And then the nominations started rolling in...

One thing Gary and I found when we undertook our breakfast challenge last year - aside from people trying to invite themselves along(!), was that people were asking us if we'd been to certain places that they personally liked for breakfast. They wanted to know our opinions or get us to try where they thought was a good breakfast spot.

Eventually enough people started recommending places to us that I started compiling a new list made up of those nominations, and when I opened it up on Facebook to other people if they wanted to add anywhere else to the list they'd like to see us review we ended up with another full list of places to try out as part of our challenge. The list is still growing even now, a year on!

We haven't done anywhere near one a week, and often times there will be months elapsing between reviews but in the past year we've completed 11 nominations (to date) with many more still to do.

Over the next course of blogs, I'll first be backdating the reviews of the nominations we've completed so far and then I will move over to near enough "live-blog" new reviews on the day they happen which will be a bit of a relief as the backtracking takes quite a long time! Though, I must admit that I have enjoyed looking back at our reviews so far as they have stirred up some pleasant memories and reminded me of a few places I'd forgotten about despite how glowing our reviews had been upon that visit.

Up next is our first nomination, Urban Angel on Hanover Street, nominated by our assistant manager Ally.

The Top 10 Edinburgh Breakfast Spots Summary!

So, after having spent 10 weeks reviewing the top ten best breakfast spots in Edinburgh from this list, Gary and I decided to rank the places from worst to best, add in any additional comments and say whether or not we would recommend them to other people.

If you are interested in checking out any of the full reviews for any of the breakfast spots listed here, each title is linked to the original blog review. 

Here they are - the top 10 best breakfast spots in Edinburgh, ranked worst to best from our experiences:

10. Clock Café and Diner in Dalry 

Our Scores
Gary - 2.8/6 
 Me - I still feel sick from looking at the photos of our food

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - No, the food made me ill though I might go back to the Morningside branch for lunch. 
Me - No, I felt sick mere minutes after 'finishing' my food. It was just greasy, fatty slop. Though I might be open to trying another branch as they have slightly different menus, and will definitely have different cooks! 

9. Kilimanjaro in Newington 

Our Scores
Gary - 1.8/6 
 Me - absolute rubbish - do not go 

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - No, I will never actively go to Kilimanjaro, they fucked up big time and it wasn't enjoyable at all. 
Me - No, the food was acceptable but the service was such a huge let down that I would be extremely reluctant to go back. There's loads of other cafés in the vicinity that I'd pick over it based on poor service alone. 

8. City Café off the Royal Mile 

Our Scores
Gary - 2.8/6 
 Me - meh 

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Maybe, I'd go to City Cafe for dinner as I'd like to see what the food was like. 
Me - Maybe, I've been back again since breakfast and the same dour faced waitress is still there and constantly in some sort of strop. The service really leaves something to be desired there but I'd be willing to go back to try their lunch and/or dinner menu. 

7. Heller's Kitchen on Salisbury Place 

Our Scores
Gary - 4.2/6 
 Me - I wouldn't talk you out of going but wouldn't recommend or return

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - No, Heller's Kitchen made the crucial sugar mistake and that can't be forgiven... 
Me - Maybe, despite my initial rating saying I wouldn't recommend - the food was fine but the biggest annoyance was having to keep asking for sugar. If you could get past that (Gary and I clearly can't!), it's a nice little spot to get breakfast. 

6. Royal McGregor on the Royal Mile 

Our Scores
Gary - 4.5/6 
Me - nice but nothing special

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Maybe, I'd go back if I was in the area again, but it's a bit generic and don't order the pancakes unless you like cinnamon. 
Me - Maybe, the food was nice but there was nothing that really stuck out about this place that would make me tell you to go there over other places. 

5. Nobles Bar in Leith 

Our Scores
Gary - 4.8/6 
Me - good food, good service and would recommend if you were in the area but I wouldn't go out my way to go back

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Maybe, it's really nice inside and they eggs are good. 
Me - Yes, if you were in the area - the food was really tasty, the service was nice and I really loved the décor. However, I am never in that area of town so I wouldn't rush back myself. 

