We headed along this morning for tea and cake, but were met with a poor selection of treats – chocolate krispie cakes and empire biscuits anyone?  I have nothing against these sweet stalwarts, but was hoping for slightly better home-baking from the owner Nell, a foodie through and through. 

The last spare table I had my eye on from the queue was snapped up by a couple behind me as they split up whilst one remained in line to order.   

Scone with no creme fraiche

I happily shared a table with a local OAP who blethered away about the Royal Wedding .  She said her coffee was good, but was disappointed in the size of her shortbread. 

Plumping for a scone, (£1.75) I was unimpressed that the creme fraiche advertised on the board wasn’t available (there’s a shop opposite that’s full of the stuff ) and it wasn’t served warm.  The butter was rock hard and unspreadable, but the jam was delicious and scone very tasty. 

A pot of tea for one comes in at a very reasonable £1.50 (2-3 cups) but the till service is a pain if you want to linger and keep adding to your order.  Despite sitting and reading, I couldn’t face standing in the queue for another tea and/or light-lunch. In a premises this size, I don’t why there isn’t table service (or at least the option to pay after eating) 

The sandwich choices and soups  looked quite impressive at the neighbouring tables, but this place doesn’t have the food wow factor yet.  Much  improvement on the selection of cakes is needed to entice locals inside. 

Information: 

Cafe Connect, 153 Comely Bank Road.  Phone: 0131 315 2003 

Opening hours: Mon–Sat 9am–4.30pm; Sun 11am–4pm 

No changing facilities and limited room for buggies. 

Suitable for disabled?  Yes, it’s on ground floor level, but bathroom is too small to be accessible.

26 St Mary's Street

Jo Jo’s Danish Bakery and Cafe opens in Edinburgh

There’s a new cafe and bakery in Edinburgh and it’s the rather excellent Jo Jo’s Danish version.  Jo Jo has been selling her Danish pastries around town and at farmer’s markets, but finally has her own place in St Mary’s Streeet. 

The light and airy premises in the centre of town offers soups and wraps, alongside an array of Danish pastries and delicious cakes. 

A breakfast tea is priced at £1.80 and cappuccino £2.20. 

Families are more than welcome, to this little haven amongst the cobbled streets and we’ll be sampling the food as soon as we can.  You can also purchase the food to take away, which is what we’d be doing most days if we worked in the area. 

You can find Jo Jo’s Danish Bakery and cafe on facebook and on twitter. 

Information 

26 St Mary Street, Edinburgh, 

Opening hours.  Mon – Fri 9.30am – 6pm. Sat 10am – 6pm and Sundays 11am – 6pm. 

Interior at Jo Jo's

Happy first birthday Los Cardos

Los Cardos celebrate their first birthday with special offers

The rather excellent Los Cardos in Leith celebrate their first birthday next week.  As soon as they opened last year, we were down in Leith like a shot and reviewed their fresh-mex offerings.

They’ve been selling the Scottish favourite of haggis-filled burritos and quesadillas since opening and are delighted to announce some excellent birthday deals for all their loyal customers.  If you’ve not been before, then it’s a perfect time to get on the Los Cardos train and enjoy their excellent food.

To celebrate serving the Leith community and Edinburgh at large, Los Cardos will be offering meal deals, specials and raffles for various prizes including t-shirts, salsas and free meal cards throughout the month.

Beginning 4^th April, receive two burritos for £10 every weekday until 4:30pm.  The popular MacSween’s veggie haggis option will also return as a special while supplies last.

Neil Miller, Owner/Chef, says: “We are taking the opportunity to mark our first year of business by giving a big `Thank You’ to the loyal friends and customers who have sustained us and helped spread the word of Fresh Mex over the last year.”

 Los Cardos (Spanish for The Thistles) offers their version of Mexican `street’ food on a menu that includes burritos, tacos and quesadillas with a variety of meats including chicken, steak, pork carnitas and vegetarian options.  The simple, yet versatile, menu also caters to vegans and those with gluten intolerances.  With up to 20 fresh ingredients going into their five made-fresh-daily salsas ranging from mild to extra hot, a variety of tastes and palates can be accommodated. 

Burrito goodness in Leith

Since opening its doors in April 2010, Los Cardos has been committed to becoming the ethical takeaway of choice by using locally sourced, sustainable products when possible, such as British higher welfare chicken, steak and pork, MacSween’s haggis and bio-degradable packing from Vegware.

They’re also a friendly bunch who are happy to talk you through the menu and will do half n’ half portions if you can’t choose between the filling.

