Lunch Quest: Edinburgh

Blythe’s Verdict
Café Marlayne has been a Thistle Street staple throughout the 2000s, attracting high praise from many of its customers. Around a year ago, they expanded their operation, opening a second outlet on Antigua Street, in much bigger premises than the intimate Thistle Street surroundings.

The first thing I noticed, once I'd taken in the full extent of the place, is that it's very much a "two-in-one". The front half is a café, offering a relaxed atmosphere and seating to match, while the back room is a bright bistro.

I was prompt, as MJ has conditioned me in to being, and had a moment to survey matters. Christmas had broken out, it being 1 December, with some nicely understated trimmings giving touches of festive cheer. The bistro room is a little strange. While it is simply appointed in white, with clusters of artwork on the walls, it has the feel of a back-room bistro that you might find attached to a village pub. It’s the kind of room that could turn its hand to many things, perhaps doubling as the place you'd hold local fundraisers, when the kitchen isn’t serving posh nosh. This sense of flexibility could be used as a strength, but I’m not sure things are quite optimal, as they stand.

The kitchen sort of pours out of the door, in a slightly curious fashion. Where I was seated I had a full view of everything that was going on, and I didn’t personally feel it added much to my enjoyment of things.


As I pondered, bread arrived, as did water, then some hand-written menus, and soon I was joined by my dining companion, Jane, who previously quested with us at Leith Lynx.

Both Jane and I agreed that the bread was tasty, as we contemplated our menu choices. Jane opted for the chef’s salad followed by trout, while I went for soup then lamb.

Our starters arrived promptly, as a large party of early Christmas revellers took up residence at big table, next to ours.


My soup, a blend of butternut squash, sweet potato and coconut was very good. It lacked an extra dimension to elevate it beyond that, but was a really well-judged marriage of flavours. I was very pleased with it. This was all looking very good.

Then we sat for an extremely long time before our main courses arrived. Of course, the attention of the staff was taken up by the patrons at the big table, but a good deal of the time, the staff seemed almost entirely absent, presumably tending to the needs of customers in the front café.

Over the coming Christmas madness, service is likely to be a little less than perfect in a lot of places, so I had some sympathy for the staff, as this was the first day of the advent season, and I’m sure they’ll iron out most the kinks, in the coming days.


When the main courses arrived, they were excellent. I tasted a little of Jane’s trout, and it was lovely. My two chunky pieces of lamb were very soft and tender, deeply flavourful and extremely satisfying. For me, the dish could have used a bigger dollop of yoghurt, but that’s my inner honorary Istanbulian talking. The herb dressing was packed with flavour. A plate of vegetables, for us to share, were simply prepared and provided solid accompaniment.


With service having taken a considerable length of time, Jane had to bolt back to work, as soon as she'd finished her trout, as she was constrained by the strict application of the “lunch hour”, while I had time to digest things, and finish with a little espresso.


Overall, the quality of the food was excellent. My main course was one of the best I’ve eaten, of late. However, the service we received wasn’t good. I’m sure the start of the festive season explains this, at least in part, but the venue’s split configuration, and their choice to have staff managing service across both parts of the place, doesn’t lend itself to good service, as far as I could see. If you’re looking for a quick, business lunch, I don’t think this is the place for you – I’m not sure that’s a market they’re targeting, either. On a relaxed afternoon, with a nice glass of wine, I can think of nothing better than letting the world drift by while extremely tasty dishes sporadically appear, so when that’s what you have on your agenda, I’d recommend you pay Café Marlayne a visit.

Jane’s Verdict
I started with the salade du chef, which today comprised endives, mushroom, bacon and gruyere, with a drizzle of mustard. It was very tasty, with a perfect balance of salty smoky bacon with sweet mushroom and gruyere. Personally, I could have lived without the mustard, but that’s just me.


My fillet of trout with capers and pine nuts and a beurre noisette was perfectly cooked, with nicely crisped skin, but not too crispy, and again a nice balance of salty capers and sweeter pine nuts. There was a good contrast between softness and crunch. Yum!