4. CJs Café in Dalry 

Our Scores
Gary - 5.2/6 
Me - very nice food and would recommend for cooked breakfasts

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Maybe, I'd go back if I was in the area. It's a traditional greasy spoon. 
Me - Yes, the food was nicely cooked and it felt comfortable and homely if you can get past the Broons memorabilia, though from the sounds of it that actually sold it to a few of you! 

3. Blue Bear Café in Stockbridge 

Our Scores
Gary - 5.4/6 
Me - tasty food, would recommend

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Yes, the staff are really nice, the food was very good and it just has a really nice feel to it 
Me - Yes, the food was so tasty and the service was great. It was a busy place but I'd love to go back if I was able to get a table as the food was delicious and healthy tasting. 

2. Piece Box in Polwarth 

Our Scores
Gary - 6/6 
Me - great, would go again and would recommend

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Yes, I had a really nice fried breakfast, lovely tea and I really liked just sitting there. 
Me - Yes, despite me ordering a car crash of a breakfast (the infamous 'Nod to Norway'), I could tell it was the kind of place that did really nice food and it was lovely sitting in our comfy seats by the window and drinking up our tea and eating cake. The service was fantastic too and felt really genuine. 

1. Roseleaf in Leith 

Our Scores
Gary - 6.5/6 (that good) 
Me - excellent 

Would we recommend? Y/N and why? 
Gary - Definitely yes, everything about it was perfect, genuinely never had such a good breakfast. 
Me - 100% yes, the food was the tastiest of the lot and the service was so warm and so genuine from the owner of the place. This is the one place I would actually go out of my way to go back to and have breakfast or any other meal. If you get the chance you absolutely must go! 

Thanks again to everyone who liked or commented on my reviews and a huge thank you to everyone who's messaged me or even come up to me in person and asked me about the reviews and told me how much they've enjoyed them. I genuinely thought I'd be posting this just for myself and Gary but it's been really heartening having people take an active interest in the reviews, so thank you everyone who engaged with them - it was much appreciated!

Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #10, the Royal McGregor on the Royal Mile

Breakfast #10 on the list

Royal McGregor on the Royal Mile

Originally reviewed on May 10th, 2015 

His score: 4.5/6
My score: nice but nothing special

He ate: Pancakes with maple syrup and bacon (£6.95) with a traditional tea (£1.70) and a pint of Pepsi for (£3.50) - jesus! only just looked at the receipt, £3.50 for a pint of Pepsi!?
I ate: scrambled eggs on toast with salmon (£7.95) and a traditional breakfast tea (£1.70) 
Total cost: £21.80 (that bloody Pepsi)

Our pros: nice service; nice food with good sized portions; nice layout and décor - lots of tartan and Scottish themes i.e. the thistle wallpaper; condiments on the table, which is very important to us since the Heller's Kitchen sugar debacle; decent prices other than the Pepsi, and the waitress complimented Gary's BFG t shirt. 
Our Cons: nothing special about the place; service was a little in-your-face at points i.e. when the waitress started leaning over us to clear our plates away when we'd barely just finished and there was no one in the place so it wasn't like the table was needed quickly; there was too much cinnamon (ugh) on Gary's pancakes and, well this place just really didn't have much of a unique feel to it or anything that particularly set it apart from the rest - which may not be a fault of the place itself as it is the last of the ten for us to review, however I do think it should've had something a bit more special to it to have wound up on that top ten list in the first place.

Our experience: The last one!

We very nearly missed our reservation, which wouldn't have been a good way to finish the top ten reviews.

We assumed, just like with every other café we'd visited over the last ten weeks, that it would be heaving and so thought we'd be smart this time around and book a table in advance but with it being a Sunday and buses being sporadic to say the least, we found ourselves running late and with only about 15 minutes to get to the Royal Mile from Fountainpark.

We frantically waved our arms about in the drizzling rain (hence my rather windswept/frizzy hair in the photos) by Cineworld until we were able to catch the attention of a passing taxi, then we gave him the address from Google and sped off towards the Royal Mile.