Los Cardos is located on 281 Leith Walk, EH6 8PD.  Delivery is available via Just-Eat.co.uk to select Edinburgh postcodes, Thursday-Sunday after 5:30pm.

For more information about the anniversary special offers and promotions, follow Los Cardos on Facebook and twitter.

Edinburgh's finest

A family affair at The Breadwinner Bakery School

We were delighted to visit the excellent Breadwinner Bakery yesterday afternoon and meet the McVey family, who have run the business for years.  They supply bread and baked goods to business all accross Edinburgh and were Edinburgh’s first ‘open plan’ bakery.  

Sean McVey, The Breadwinner’s most senior Master Craftsman Baker, with a whopping 50 years of baking experience behind him leads the one-to-one masterclasses at the Bruntsfield premises but there’s a whole team of talented bakers behind the Breadwinner name.  

Since we have experience in eating cake and not making it, we took along local celebrity baker Lea Harris (the only Scottish contestant on the Great British Bake Off) and watched her and Sean produce some amazing breads and a chocolate fruit strudel.   

Making bread by hand

There’s no doubting the skills that Sean has in the kitchen – it’s like a professional performance watching him knead the bread to perfection. “I love what I do”, he tells us. “It’s not about making money in these classes, it’s about passing the skills I have to people in Edinburgh so the art of bread-making by hand is not lost”.  We can see the kitchen is full of hi-tech machines and a Rolls Royce oven that allow Breadwinner to supply hundreds of loaves on a daily basis, but in these classes, it’s all about using your hands.  

Lea picks up new tips right away as Sean’s son Kris pops in to say hello.  It’s very much a family business now, but Kris is sticking to the business side.  “I don’t want to bake, but love being involved with all our customers”  says the former bank worker.  “I feel like I’ve got the best job in the world as it just doesn’t feel like work“.  Lesley McVey (Sean’s wife and Kris’ mother) also pops in to say hello and the atmosphere transforms to one akin to a family kitchen with lots of chat and banter.  Other Breadwinner bakers pop in and are treated like family and are all in a hurry to declare their love for the job to us.  We would love working here too!

Making Strudel

“I don’t want the old skills to disappear”

The conversation continues to flow as Sean demonstrates to Lea how to make sourdough with Polish sausage and caramelised onion.  We feel confident we’ve learnt several baking skills in a couple of hours that we could attempt a loaf ourselves.  

We’re personally salivating at the mouth as the cheese, chilli and walnut sourdough bread is baking in the oven and trying not to laugh as Lea proclaims her strudel dough “looks like a string vest”.    

Sean makes it look easy, but within minutes, Lea’s pastry is also “thin enough to read a newspaper through”.  The juicy fruit mixture of apples and cranberries is placed on one end of the pastry and the strudel is rolled thanks to the ancient form of ‘apron rolling’. Sean says: ”some of the old ways are still the best and I don’t want these skills to disappear”.   

It’s not a cooking class with lots of pupils, this is one-t0-one teaching from a Master Baker who will tailor the class to your needs.  £90 for a few hours and whole lot of baked goods to take home is a bargain.  Book us in!  

The Breadwinner Bakery supplies wholesale goods only.  You can also find them on facebook and on twitter.  We have reviewed several of Breadwinner’s clients in our food and drink section.

Chocolate fruit strudel

Polish sausage and caramelised onion sourdough bread

Healthy cakes come to Edinburgh

Healthy gluten-free cakes have arrived in Edinburgh

It may seem too good to be true, but ‘healthy’ cakes have well and truly arrived in Edinburgh.  Love Pure Cakes offers a delightful range of gluten and wheat-free cakes suitable for those with various food intolerances or for those that just wish to eat cake guilt-free.     

Love Pure Cakes is the brainchild of Lorna Pellet, the former owner of Patisserie Florentin and has seen her return to the food industry with style.      

Chatting with Lorna over coffee, her passion for cakes is evident.  “I absolutely love my job” she declares before churning out many reasons on why she doesn’t mind getting up early to bake every morning.  On questioning her on how the cakes are healthy, she tells us ”we use fresh ingredients and organic stone ground flour, organic eggs, organic butter and organic raw cane sugar”.  She continues “where possible, we cut back on the sugar by using fresh fruit juices with natural sweetener, without ever compromising on taste”.  You can read more about the unusual ingredients here.     

