Edinburgh - the food

Because I'm me, I did a little research before heading to Edinburgh, especially about places to eat.  I knew there wouldn't really be time for anything too fancy, but it's always good to have a few ideas and names of places in mind.  I had looked at a travel website and saw a list of restaurants posted by an ex-pat mom of a University of Edinburgh student, so I printed that list out.  My beautiful office chum also had a list of places from a friend of hers who had lived in Edinburgh.  So I felt prepared to embark on my trip having tasty food possibilities in the back of my mind.

When we booked the Airbnb, the description mentioned that our place was down the street from the oldest pub in Scotland, the Sheep Heid Inn.  Dating from 1360, with building additions from the 19th century, the Sheep Heid Inn is really a beautiful spot just to look at, let alone dine in.  After looking at their website, we decided we needed to eat there on our first night in Edinburgh - I made a reservation, because from my research, it seemed as if the place is always busy; although we were exhausted from all the travel delays, after a little nap, we headed down the street to our reserved table.

We were in a corner table with really comfy padded seats, where I probably could've stayed all night.  The servers were friendly and the menu was pretty big.  I'm glad we had made reservations, since there was a sign on the door that said 'sorry, we can't take walk-ins tonight.'  They had some special cocktails that looked delightful, but I was afraid I'd fall asleep right at the table if I had alcohol, so I ordered ginger beer instead.  Ginger beer in Scotland is even more delicious than ginger beer here.  I had a lot of it.  For our meal, we got a starter of a garlic pizzette, which was a tasty, crispy flatbread with lots of garlic and some arugula and shaved cheese.  It was a very nice start to the meal.  I then ordered the fish and chips, which was a beer-battered cod alongside twice-baked chunky fries and a dish of minted smashed peas.  The portions were enormous and the food was delicious.  The batter on the fish was crunchy and nicely seasoned with a little flaked sea salt on top.  The chips were also crispy and the peas were...interesting.  I'd never had minted smashed peas before - I don't know that they will be something I'd order again, but they were a nice accompaniment to the fish.  Interestingly, when I asked if I could take the leftovers, they told me they didn't have a license for that.  But they found a tupperware in the kitchen and wrapped up my fish.

I only ate about half of my main course because I wanted dessert.  Ever since I noticed they served Eton mess, I knew I had to have it.  I've seen people make Eton mess on various cooking shows and it has several of my favorite things as ingredients - fruit, whipped cream, and meringue.  This one was so good, with strawberries and pink meringues in a delicious soft and slightly sweet whipped cream.  Even though I was SO full and SO tired, I ate most of that dessert.  We loved our meal so much that we decided to make a reservation for later in the week, just to be able to try more of that lovely menu.  Sheep Heid Inn was a terrific start to our trip.

Before doing a little sightseeing the next morning (before our first work event), I stopped at a cute cafe across the street from St. Giles Cathedral, with the easy-to-remember name of Saint Giles Cafe and Bar.  I wanted to have some tea and a little something something before starting my day.  I got a croissant with butter and jam (oh my, butter and jam in Scotland is AMAZING!) and a drink called an Edinburgh Mist.  It was Earl Gray tea, with steamed milk, vanilla syrup and cinnamon.  YUMMMMMM.  I almost ordered another, it was that delicious.  It was just the perfect start to my day.  I would definitely recommend this cafe - the servers were easygoing and pleasant, the room was light and airy, and the noise level was well-controlled.  It was pretty crowded in there, mostly with Fringe Festival performers and audience members, taking a break before starting their day, but it didn't feel too loud or too cramped at all.  I would go back.

After our work event, we first went to a dinner spot near the venue, but it was so crowded with Fringe people, we left and went to a recommended pub, the Auld Hoose.  It was a cool neighborhood pub, playing punk music and hosting local students.  It was great.  Their menu was huge and the nachos looked interesting (plus they were billed as the 'largest in Edinburgh'), but I opted for the grilled chicken and bacon sandwich.  It was really good, as were the fries that came with it.  And the ginormous ginger beer (alcoholic this time) I got to wash it all down.  Our time here was really relaxing and enjoyable - it was nice to be in a low-key neighborhood spot that was a little outside the Fringe nonsense.  After dinner, we Uber-ed back to the Airbnb.