There was big gap between starter and main, so points off for service, but overall it was all very tasty.

Scores
Blythe scores Café Marlayne:
4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
2/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13/20

Jane scores Café Marlayne:
4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
2/5 for service
4/5 for setting
giving an overall 14/20

Today’s lunch questers were: Jane, Blythe

We ate: squash, sweet potato and coconut soup, chef’s salad, trout in beurre noisette, lamb rump with yoghurt and herb dressing

We drank: water, espresso

We wore: chic black, lilac shirt and tie

Total bill: c.£25

I’d been looking forward to paying the Manna House a visit, ever since I walked past it on my way to Gregg’s, the other day, when I was in pursuit of hot sandwiches. I felt a little guilty, then, and my stop-off today did nothing to diminish those guilt levels.‬

‪The Manna House has a tall reputation for baking excellence. As you step over their threshold, you can immediately smell why. The place does smell good. It’s hard to pin-down exactly what the smell is, other than “homely, welcoming bakery smell”, as once you take a glance round the shop, you’re confronted with a dazzling array of sweet and savoury treats.

‪We were taking away, today, but there’s room for a few diners to linger, drink in the glorious aroma, and sample the baked goods over strongly brewed cups of tea, or rich, dark coffee.

‪We had a choice of two soups: one featured chorizo and chick peas; the other peppers and aubergine. Gary was in about the chorizo, with no hesitation. I was paused to reflect, as aubergine is a soup ingredient I have toyed with in the past, with only limited success. I made an roasted aubergine soup, many months ago, which tasted very wholesome, but won no beauty contests.

‪In the UK, the aubergine is an ingredient that bears little relation to those you find growing natively in warmer climates. It’s a staple of Turkish food, for example (patlican is one of the few Turkish words I learnt during my first visit to Istanbul), but replicating their recipes over here is quite a challenge.


‪I digress. I decided to go for the pepper and aubergine, in the knowledge that I might regret the choice. I suppose, to an extent, I did, as Gary proclaimed his soup to be an absolute, sure fire 5 out of 5. I was very pleased with mine, though. Firstly, it was an attractive green colour, secondly it tasted rather good, and thirdly it had an excellent, creamy texture, blended to just the right level of smoothness, while retaining a sense of rustic charm.


‪Gary matched his soup with a freshly made, still warm ciabatta, while I opted for a simple rye roll. I was delighted with my roll, but again I think he picked the star item.

‪We both opted to try one of the perfectly pretty mousses from their patisserie counter.

‪I opted for the beetroot and chilli.


Gary chose the cassis.


I was delighted with the dainty little offering, so much so that I decided to take it to my afternoon meeting and share it with two of my colleagues. Plastic forks in hand, we attacked with extreme politeness. I enjoyed it, but I think, on reflection, it looked marginally better than it tasted, but it looked spectacular. The whisper of lingering chilli heat was really quite pleasing, but it didn’t quite match the wow factor you got from first catching sight of it.‬

‪Whatever the case, I will be insisting that Cake Quest’s Sarah makes a visit here, almost immediately, and informs me that any lingering doubts I may have are pure heresy.

‪Overall, The Manna House is a lovely place for lunch. I imagine you could really impress a dedicated sweet-tooth by taking them there, and allowing them to run-riot for an hour of two. Their soupy soup is top quality, as well, so I’ll be back to sample from their range of baked goods again, soon. I suggest you do the same.

‪Scores
‪Blythe scores The Manna House:
‪4/5 for food
‪4/5 for presentation
‪3/5 for service
‪3/5 for setting
‪giving an overall 14/20

‪Gary scores The Manna House:
‪5/5 for food
‪3/5 for presentation
‪3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
‪giving an overall 14/20

‪We ate: chorizo and chick pea soup, pepper and aubergine soup, ciabatta, rye roll, cassis mousse, beetroot and chilli mousse.

‪We drank: once more, the soupy goodness was moisture enough

‪We wore: denim trousers, lemon shirt

Total bill: c.£11‬

Crolla is a prominent name in Edinburgh culinary circles, so when I spotted this unassuming little café on Broughton Street, the other day, I was intrigued enough to add it to our list for a little visit.


