Archives for “sandwich” tag

Project Coffee is a great modern coffee shop in Bruntsfield. Like its siblings Wellington Coffee, Kilimanjaro, Press Coffee and Blackwood Coffee (check the Blackwood Coffee article), this café serves up great Square Mile coffee with tasty scones. But what I really like about Project Coffee is the effortless cool of its interiors and its café-style breakfast and lunch menu.

If you’re in for lunch, be sure to check out their soup (spinach and chickpea is a good one, if it’s on), and you can also get a panini or a sandwich. It’s quite a typical (if slightly expensive) menu for a café, but they use quality fresh ingredients, and it all tastes great. As for breakfast, there’s a slightly wider selection; eggs, bagels, full English.

As well as a sofa at the back and the window side benches, the café is pretty packed with small tables and chairs. The place does get pretty busy, and I have been unable to find a place to sit before. If you find yourself in that situation, Falko, Artisan Roast Bruntsfield and Rocket (all on Spotted by Locals) are all close by.

The last thing Edinburgh needs is another coffee shop, but Brew Lab offers something different, and stands out in a city where you can’t swing a cat without hitting a Starbucks.

Billed as an “Artisan” coffee shop, Brew Lab specialises in single-origin coffees that rotate, two for each day. Not cheap, my long black costs £ 2.20, but it’s worth it for the quality of the coffee. Each coffee has distinctive flavours and the staff is more than willing to talk you through where the beans are sourced or discuss tasting notes.

There’s a wide range of other items on offer too, including locally-sourced cakes, soups, sandwiches, salads, teas and hot chocolates. There are also gluten-free options on offer. My new favourite though is the millionaire shortbread truffles, an interesting – and yummy – take on traditional Scottish baking.

Located near the main University of Edinburgh campus, Brew Lab seems to be a magnet for students and hipsters. Although just behind the National Museum it’s apparently avoided the touristy crowd that flocks to other nearby coffee shops.

The atmosphere is very relaxing and, coupled with the free Wi-Fi, excellent coffee and friendly staff, this is a great place to break a day exploring the city or spend a few hours reading, writing or whiling away the day.

If you only ever go to Rocket once, go before 12:30. Their breakfast/brunch menu is great, and like the rest of their food, is pretty reasonably priced. My favourite breakfast item is probably the Rocket Rancheros: a tortilla filled with salsa, chorizo, cheese and spring onions, served with two eggs. I also recommend the french toast with bacon and maple syrup, but they’re very generous with their toast, so you’d better be hungry. Both of these cost about £ 6 for generous portions, and there are smaller, cheaper items on the menu, too.

Rocket is situated in Morningside, a beautiful neighbourhood in the south of Edinburgh. There are many great places in Morningside, and the 30 minute walk there from the centre will take you through Bruntsfield or Marchmont, both vibrant areas of the city with lovely independent shops and good cafés, bars and restaurants. The café’s not pretentious or intimidating in any way, and they are very kid-friendly.

Rocket will serve you a great lunch, too; they have a deli counter full of delicious sandwich fillings, that you can get in a variety of different breads and wraps. If you can’t decide on what fillings you’d like, they have a great suggestions board full of classic combinations. If you fancy something warmer, there are always two or three soups on.

Their coffee is generally quite good; they serve world-famous (literally!) Artisan Roast coffee, so they can’t go too wrong. They also have a nice selection of cold drinks.