The clock was ticking down, we only had a few minutes until our booking! IWa he going to get us there in time!?

The taxi driver suddenly took a right down the Royal Mile when he should've taken a left. We couldn't see the Royal McGregor anywhere! What were we going to do!? 

We panicked, paid and piled out the taxi again, me whipping out Google Maps to guide the way.
"Up here!" I said and Gary and I sped back up the Royal Mile, raced in the front door, almost panting with the sheer panic of missing the booking for our last review and cocking everything up.

The place was empty.

Ok, so there was one very small group of people sat at the back of the café, but that was it! 

We apologised for running late, though we could see now that booking in advance was completely pointless and when the waitress led us to our reserved table, we realised we had wound up being sat next to literally the only other people in the entire place.

Needless to say, we sat down and ordered our drinks, and prepared to begin the last review.

I have to start by saying that it wouldn't be hard to beat last week's revolting Clock Cafe and Diner slop so this place already had that working in its favour. 
Food-wise this place beat it with no contest but there wasn't much else to really say about it.

The food was good and well priced and the service was friendly but the menu wasn't all that exciting, though it did have more variety that last week's one with more added stuff like yoghurt and granola etc and I did like having salmon with my scrambled eggs on toast rather than winding up having to have another cooked breakfast. 

It was a relaxed environment and we were lucky to be there at a quiet time though with it being on the Royal Mile we expected it to be very busy and that's why we'd reserved a table in the first place. 

It would be nice to say these top ten reviews were ending with a bang, but in reality it was just an ok place. 
We agreed it could be a nice place to for dinner but other than if we were in the area, I wouldn't hurry back for breakfast. 

At a later point I'll list all our cafés from least to most favourite, our reasons why and our scores for each. 

What's next: There's no more cafés to go to! I might just sleep in next Sunday and not have to run out into yet another rainstorm to get some food. Thanks everyone for reading and commenting and/or liking. It's been a good ten weeks, though I'll be glad to give my bank account a well needed rest now!

Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #9, Clock Café and Diner on Dalry Road

Breakfast #9 on the list

Clock Café and Diner on Dalry Road

Originally reviewed on May 3rd, 2015

His score: 2.8/6
My score: I still feel sick from looking at the photos of our food, and ick

He ate: traditional breakfast (£5.70) with an English Breakfast tea (£1.70)
I ate:  a full breakfast (£5.95) and an English breakfast tea (£1.70) 
Total cost: £15.05

Our pros: nice service; cheap tea; complimentary OJ and toast with breakfast and a little biscuit with the tea; condiments on the table and reasonably cheap prices for everything.
Our Cons: fatty/salty tasting bacon; food slopped on plates with no finesse or presentation; microwaved eggs (is it that hard to fry eggs?!); no real distinguishing difference between both breakfast types that we ordered; very little selection for choosing breakfast-type foods; both felt unwell at the end of our meals and I couldn't even finish mine, and there was literally nothing that stood out about this place - it was so forgettable I didn't even remember to take a photo of the place after we left.

Our experience: There's unfortunately not much we can say about this one. Gary describes the place as "inoffensive" and "forgettable" and I would have to agree. I think I even have more photos for this review than words to describe it!

The place had some massive clown-sized shoes to fill after last week's Roseleaf Café admittedly but the food here sat in our stomachs and made us feel sick afterwards, and I mean immediately afterwards i.e. when our plates were still sat on the table after we'd admitted defeat on the food. 

I also couldn't finish my meal and barely touched my bacon because it tasted so salty and fatty. This upsets me greatly as I normally love bacon! 

The food was slopped on our plates and hidden under a mound of beans and it was disheartening ordering food with so little to choose from breakfast-wise as there was only really full cooked breakfasts, slightly smaller full cooked breakfasts or a vegetarian cooked breakfast unless you wanted a £2 croissant. 

I would probably never go back here - the service we got was polite and adequate but nothing stood out about this place other than the badly cooked food which would be enough to put me off a return visit. 