Broughton Street is a hot-bed of restaurants and cafés, with a place to cater for every taste and budget. For some reason, I’ve had it in my head that it’s just a bit too far away from my work to make it my regular brown-bag lunch haunt, but for two reasons, I’ve decided to amend that view. Firstly, it’s completely incorrect; and secondly, I’m now in training for a 100km walk, which takes place in May 2012. This sounds impressive, but is nothing when you consider that Lunch Quest’s inspirational leader, MJ, is planning to run a good chunk of this daunting distance!

I digress. Crolla’s has been open for around a year and half, offering simple sit-in and takeaway fare, from its charming confines. There’s room for around a dozen to sit in; a little more if you factor in the possibility of outside seating during Edinburgh’s generous temperate season. The interior is neatly appointed and very welcoming.

Having gone a couple of days without soup (how I coped, nobody knows), my first priority was checking the available varieties. I was pleased to hear wild mushroom, and minestrone were both on offer. I opted for the mushroom.

The deli counter offered a nice range of sandwich fillings, so I opted to match chorizo with brie, then top it with salad and pesto, all generously heaped inside a poppy-seed roll. Following the completion of the necessary financial exchange, I waltzed my way along the street, heading back to the office, with a considerable spring in my step.


Inspecting the soup, it was revealed as a richly creamy offering. I supped a little from the top, verifying that it was good stuff, then turned my attention to the roll. I have long bemoaned my separation from my beloved Domenico’s, and have pretty much given up hope of regularly eating good sandwiches again, until I get posted back to the Leith district. This roll, although not comprising quite the same symphony of flavours, was definitely the best one I’ve eaten since my last trip to Domenico’s hallowed halls. I devoured it, much in the same way as a former Prime Minister might ickily devour his wife’s love. Sorry for bringing that up, but Uncle Tony really has sullied that word for future generations.


I returned my focus to the soup, which proved highly satisfying. It wasn’t quite at the level of the mushroom soup from Union of Genius, but it was speaking the same lingo and living in the same postcode. I might even venture to suggest that they would be firm friends.


So overall, I was very impressed with Crolla’s. The fact that this lunch cost a total of £3.70, which struck me as exceptionally good value, only served to add a cherry on the top. If, like me, you’ve not noticed this place previously, I’d suggest you seek it out give it a try. From now on, it’ll be on my regular rotation of lunch places.

Scores
Blythe scores Crolla’s:
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 14/20

I ate: chorizo, brie, salad and pesto on poppy seed roll, wild mushroom soup

I drank: the soupy goodness was moisture enough

I wore: a plaster-free ear, for the first time this week

Total bill: c.£3.70

After agreeing last Saturday to start a review of Edinburgh's eateries from a veggie perspective, it was time to get out the notepad and put my money, or in this case veggie food, where my mouth is. So, when my partner Phil said he was coming into town for lunch this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my quest underway. For those who are wondering I have been vegetarian for as long as I can remember. There are not many folk who are brought up veggie from day one, but I'm one of them and hopefully this qualifies me to some extent to comment on what's hot and what's not in the world of meat free dining. Don't worry though I'm not a fussy eater, I like good sized portions of most things just without the meat or fish. Might I also add that Phil is not vegetarian so you can expect my quests to be about reviewing Edinburgh's veggie hangouts, but also about finding great places that offer both meat and non meat eaters alike a great experience.

For my first lunch quest I decided to head to the Filmhouse Café Bar. I'm told the building started life as a church until it was transformed into a cultural cinema in 1979 - quite fitting seeing as this was the year I was born. Since its inception Filmhouse has played host to the Edinburgh International Film Festival and is a hub for the city's movie buffs.

I was pressed for time, the other day, so had to opt for the takeaway option from Hula. As you will have read, I had a jolly time to myself.

An opportunity arose to pay a visit, before my trip to Hongfu, yesterday, so I seized it.

