Best latte mood

I got woken up far too early this morning. Far too early. People should not have loud phone conversations at 7:45 am in a hostel dorm.

Needless to say, I was in dire need of coffee this morning, and I was just about to head to breakfast when I thankfully decided to check opening hours at the place I had originally been aiming for. 

Wednesday is their late day, of course. 

After a quick scroll through Google maps, I ended up at Scotts Kitchen, just up from Victoria street, and I settled in with a latte to start.

Aside from the fact that I'm very much enjoying the latte art I'm getting in Edinburgh, (I'll show you my magic hat latte at the end) this is probably the best latte I've had since I got to this country a year ago.

It is smooth. The milk and the espresso are really well balanced, not too much of either. And, and! It's not bitter! It is ridiculously hard to find a coffee here that isn't. This one is lovely. I probably didn't need to put sugar in, but I wanted to see how it would taste. 

The orange juice is fresh, which was exactly what I was after, although I've never seen the point of ice in juice. That could just be me though.  And probably because I drink it so slowly. 

Now, breakfast, and the whole reason I came. 

They have eggs Benny! Honestly? That is in large part why I picked this place. I've got a few favourites in Inverness in large part because they have this on the menu, so NOF course I had to try it in Edinburgh. 

Especially with the salmon. 

Definitely worth it, if a little on the small side. The salmon is really good. Not too salty, and the smoke flavour is there just enough to be noticed.  The sauce is quite light on flavour, which was a little sad for me 'cause I like a hollandaise with a bit more of a flavour punch.  

And I do mean it when I say it's a little small, especially if you're someone used to a big breakfast.  I may need to supplement, and I can't eat all that much usually.  Any excuse for more croissant! 

The lunch menu looks good, and they've got some sharing platters that look like they'd be a good flavour adventure if that's what people are looking for.  Prices are what I would consider standard at this point for a city with a high tourist flow through, and they aren't going to break the bank, so it's worth a visit. 

Besides, the coffee alone is worth it! 

Dinner at The Devil's Advocate

Well, heck, the food posts are back!

So. I'm currently in Edinburgh, on holiday, so I decided what the heck, I was going to go somewhere the prices would normally chase me off.

I've ended up at The Devil's Advocate in Advocates Close. Mostly because (at least according to Google) their cocktails have a good rep.

Well they weren't wrong.

To be fair, there's few enough places that actually seem to take their cocktails seriously, so when you find one it's worth making a note.

Ok. To the meal, and as a heads up, I somewhat accidentally decided to do flavour contrasts more than flavour pairings.  I'm still figuring out the ins and outs of choosing appropriate cocktails for the food I choose.


I chose the Doorknocker, which is tequila blanco, peppered pineapple, grapefruit bitters, citrus and soda.
It is lovely. Tart with a very soft, tiny hint of sweet finish when you drink it by itself, and the pepper comes through in a little burst which you can get more of from the sugar rim on one side. (artful glass prep my friends. Useful)

For dinner I went with the baked North sea cod, which came with cauliflower, sundried tomato, and an absolutely delightful medley of something it was too dark to make out, but hoooooly wow was it good!

The fish was light and moist, and just came apart perfectly. The flavours from the sauce were excellent, and the different tastes you got depending on which bit of veg you ate it with were a great deal of fun to sort through.

The cauliflower had (so my tongue informed me) been cooked with some stronger spicing, so when you had that it didn't quite overpower the cod, but it was more present. If you then followed up with a sip of the Door knocker, the pepper notes came through much more clearly.

The green bits (might have been beans? Small, perfect crunch) were probably the smoothest flavour combo with the fish.  It balanced perfectly with the sauce, and that followed by a drink made the sweet come out in the cocktail.

The tomatoes though. They just sang. The sweetish with a bite worked beautifully with the fish. I savoured those mouthfuls.

I also didn't pay nearly as much attention to the following sip of this delightful thing. Sorry.

Then decided to indulge in dessert.  I am so, so glad I did.

I got a milk chocolate and espresso pana cotta with a whole pitted cherry sauce (I really want to know what kind of cherry!) and amaretti biscuit crumbled on top.

It was glorious. The pana cotta was smooth, rich but not too rich, with a lovely chocolate flavour.  Pair that with the sweet/tart of the cherries with a bit of crunch for texture from the Biscuits? Perfect.

Also, I gotta say. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find places with cherry desserts that actually taste like cherries?  And are good? It's really hard! That is quite literally the best dessert with cherries in that I've had in a really, really long time that wasn't something I watched get made.

Another thing that made it fun was the contrast between everything.  The drink was at first glance light, but the flavours packed a punch when put together.
The dinner was light flavours with hints of a bit more.
And dessert? Dessert was thick, rich flavours that just fill your mouth up and leave you wanting more, except that it's also just the right amount.

All in all, well worth the money when it comes to the food and drink, and the staff are very friendly and quick. Would definitely go again.