CJs Café is a 30 second walk from this place and I would choose that café over this one in a heartbeat. 

 

 There seems to be branches of this café in Morningside and Leith, so perhaps the food is better elsewhere but we were not impressed today. 

What’s next: (the final one!) is the Royal McGregor on the Royal Mile.

Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #8, Roseleaf on Sandport Place

Breakfast #8 on the list

Roseleaf on Sandport Place

Originally reviewed on April 26th, 2015

His score: 6.5/6 (yes, you read that correctly - this is what happens when Gary gives a place full marks - Piece Box, then finds somewhere better than it!
My score: excellent

He ate: French Toast (£5.95) which came with bacon and maple syrup, and added extra banana (£1) and Scottish Breakfast tea (£2.75)
I ate: eggs Benedict on the shore (poached eggs on homemade bread with hollandaise sauce and added smoked salmon) (£7.95) and Scottish Breakfast tea (£2.75) 
Total cost: £20.40

Our pros: excellent service; amazingly tasty food; lovely atmosphere; good variety of food on the menu; delicious tea; very personal feel to the service, and did we mention how tasty the food was? 
Our Cons: expensive tea. That's it!

Our experience: I have to start this review by saying this was both our favourite breakfast spot so far, by a *long* way.  
We thought we'd be hard pressed to beat Piece Box but this place was excellent. 
We got amazing, personal service from someone who turned out to be the co-owner of the place who told us about how he and his wife met (they have a personalised framed mural on the wall that tells the story of how they met and came to own Roseleaf - he talked us through it when I was photographing the hats beside the picture) and he also spoke to us about the food we were ordering and how much his wife liked to eat what Gary was ordering, so our experience felt personal and it really made a difference.

We reserved a table for 12pm which was lucky as the place was full when we got in but I think if we hadn't reserved a table, we'd only maybe have to wait 10-15 minutes to get a seat. 
The place didn't feel rammed despite having all the seats occupied. They have a bar/pub area in the front and a more intimate café/restaurant area in the back where we were sat to get our breakfast. 

The menu was very varied and they did things like roasts and full meals if you were to go there for lunch or dinner. 
In terms of the breakfast menu, they had a lot of eggs Benedict variants (I obviously picked the one that came with salmon and it was amazing) and we were starting to think eggs are a very Leithy thing as Nobles Bar (also in Leith) seemed to focus a lot on their eggs in the menu. 
They had a full cooked breakfast on the menu and Gary was dithering between this and the French Toast, eventually he settled on the latter and it was spectacular. 
You wouldn't think eggy bread, bacon, banana and maple syrup would go together but it really, really does. 

I couldn't fault this place - the only thing that bothered me a tiny little bit was that Gary and I both ordered tea each and we were given a pot that gave us about 2 and a half cups of tea each but we were obviously charged for two teas which came to £5.50 which seemed a little steep for one pot of tea. Oh, and the menu said "drinky poo's" on it. Not a fan of that use of language!

However, the service was the best, friendliest and most genuine we'd had so far and the food tasted perfect so I would absolutely go back here, even though it's miles away in Leith! 
And I absolutely loved that the owner was out there taking orders from customers and clearing tables whilst chatting away to everyone. It felt very genuine and very friendly, and I was very surprised to find out he was the owner as I just assumed he was a waiter there. It was obvious that he (and his wife) really cared about this place and were passionate about the levels of service and quality of food that they were delivering.
The place had really bizarre toilets where the cubicle almost had saloon doors that you pulled shut behind you and locked with a latch in the middle. The toilet also had a blackboard behind it and a pot of chalk as well as a sign on the wall that said "ladies, please remain seated for the entire performance" which I thought was strange yet amusing.

Also, the menus came inside copies of National Geographic and initially I thought we were being given reading material while we ordered until I opened it up and found the menu inside.