Given that it was Hallowe'en weekend, I wasn't surprised to see a queue snaking it's way from the costume shop, next door, past Hula's sunny entrance way. I timed it to miss the lunchtime rush, but found the place still nicely busy, as it was throughout my stay.

Guess what I ate? It was of the pea and ham variety. Rather spectacularly, it came with a rustic slice of cheese on toast.


This style of pea and ham, made from green split peas, is one that I have a habit of mangling quite badly, ending up with a soup that whilst flavoursome is way too gritty. No such mistakes were made here, with a beautifully rustic bowl of soupy goodness, with complex texture and hearty flavour.

Susan then popped over with a lovely little sample of one of their trademark smoothies. Slowly but surely, she's starting to convince me of their merit. I don't think it's ever going to get to the stage where I'll be creating a smoothie league table, but it's good to learn to appreciate new things.


I topped things off with an excellent Artisan Roast espresso. It was head and shoulders above any coffee I've sampled so far on our quests, so it was worth the trip for that alone.


Overall, Hula expertly reinforced the initial perception from my takeaway visit. Pay it a visit, soon, because I have a feeling you'll warm to it as much as I have.

I ate: pea & ham soup, cheese on toast

I drank: water, sample of whirling dervish smoothie, espresso

I wore: whirling dervish coloured suit

Total bill: c.£7

I have something of a shameful admission to make. Susan from the Hula Juice Bar dropped me a tweet to come and visit them when we first started out on our merry questing ways, just a few short months ago. For one reason or another, it just didn’t quite happen. When she dropped me another tweet, yesterday, to say that today’s soup would be haggis, neep, and tattie, she had me firmly signed up to the project.

As I left my office, which is around a 15 minute walk from Hula’s Victoria Street residence, the rain had just begun to tinkle down, gently. I was clad in my overcoat (which was keeping me way too warm, on this uncharacteristically mild day), but had neglected further rain , such as a bonnet or brolly. I had visions of turning up at Hula, soaked to the skin, to find out they’d run out of soup. In Angus’s terms, I was wearing a metaphorical black hat, but metaphorical hat’s do not keep the rain off, sadly.

As I promenaded up the Bridges, a wonderful thing happened: it stopped raining. The sun didn’t come out, nor did I burst in to song, but it was still a joyous moment.


I was soon at the Hula’s welcoming door. I walked in and made my introductions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tarry for a sit-down lunch, today, so took Susan’s recommendation, opting for their takeaway meal deal. This meant I could sample the much vaunted soup, along with a Cajun chicken wrap (again on Susan’s recommendation), for the princely sum of £4.


As I waited for my wrap to be toasted, in the sunny surroundings of their compact little café, Susan offered me a little sample of their famous “juice”. Now, I’m not a fan of these things, but the banana and mango lassi was very nice. Maybe if I thought of it as chilled fruit soup it would make more sense to me.

My victuals were packed up for me in compostable containers and bags, much like yesterday, and with friendly farewells ringing on my ears, I toddled off back to the office.


When I got there, I tucked in to the soup. It was very good, with an excellent full flavour from the haggis, and pleasingly light creaminess from the potatoes. The wrap was similarly excellent, with the spicing offering a welcoming cuddly warmth rather than a brutal slap of one-dimensional heat. It was balanced, filling, and enjoyable.


Overall, I have to say that I’m very sorry for not popping along to the Hula Juice Bar before now. It truly is a little ray of sunshine, twinkling at the corner of the Grassmarket (my mixed metaphors show no signs of improvement, I think you’ll agree). It’s always such a delight to see people enjoying what they’re doing at the same time as producing things to a high quality. I’ll be back to try more soups and wraps from their range, soon.

Scores
Blythe scores Hula Juice Bar
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
4/5 for setting
giving an overall score of 15/20

Today’s Lunch Quester was: Blythe

I wore: That lemony yellow and blue tie that I used to wear all the time

I ate: Haggis, neep, and tattie soup, toasted Cajun chicken wrap

I drank: A wee sample of banana and mango lassi

Total Bill: £4 (daily takeaway meal deal)