Carrot and Wheatgrass Cake

The cakes are proving very popular with Edinburgh people so far, with a variation of the gluten free, wheat Free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, flour free, reduced sugar, reduced fat options flying out the doors of current stockists Loopy Lorna’s and Earthy Foods. A range of cakes and muffins are soon to be stocked at the family favourite in Ocean Terminal – Molly’s Play Centre.  

Parents can sigh with relief as they relax with a slice from the Love Pure Cake range as their children play. That is, until they come to re-fuel on healthy creations such as carrot cake and assorted muffins themselves.  

“Food artistry for the soul”

Slightly skeptical of how good a carrot and wheatgrass cake can actually taste, we dive straight into a slab and would never have known it was gluten and wheat free. There is no compromise on taste here. The cake is moist throughout, full of flavour and a sure-fire hit with the tasters. Lorna is keen to point out that the mileage from oven to plate is as short as possible, ensuring that the cakes are delivered to the stockists in perfect fresh condition and with a low carbon footprint.  

Bakewell slice, heaven on a plate

It’s clear that an abundance of love goes into making each cake, with a lot of experimentation along the way. “I feel like Heston Blumenthal at times” she tells us, “my kitchen is one big cake laboratory, always trying out new recipes and getting the consistency right.” Lorna is currently working on a new dairy-free cake and perfecting more vegan recipes. “I will cater for any one’s needs, I just want everyone to enjoy cake suitable for them”.  You can see a range of cakes offered here.
  
The cakes are currently undergoing a series of tests to work out their exact food and calorific content to back up the statement that they are indeed healthy.  “I’m working with a nutritionist  so that we can demonstrate that some of the cakes include one of your five-a-day recommendations.”      

Moving onto  a piece of Bakewell tart, we devour it far too fast.  Not only is the cake visually appealing, it’s also deliciously light with a nutty almond flavour and a perfect jammy centre.  You can taste the quality of the ingredients hidden within, in fact, this cake couldn’t get any better.     

Cakes that are good for you?  Count us firmly in.     

Information     

You can check out the Love Pure Cakes website and find them on facebook and on twitter. You can also subscribe to Lorna’s blog and be kept up to date with all things Love Pure Cake.     

You can order whole cakes from Lorna via her stockists, or phone her to discuss your requirements.  

Lorna bakes out of Catherine Di Placido’s premises in Queen Street.

Coffee Angel

No office to work from in Edinburgh?   Why not try one of these places in town.

Part of our job at Edinburgh Spotlight is to bring our readers reviews and interviews from around town.  Although we primarily work from home, we do venture outside every day to see what’s new on the streets of Edinburgh and have meetings with people we’re featuring.    

Edinburgh has an amazing selection of food-related workspaces to choose from, but here are some of our favourites.  All of the suggestions have fast secure wi-fi, a relaxed working atmosphere and most importantly, decent food and drinks.  Each place mentioned is link to its full review.   

Great working space

Tea Tree Tea, Bread Street, Fountainbridge   

A firm favourite of ours. Jamie and Drew  welcome anyone that chooses to spend time in their cafe. Tourists and locals are greeted with a smile for hearty breakfasts, lunches, tea and a dose of banter. Downstairs can be reserved for groups and/or meetings whilst the upstairs tables are perfect for laptop/iPad working. Tea Tree Tea is very much our in-town headquarters.   

Coffee Angel, Brandon Terrace   

The excellent Coffee Angel is our local ‘office’ and one we just can’t get enough of. The staff provide excellent customer service as they serve a delicious range of drinks and food. Tables and chairs sit at the right height for working over lunch, or relax back and catch up on reading in one of the leather chairs. Be warned though – trying to resist a sweet-treat to go with a coffee is impossible.   

Fredericks Coffee House, Frederick Street   

A relative newcomer, is the wonderful Fredericks Coffee House. Grab a window seat that looks up to Ramsay Gardens and watch the world go by in Frederick Street. Housed with perfect sized tables for working and meetings, it’s a relaxed atmosphere to get on with some work as you tuck into a range of salads and hearty soups. Thanks to their recent hand-made cake additions, this is fast-becoming more of an interviewing place for us. Perfect for sinking into their Chesterfield sofa and catch up with your online feeds.   

Loudons

Loudon’s Cafe and Bakery, Fountainbridge  

Another newcomer, Loudons Cafe and Bakery is light and airy and already a busy place for workers with its capacity of 70 people. Serving an excellent menu throughout the day (with goods all baked and made on-site) this venue goes that one bit further and allows you to print documents.      

So the next time you read one of our articles, or  look at a photo on facebook, there’s every chance that we’ve published them whilst sitting in one of the above cafes.  All of them all feature on our Edinburgh Cake Trail.   