Safe to say this place was pretty quirky but in the best way and everything about the experience felt quaint and pleasant, like pouring our tea through strainers into lovely little teacups - it was just lovely and enjoyable all round.
They also had a huge array of hats up on the wall that I photographed and asked the owner about. He said that they do a Mad Hatter's tea party every now and again which involves a set menu with sandwiches and cakes, as well as (optional) hat wearing.
Round the front of the bar they had a cabinet with lots of hand-crafted things for sale like handbags etc so it seemed like quite a versatile place.
Can't say much more than - go here, eat the food and enjoy the service because it was perfect in just about every way possible.

What’s next: Clock Cafe and Diner in Dalry.

Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #7, CJ's Café on Dalry Road

  Breakfast #7 on the list

CJ's Café on Dalry Road

Originally reviewed on April 19th, 2015 

His score: 5.2/6
My score: very nice food and would recommend for cooked breakfasts

He ate: full cooked breakfast for (£5) and this comes with tea or coffee included in the price, and then an additional cup of tea for £1.20
I ate: the exact same
Total cost: £12.40

Our pros: nice atmosphere; tastiest cooked breakfast I've had at a café; relaxed environment with approachable staff; toast came with the meal; decent portions, and it was the cheapest breakfast so far yet, so excellent value for money. 
Our Cons: no tea in pots, just mugs; very limited menu choices for breakfast; you seat yourself and go up to order though they do then bring the food to your table; a little strange in terms of the décor as they had a lot of Broons memorabilia in glass cabinets which seemed a little random, and during our visit they had a DVD player looping a Disney menu (with music) over and over again for the majority of our stay which was a little annoying though it did get sorted towards the end of our visit when one of the employees put a different DVD in.

Our experience: Honestly, Gary and I agreed that from the outside and from the minute we sat ourselves down in the café, we were judging it. 
It felt like your typical greasy spoon and I felt boxed in when we first sat down and I could barely move to get to the bathroom because there was someone sat directly behind me. 
The place also looked a little scruffy from the outside and tacky inside however, the longer we stayed the more we enjoyed it and the more homely it began to feel.
The café seems to be run by a couple (maybe that's me being presumptuous but it seemed like a husband and wife working together possibly) and they were both friendly and approachable from the minute we stepped inside. 

We got really warm service and felt very welcome in the café. 
The café had a very homely feel and even the food felt like a breakfast you might get at home. 
It was hot when it was handed over, unlike every other café we've been too so far where the food was already getting cold by the time it got popped on our table and it was actually really nice being brought a mug of tea pre-made (i.e. brewed with added milk) to our table so all we had to do was add our own sugar - of which they had a shaker AND sachets of on the table, we were VERY spoiled this week! They also had sauce on the table which was good! 
I was a little disappointed getting mugs of tea, purely because I just like the experience of getting a big pot of tea but at least the tea here was very cheap and we got big mugs. It made us feel like we were round at a friend's parents' house getting given breakfast in the morning - just warm, welcoming and we felt looked after.

However, the menu choices for breakfast were quite limited as 
there were only cooked breakfasts or variations of cooked breakfasts on rolls or with chips, or you could maybe get a panini if you wanted. But, the food was good and very cheap so I would say if you were in the area and really wanting a cooked breakfast then you would not be disappointed with this place. 

Halfway through our stay an old woman poked her head in the front door and told the (male) employee stood at the DVD player (he finally turned off the looping Disney menu after 20 minutes!) that he had "lost a customer" because she'd been told off for using the toilet the previous week without buying anything. 
The employee just said "Ok, see you later then. Have a nice weekend!" and the woman said goodbye and left. The guy then called to the woman who worked there "oh, we've lost a customer!" and she called back "oh no(!)". 
Gary and I were in hysterics at the nearby table as we'd listened to the entire exchange. The employee then explained to us that this woman had dashed in the previous week to use the toilet without asking and then run out again after and I remarked saying "how can she say you've lost a customer when she never bought anything from here?!". 
It was nice seeing how he dealt with the old women who was clearly in the wrong as he was calm and polite about it and then bid her a good day. It just seemed like the couple running the place were very laid back and down to earth people so weirdly it actually added to the experience witnessing this 'customer' come in to complain. 