Next morning, my beautiful office chum's husband (who accompanied us on the adventure) made us a delicious breakfast in the Airbnb's lovely kitchen.  Since we had a busy day ahead of us, it was nice to relax for a few minutes and fill our bellies before heading out.  After our work event and field trip to a cute bookshop (more on that shop in a future post), we were walking around looking for a pharmacy.  My podiatrist had told me about an anti-inflammatory cream that I could buy over the counter in Scotland (they don't sell it here) and it might help my bum foot.  We found a pharmacy, but had to go back after lunch and talk to the pharmacist (even though it was OTC, I guess the pharmacist had to approve the sale).  Since the weather was suddenly threatening to pour  rain, we looked for a lunch spot.  Thankfully, we were near another recommended restaurant, Pomegranate, a cute Middle Eastern restaurant.  The decor was very bright and appealing and the staff was also pleasant.  I did have an order snafu, however.  I wanted to get the jajic, which is like tsatziki (garlicky dip of thick yoghurt and diced cucumber) and the hummus shawarma, described as a chickpea dip topped with thin, marinated slices of lamb.  That sounded good to me!  However, for some reason, our pleasant, though perhaps dim, server brought me a falafel wrap.  Hm.  It was tasty, but not what I ordered. They don't even sound alike, do they?  I was too tired to send it back, though.  The dip was good, as was the side order of naan bread we ordered.  Oh, and I also had a non-alcoholic cider, which was also refreshing and delicious.  I was just kinda bummed I didn't get to taste the lamb.  After lunch, thankfully the downpour had ended and we went back to the pharmacy.  I made my case to the pharmacist and after a short Q & A, I could buy the cream.  OK.

That night, we went back to the Sheep Heid for dinner.  This time, we tried the artisan rustic bread plate (very tasty) and I had the scallop dish of the day - pan-seared scallops with bacon and a tomato tapenade.  It was delicious, though I will admit that I found the scallops a little underdone.  When I hear 'pan-seared', I assume one side to be a little more well done.  That's just me, I guess.  The dish was quite yummy, even without my preferred preparation.  I was too full from my big falafel lunch and scallop dinner to get dessert.  My beautiful office chum's husband got a fun dessert, though.  I'll put a video of it below.

Next day was a eat-on-the-go day, with lots of sightseeing and a couple of Fringe shows.  I picked up cups of tea here and there, and had a lovely latte at The Milkman, but didn't actually eat until after the last show of the evening.  (I'll describe the shows in a later post.)  I was happy to tag along with my playwright friend and the cast of the show to eat at Mariachi, a pleasant Mexican restaurant near the theater.  We had originally wanted to go to a fish and chips place, but they couldn't accommodate our group.  Mariachi was a cute place and the food was tasty.  We got some nachos for the table and I got a quesadilla as a meal.  Since I hadn't eaten all day, my stomach was a little jumpy, but I had some ginger beer to get me through.  The conversation at the table was so wonderful, though, it hardly mattered what I ate.  I had a grand time.

Our work event was cancelled on Thursday, so I got some more sightseeing in.  Then I went over to another theater for a highly anticipated show.  I was grateful they had a cafe so I could get some tea and a scone with that delicious butter and jam.  YUM.  I could've eaten five or six of them.  I guess it's a good thing I got there only a short time before curtain.  After the show, my beautiful work chum and I ran a few errands.  She wanted to stop at a yarn store (she's a knitter) and I noticed there was a cafe next door, so I told her I'd get some tea and meet her after she finished with the yarn.  The cafe was in front of an art gallery/design studio called Natami.  The owner, Natalia, was a lovely woman and we had a delightful conversation as she made me a hand-made blend of black tea and rose.  Her dog, Amber, also loved me.  I drank from a china tea cup while she told me about her career as a wedding dress designer, and the artists she likes to support.  I only wish I was independently wealthy, because some of the art was fantastic and I would've loved to buy something.  I did buy a small postcard, which I'm hoping to frame.  I had an unexpectedly pleasant hour chatting with Natalia and I would love to go back there again.

Our last work event was a cocktail party at the National Museum of Scotland, but we got there too early, so we went across the street to the Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling wrote bits of the Harry Potter saga.  So there's lots of Harry Potter memorabilia around, with photos of Rowland working in the space.  I didn't want to eat too much, since we were headed to a cocktail party, so I just got an order of bread and butter, which is a dream.  That's what I almost always want, which I'm sure is why I'm perpetually zaftig - the bread was soft and delicious and of course the butter was fatty and perfect.  So...yay!  I actually didn't eat at the cocktail party (everything was very fried), so I waited until we went to dinner afterwards.  We went to a place called Oink, which came highly recommended.  It's a sandwich place, with pulled pork.  You tell the server the size of sandwich you want, the type of bread, the toppings and the sauce.  And that's it!  There are lots of delicious choices - I went with the smallest sandwich, with sage and onion stuffing and applesauce.  OH MY GOD, so good.  I highly recommend Oink if you're in Edinburgh.  I will definitely be going back.

With all the walking around I did, I probably missed out on many more food experiences, but I enjoyed the places I ate and the food I tried.  Well done, Edinburgh!

I forgot - the Sheep Heid Inn has a bowling alley in the back!

yeah, NO.