Saturday, May 28
Waking up without an alarm clock was nice,
and we made our way to Starbucks for breakfast before walking up the hill to
Edinburgh Castle, where we got in line to purchase tickets.
Laura at Starbucks, Edinburgh Castle on the hill in the background.
The line was so
long that as we queued I went online and purchased tickets on my phone, so we
got out of line and went to a computer to print our “pre-purchased” tickets.
Our tour through the castle was nice, though
the place was absolutely packed. It’s a bank holiday, meaning a three-day
weekend, so we aren’t sure if it’s just busy because the summer season is
starting soon or if there were more people in town for the weekend. In any
case, the weather turned sunny and warm and people were out in force.
We took many great photos from Edinburgh
Castle, some of us and some of the view, and then headed out to find a local
restaurant for lunch before having a leisurely walk back to the hotel so Laura
could take a nap and I could catch up on email.
Laura had decided she wanted a kilt skirt and
we went searching to non-tourist shops to try to find one, but had no luck.
Eventually, I found a place in Scotland that makes them to order and had the
color Laura wanted. We can order online when we get home.
It was time for another dinner adventure. A
few weeks ago I read been reading a food blog and had come across an article
about a new, innovative restaurant in Edinburgh called the Edinburgh Food
Studio, run by an upstart new chef focused on foraging. It sounded like the hot
ticket in town and I found an email address online and asked if they could fit
us in when we were in Scotland. They were able to do so, so we were excited to
get a seat at dinner that night.
We arrived by taxi to a slightly sketchy part
of town, an old storefront converted to the restaurant. We discovered we were
the first to arrive (we go there a little early) and with a little trepidation
went in. The chef himself was working on baked goods for dinner at an island in
the restaurant when we came in and we chatted for a bit before taking our seats
and getting two absolutely delicious cocktails (mine of gin with cucumber
fennel soda and Laura’s a vermouth and tonic). Everyone sits at the same time
and eats the same thing, a multi-course tasting menu. The staff is small. I
think we decided the count was five. By having one menu and making 29 of
everything (that’s what the small restaurant seats) it’s easy on the kitchen.
But it’s hard on the diners.
The menu.
The chef preps baked items for dinner in the dining room.
The dining room consisted of two long communal tables.
Homemade bread and Scottish butter.
The little wildflower display on the tables were two edible bundles
to be dipped in the seasoned sauce.
Jacket potato in edible foil.
Housemade goat cheese with honey and vinegar.
Dried wild strawberries and chocolate "dirt."
The chefs scooped housemade ice cream into touille cones...
...then dropped them in the dirt on each plate.
Housemade cookies with sweet cream inside. These were ridiculous.
Dinner took four hours from arrival to
completion, including amuse bouche, and a couple other surprise courses. The
price was very reasonable, but the length of time for dinner was wearing,
particularly because everyone sat at communal tables and the couple next to us
was quite…let’s just call it insufferable.
Some of the dishes were absolutely amazing.
Foraged ingredients ranged from edible flowers to morels to seaweed. Dessert
was playful and silly: they played ice cream truck music (evidently a staple in
the UK as it is in the US) and came out with plates of chocolate “dirt” and
other ingredients. They spooned out homemade ice cream into house made cones
and then “dropped” the cone into the dirt, as we’ve all experienced in
childhood. We used the ingredients on the plate to create a delicate and
delicious composition to end the meal.
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