The café seemed the be stocked full of Oor Wullie and Broons memorabelia for sale and decoration and also appeared to sell DVDs which was an interesting but bizarre feature. 
It did honestly feel more like being round at a mate's mum's house for breakfast more than going to a café but I mean that in a nice way - it felt personal, warm and friendly and the food was prepared well and not in a slapdash, mass-produced way like some cafés do it trying to get as much food to customers as quick as possible. 

If I was really in the mood for a cooked breakfast then I would definitely go back here and the prices were a lot fairer than every other café we've been to so far. It also seemed relaxed enough to sit there for quite a while after food and just chat for a bit. Not the best café we've been to so far but the food was good, the service was warm and friendly and we were happy with our breakfasts. 

What’s next: Roseleaf on Sandport Place.

Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #6, Nobles Bar on Constitution Street

Breakfast #6 on the list

Nobles Bar on Constitution Street

Originally reviewed on April 12th, 2015

His score: 4.8/6
My score: good food, good service and would recommend if you were in the area but I wouldn't go out my way to go back (possibly my longest rating so far, I can see why Gary rates them with numbers now)

He ate: Eggs Nobles (poached eggs on an English muffin with black pudding and Hollandaise sauce) (£6.85) and a pot of English Breakfast tea (£2.45)
I ate: smoked salmon Benedict (the same as Gary's only minus black pudding and plus a portion of salmon) (£6.95) and a pot of EB tea as well (£2.45)
Total cost: £18.70

Our pros: friendly, quick service; bar had distinctive look and feel; quite a few different breakfasts to choose from; food was tasty, nicely presented and well cooked, and the waitress brought us water the minute we sat down.

Our Cons: very expensive tea with few servings from the pots; nothing particularly outstanding or distinctive about the place and 99% of the offered breakfast menu was a variation of poached eggs on different things so if you don't like eggs, there's not much to specifically choose from in the breakfast/brunch menu. Gary also said there was too much Hollandaise sauce on his eggs and we weren't offered the bill when we finished despite sitting there for quite a while with our plates empty.

Our experience: The service here was generally really good. All the waitresses were polite and friendly and one of them was even cracking jokes with us.
I also liked that the minute we sat down we were given a jug of water and two glasses without having to ask for it.
The only time the service faltered was when the waitress took our empty plates at the end of the meal but didn't ask if we wanted anything else or the bill and then didn't check back on us again after that so we had to eventually flag someone down so we could pay.

I liked the layout of the place and it had interesting artwork on the walls with cornices and painted beams on the ceiling so it felt like we were sat in a bar that had been around for 100 years or more.
The bathrooms were also really nice and had a Victorian feel to them and some of the windows facing the street had stained glass so I would say at the very least, the bar had a very interesting look and feel which would set it apart from other places.

The food was good but I was quite surprised when just one pot of tea came to £2.45 so Gary and I had spent £4.90 on tea but only got about a cup and a half (at a push) each out of our pots. Because there was so little tea, we'd pretty much drunk it all by the time breakfast was delivered and due to the price we didn't order any more. They did have sugar sachets on the table so at least there was that!

Gary and I both agreed that this place was nice and food was good but we wouldn't be in a hurry to go back. Perhaps if we were in the area we would pop in again but I wouldn't be in a rush to grab a bus to Leith for their food.
However, we both agreed it seemed like the kind of place that would be nice to go for dinner at some point.

One final point which I thought was unique was that the menu included an option to have eggs cooked however you liked them on toast for £3.45 and you could add on various breakfast items for £1 each e.g. sausage, bacon, tattie scone etc so I thought this was a nice touch if you prefer to pick and choose how you want your cooked breakfast and don't need to pay so much for it at the end if you're not including items you might not want.

Ultimately a nice bar with good food and good service but nothing that stuck out that would make us tell people they'd have to try this place - if you're in the area though, I'd recommend you pop in a try their food.

What’s next: CJ's Café on Dalry Road.