Edinburgh, City of
The Birchwood

The Birchwood

146 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh, City of, United Kingdom

Food • Cafe • Store • Seafood


"My wife and I decided to pop by here for breakfast a couple of weeks ago, and boy, are we glad we did. We luckily managed to get a last minute booking as it was quite busy. The café itself exudes an earthy charm, filled with home grown plants, creating a welcoming ambiance. The staff were welcoming on arrival and accommodating throughout our visit. The menu has a great selection from your usual go to breakfasts/lunches, to some more unique options. Thankfully the menu wasn’t too vast that and it was manageable to choose. For drinks we got a couple of smoothies. Both were excellent and flavoursome. For food my wife went with the full Scottish. They forgot the beans but it was quickly rectified. My wife couldn’t complain about her breakfast. Everything was cooked well and tasted great. I probably would’ve preferred more runny beans which you could lather the other food in but she quite likes the thicker beans. I was a greedy chops and got 2 items. Firstly I had the toasted brioche roll with Pork sausage, tattie scone and sriracha mayo. This was simple but so amazing!! Bun was crispy on the outer and soft centre. The mayo just hit the spot, yum yum! Easily the best breakfast roll I’ve ever had. I was drawn to the lumberjack French toast so I also indulged into this as well. The toast was like slabs so thick! The smothering sauce was delicious. Amazing texture and wonderful taste. Overall a tremendous breakfast and experience. Very satisfied. I have since been again and the standards have been kept."

The Table

The Table

3A Dundas Street, EH3 6QG, Edinburgh, City of, United Kingdom

Fish • British • European • Scottish


"A totally under the radar restaurant. My son booked this three years plus ago, and in the meantime, they 'd updated their booking system and lost his. The chef sorted it personally and phoned him to confirm everything was OK. It 's an auspicious start. We turned up outside the door with very discretion signage and were surprised to find it shut. Not to worry, it opened up on time, and we were invited in by the chef, Sean. It is a long, breakfast bar style eatery with only 10 customers per night, and the food is cooked right in front of you. Sean and his co worker Keith got us in and settled down, then explained what would be happening, offering us drinks menus to choose from Once we had our drinks, the magic began. They started making the meal before us, Sean speaking with the customers and Keith quietly getting on, doning a white glove to set the cutlery and keeping everything running smoothly. They play a wide selection of music from the 50 's through to the nineties while cooking as well. Sean explained what each course was as it was served and some background details about the food. Which is sublime. A very quick summary of our menu, it 's highly likely yours will not be the same, but the quality will be. 1 canopes, minin madelime whisky cheese Deep fried olive hw 2 Starter frogs leg,pear garlic 3 biased ox cheek and polenta. Melt in mouth 4 Haddock 5 guinea fowl 6 chicken liver cherry parfait and french toast/brioche cream 7 powdered caram1 canopes, minin madelime whisky cheese 1. Canapés. Deep fried olive with haggis was my favourite. 2 Starter frogs legs with pear and garlic 3 Braised ox cheek and polenta. Melt in mouth 4 Haddock, it 's not octopus in the photo but creamed Haddock. Sublime. 5 Guinea fowl 6 chicken liver cherry pate and french toast/brioche cream 7 Powdered caramel a total Willy Wonka experience. 8 Eastern med. Cinnamon cream, pistachio coconut Turkish delight, filo pastry and sorbet Borghetti coffee liqueur, lovely. 9 Madeline, marshmallow raspberry, gran mariner truffle 8 Eastern med. Cinnamon cream, pistachio coconut Turkish delight filo pastry and sorbet Borghetti coffee liqueur 9 Madeline, marshmallow raspberry, grans mariner truffle. Once the meal is finished, the two guys are happy to chat while tidying up. Overall, it was an absolutely incredible eating experience. If you are in the happy position of being able to afford it, this is an absolute must if you are visiting Edinburgh. If, like me, you live here, then this is a bucket list restaurant for food lovers. They also have a new bistro just opened called Under the table, which is directly underneath. Bookings open on the first of each month for the following month."

The Dirty Martini

The Dirty Martini

16 George Street, Edinburgh, City Of, United Kingdom, EH2 2PF, Edinburgh, City of

Vegan • British • European • Scottish


"So we were in Le Monde hotel before we get our train home. We had some snacks and drinks. Nice big armchairs with nice fire on. Nice blether with the waiter. Five minutes before we are due to leave. A female member of staff came over and said ‘ it’s against regulations for your wife to be sitting with her eyes closed’ . I asked what regulations and she said licensing regulations. I said I thought she was talking nonsense. Then a manager came over and reiterated we were breaking the law because Jenny had her eyes closed. My initial thought was surely it’s common in a hotel lounge for someone to be sitting with their eyes closed after eating. Anyway aforementioned manager said we couldn’t sit like this. I said I thought he was being stupid. He told me not to swear at him. I asked what swearword I used and he replied you called me stupid. That was cue for us to get up and walkout without paying. We were incredibly offended. Now if someone had come over and asked if my wife was ok I wouldn’t have thought that unreasonable. I would have said we are leaving in five minutes. I asked the waiter who looked after what he thought of the way we were treated and he said shocking. We said our protests were not a reflection on him in any way as he was a good ambassador. Interestingly there was another couple sitting across from us who said the treatment we got was appalling. The female member of staff had stuck a card on their table which was asking them to vacate their table in a little while. No mention of why to the patrons using the lounge when she put card on table. When they complained, they were told a regular comes in and expects that table. So a lounge with perhaps 8-10 tables, with two occupied, demonstrated how to offend all their customers. I still cannot believe how appalling this establishments customer care is but I will never ever, out of principle, enter that establishment again. When one satisfied customer leads to another. I cannot believe people could be so inept with customer care and communication skills. That’s regulations for you. Sleeping police no less, what next ?"