If you’ve got a favourite workspace in Edinburgh, please let us know in the comments below.

Adele's in Fountainbridge

Coeliac friendly cafe opens in Fountainbridge.

Update January 2012 – unfortunately, this business has ceased trading.

Last Monday, another new cafe opened its doors in Edinburgh.  This isn’t just any cafe, but one that coeliacs living in Edinburgh have been waiting for.

Situated opposite McEwan’s Brewery, we popped our heads round for a quick cup of tea on Tuesday morning and were warmly greeted by the Australian owner.

The premises are small, with only a couple of tables, but it’s got the cute factor and the service is friendly.  The following day I returned with two friends to have breakfast and of course, the owner remembered me from the day before.

My Australian friend was delighted to be able to order a flat-white, extra hot coffee, the way he remembers it from down under, whilst my other friend opted for a classic bacon roll which was generously filled and served with brown sauce.

Gluten free cakes

Life is too short to not have cake when you want to, so I opted for this gluten-free chocolate beauty and a pot of herbal tea.

The cake was beautifully moist and extremely tasty. I would have never have known it was a speciality cake.

The owner’s daughter is a coeliac and inspired her to open the shop, supplying suitable products for eating. There were also scones and jammy biscuits, but the coeliac-friendly range will get bigger as the the weeks go on.

The cost for 3 drinks, a bacon roll and a slab of cake was £8.30 which makes it competitive for the area.  All the usual lunchtime suspects are on the menu, also at reasonable prices.

Artwork by local artists hang on the walls and a small selection of jams and handmade cards are for sale.

Several people popped in whilst we were eating to take advantage of Adele’s takeaway service and were all met with friendly and efficient service.

This place is going to be popular with everyone, but will be a safe choice for those affected by food intolerances.

No website / facebook / twitter as yet.

Suitable for disabled? Ground level access.

Cute crockery

Albert Street treasure

Sicilian Pastry Shop – the best in Edinburgh?  We think so.

*This is an updated article from the orginal published in March 2009*  

Cake heaven

Continuing the theme of cake shops in Edinburgh, I regularly visit the Sicilian Pastry Shop in Albert Street, Leith.   It’s at the end of Albert Street near Leith Walk and is a family run business which is extremely popular with Edinburgh residents who come from afar to order their special occasion cake.    

It is also an every day bakery, with lots of breads and small cakes to choose from.  In the name 0f research of course, I opted for a cake at the bargain price of £0.93.  It was puff choux-pastry filled with creamy custard and was delicious.   As I bit into it, the cream oozed out and I was transported to cakey-heaven.    

Creamy Custard

They have a price list for bigger cakes suitable for parties and will take the order and make it for the next day, which is pretty quick service.  They can also be made with fruit or profiteroles if you want – with the bakers taking great pride in making your cake dreams come true.  We were recently given this one as a present and were most delighted.  

Special occasion cake

The shop can be extremely busy at the weekends with people picking up orders, but there is a separate queue for them. 

Full shop details are:      

14-16 Albert Street, Edinburgh, EH7 5LG         Phone: 0131 554 7417 

Closed Sundays.    

Albert Street, Leith

Suitable for disabled ?      Yes, access is on ground level  

Don't miss the restaurant

Savoury food outstanding, desserts disappointing in size.

Update March 22nd 2011.  This restaurant is now called Thai-pad and we’ve been informed that it’s the same great chefs that are working here.  The takeaway is called Thai-pod.

Blink and you may miss the entrance to Love You Long Thai on Leopold Place, but since this was our second visit, we knew the insides were worth visiting.  

A couple of minutes passed before we were acknowledged and shown to our table. Once settled, we allowed the owner to explain the extensive menu to us and although the pre-theatre choice was appealing at £12.95 for two courses or £14.95 for three, we decided to opt for a la carte.  

It was also explained that dishes would served on a spicy scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being the spiciest. 

The food 

I started off with Peak Gai Tord (£5.85) whilst my dining partner chose Tom Yum soup with mixed seafood  (£5.95).  My option with the tender chicken pieces in herb breadcrumbs was delicious and accompanied by freshly-made sweet chilli sauce.  The soup was generously filled with prawns, calamari and mussels and provided no complaints from across the table.  

We chose Singha beers to go with our meal, priced at £3 each, but you can also choose from a selection of wines starting at around the £12 mark per bottle.  

Tom yum starter

For the main event, I opted for the Massaman red curry (£9.95) which was also a generous portion, consisting of succulent chicken, potato, onion and roasted cashew nuts which we ended up sharing once the other side of the table tasted a mouthful and agreed in its quality. 

My dining partner was ravenous and chose the Duck Pad Thai (£12.25).  The portion of chilli flakes that came on the plate was huge, but every single one was used in combination with the cashew nuts and lime that added further flavour to this perfectly cooked dish.  

We had chosen two side dishes of rice since the choice was so tempting.  The Kao Neow sticky rice (£2.75) was perfect to soak up the curry sauces with and the Kao Pad Spinach (£2.65) was a refreshing change to standard Jasmine rice.  

We couldn’t fault the food in Love You Long Thai and we give full compliments to the chefs, but the service maybe a little over the top for some.  We enjoyed talking all things South East Asia with the owner in between courses, but some people just like to order and have their own conversations.  The lighting was romantic, but not practical for reading the menu.  

Duck Pad Thai

We opted for dessert since we were on a roll with eating everything in sight and chose the Kao Neow Pak  (£3.95) which consisted of (more) rice in a pudding format with sliced mango and coconut sauce which was lovely, but not amazing.  The other dessert brought to the table was the Love You Long Thai Banana Pudding  (£3.95).   

The pudding was small by any one’s standards and definitely not enough to share.  It was served warm and tasted as you would expect, but certainly didn’t continue the theme of fantastic food.  A disappointing ending.  

Love You Long Thai’s savoury food choices cannot be faulted, but the desserts did not live up to expectations.  

Having previously dined here, we knew we had to pay cash since their machine still ‘isn’t working’. This has been the case for months now and needs to be rectified soon as the owners can’t expect diners to have enough cash on them for a meal, or face a walk to the nearest cash line.  

Opening hours:  Tuesday – Sunday  5pm-late.    Closed Mondays. 

Suitable for disabled?  No, the restaurant is down a set of stairs.  

Small banana pudding

150 Dundas Street

Cuckoo’s Bakery, now open in Dundas Street, Edinburgh

We do love discovering new places to eat in Edinburgh and today we discovered Cuckoo’s Bakery.  Situated at the bottom of Dundas Street, the light and airy premises was the venue for today’s lunch.  

After I had been warmly welcomed, I realised that it had only been open for business since this morning, but soon relaxed at my table like I was at a friend’s house thanks to the large open plan kitchen design.  The cuckoo clock is in full working order as I found out on the hour,  having chosen the table below it.  

The food

There’s more than cakes on the menu here, lunches are available too.  I found it exceptionally hard to take my eyes off the cupcakes that are housed in the middle of the floor.   

For the main course, I opted for a chicken breast salad, with slow-roasted peppers, mixed leaves and seeds (£6.50) but the home-made quiche with salad (£5.50) also looked tempting, as did the honey roast ham and Isle of Mull cheddar sandwich.  Vegetarian options are available.  

I was offered some bottled (tap) water with my main meal as I was leaving my tea choice to accompany my dessert.  There are lots of excellent refreshments on sale here including:  Artisan Roast Coffee, Pekoe Teas, Coco of Bruntsfield hot chocolate and a good selection of soft drinks.  

Cute interior of Cuckoo's

My salad dish came with a side of bread, freshly baked on the premises.  It’s all about good ingredients here – all sourced from Scotland where possible.  

No complaints about the succulent chicken in the salad which had been lightly tossed in a balsamic dressing which disappeared from my plate all too soon.  I perused the tea menu and opted for a pot of Blue Lady (£2.20) but others such as Cherry Almond, Orange Blossom Oolong and Rooibos were also tempting.    

Salad lunch

Cakes

Cupcakes aren’t my favourite form of dessert, but the owner talked me through the range that had flavours mixed into the whole cake.  I plumped for the strawberry cheesecake option (£2.30 sit-in price) and enjoyed every mouthful of strawberry, frosting,  jam, sponge and cheesecake-base.  

Other ones that caught my eye were red velvet, tropical and of course, the classic chocolate choice. A full afternoon tea is available and I also spotted chocolate brownies on the counter.  

I was offered more hot water for my tea infusion, but time did not allow for me to linger today, despite enjoying a good blether with the staff.  

Cupcake deliveries are also available within the city bypass boundary.  

You can find Cuckoo’s Bakery on facebook and twitter/ @cuckoosbakery  

Strawberry cheesecake cupcake

 

Suitable for disabled?  Yes, has ground floor access and ample room.  

Cute decor